Author Topic: My first Blue Brie (Cambozola?)  (Read 7255 times)

Offline NimbinValley

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Re: My first Blue Brie (Cambozola?)
« Reply #15 on: January 10, 2012, 04:46:36 AM »
NVD, I like the idea of just using the PC SAM and letting it out compete the blue. I will trial that on a cheese in my next batch.

Love your website by the way, absolutely beautiful country around Lismore. I live in West Gippsland, Victoria. Not quite as warm as Lismore, but similar rolling hills and lovely green dairy pasture. Would love to see some photos of your blue bries if you have any? I guess they are goat milk cheeses?

Bob

Gippsland is one place I've never been.  It is on my list!

The reason I was asking about your blue bries is that I have been struggling with them. They are 40% goat, 40% cow and another 8L of cream.  They have a lovely mild flavour but few openings. I am thinking I will have to ditch the cream but maybe I will try stirring a bit more and keep the cream in.  I'll post a pic when I find some success.

NVD.

Necol

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Re: My first Blue Brie (Cambozola?)
« Reply #16 on: August 29, 2012, 06:06:07 PM »
Hi Bob, your cheese, look so amazing!!

I have been trying to make blue Bries for some time now.
I have been having 3 problems:
1. They are too liquid
2. There is no blue mold formation (but you can taste it)
3. They have a bitter taste to them.

I've tried many different recipes including your suggestions about the hot bath method.
Do you have any suggestions for me?
I also read that you had seen the hot bath method being done commercially on blue Bries, I have been looking for courses on this cheese, do you know any I could attend to, or any creamery that lets you take a peak at their process?
Thank you in advance,
Nicole Harvey

boothrf

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Re: My first Blue Brie (Cambozola?)
« Reply #17 on: August 29, 2012, 10:12:42 PM »
Hi Nicole and thanks for the feedback.  Yes, the blue Bries are a bit tricky. I spent quite some time getting the hang of making cams first, as they are the base for the blue bries. Moisture level in the curd is critical as are maturation conditions, both temp and humidity.  The same applies to the blue bries. If you have too much moisture in the curd, you risk getting slipskin and a runny paste.  Poor maturation conditions can then exacerbate this. My early cams suffered from this and ended up getting a bitter, ammoniated taste very early. You need the curd to be dry enough that the maturation occurs evenly through the cheese, and not too fast from the outside. I found maturing at a lower temperature (8-10C) helped a lot, as well as some extra stirring before hooping to expel a bit more whey.

The 3 problems you mentioned are, I believe, a result of high moisture curd. The lack of blue inside the cheese is because the piercing holes have closed over and also there are no pockets of oxygen inside the cheese to promote growth of PR. This is almost certainly because your paste is too soft/runny and any piercings just seal up. The fact than you can taste the blue (beautiful isn't it, inside a soft creamy paste  :D) , means that the PR is viable and working, but can't get enough oxygen to bloom properly. The bitter taste is probably just over ripeness due to the high moisture.

Have you perfected cams yet? If you have, then follow the same technique but add the PR during the make. note my comments in this post about the extra stirring to get a drier curd. Then just follow the instructions for hot water dipping and PC spraying. another thing you could try would be re-piercing your cheeses after a week to make sure the PC hasn't closed over the holes, and to re-open the holes to hel prevent them closing over inside as well.

I gather by your reference to creamery that you live in North America? Unfortunately I can't help you with any references there as I am in Australia. Maybe you could put a post on the General questions board asking for suggestions? Also, experienced US members Boofer, DJDebbi, iratherfly and John (just to mention a few) are very active and can always offer very helpful suggestions. And Sailor from Kentucky runs a very nice looking operation making lots of blue based artisan cheeses, and he is always very generous with his advice as well.

Good luck, keep persevering as this cheese is a real delight and it is very satisfying when you achieve a good result with such a challenging cheese. Keep us posted, maybe provide some photos and details of your next attempt. There are plenty of helpers out there on the forum. :)

Bob

Necol

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Re: My first Blue Brie (Cambozola?)
« Reply #18 on: August 30, 2012, 05:29:12 PM »
Hi Bob, Thank you so much for your help!
I will definitely try drying out my curds a bit more. And taking your advice in the other steps too.

I live in Chile (South America).  ^-^ Far form both places, but I would love to travel and perfect my cheese making techniques! So that is why I´m looking for a cheese producer that makes this type of cheese specifically.

I ´ll keep you posted and the next time I make cheese I´ll upload a pic.

Thanks once again,
cheers,
Nicole

boothrf

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Re: My first Blue Brie (Cambozola?)
« Reply #19 on: August 30, 2012, 11:01:40 PM »
No problems Nicole, happy to share my experiences and hope they can help you too. Looking forward to seeing your photos and reports!

My brother's partner comes from Chile, Santiago I believe. He quite often returns to visit his family as he is a flight attendant with Qantas and often flies  there for work. They have just moved to the Hunter Valley wine region outside of Sydney where they run an accommodation property with self contained cabins for visitors to the wine region.

Let me know if you ever come to Australia as I'm sure he would love to catch up with a fellow Chilean.  :)