I finally bit the bullet and purchased some ash from NECS, after pondering whether to make some myself. The exercise was a little daunting, particularly when I had no idea of the quality of the outcome. So, purchasing some gave me an idea of what the finished product should look like, taste like etc, and if I decide to go ahead and produce some from burning wood, then I have something for comparison.
The ash arrived on Tuesday last week, and on Wednesday there was a Brie that I had just made and could use an experiment, so went ahead and covered 5 of the 6 cheeses with a thin layer of ash. One was left without as a comparison. The photos below show two of the cheeses following coating, and the second shows the cheeses as of today with a growing white mould covering much of the ash.
Sure am looking forward to tasting these little gems!!
Am also experimenting with a morbier – stay tuned!
B