First Derby

[woollyuk]

Hi all I've made my first Derby Cheese using the recipe below

Derby  - adapted from recipe from the Family Cow   
Creamy ivory to a rich yellow, mild flavored  cheese is sometimes compared to mild cheddar, and has a similar texture but lacks the unique cheddar flavor. It does tend to have a buttery, creamy flavor, and it melts   
   
Ingredients:   
9 Ltrs of milk, made up of 7 ltrs whole milk Hom & Pas + 2 Ltrs Jersey Pas  Non Hom
Mesophilic starter
1/4 Teaspoon of Calcium Chloride   
Rennet 1/4 Tab as per manufacturers instructions, dissolved in 1/4 cup cool water   
2 tablespoons  salt or to taste   
   
Procedure:   
Heat milk to 84°F .   
Add starter culture and Calcium Chloride, mix well,  cover and let ripen 30 minutes.   
If you want to add amatto for color do it now. Mix well.   
Add  rennet, mix well, cover and let sit 45 minutes.  Used flocc point(14.5mins) x3.5 which was 51 mins 
Cut the curd into 1/2" cubes.   
Let curds rest for 5 minutes.   
Slowly raise temperature to 94 degrees (went upto 98 whoops, just as it hit 30 mins), gently stirring the curds. This should take 30 minutes.   
Let the curds settle for 30 minutes.   
Drain the  curds in a cheese cloth lined colander for 30 minutes.   
Cheddar curds by cutting into four slabs. Stack one slab on top of the other, reversing the order every 20 minutes for one hour.   
Tear slabs into pea sized pieces. Sprinkle salt over the curds. Mix well.   
Place curds into a cheesecloth lined mold.   
Press with 10 pounds pressure for one hour.   
Flip cheese and press with 10 pounds pressure for one hour.   
Flip  cheese again and press with 50 pounds pressure for 24 hours.   
Air dry cheese on a mat for several days until dry to the touch. Turn twice a day.   
Wax cheese and age it for 1-2 months at 50-55°F turning it twice a week.   

I managed to follow the recipe pretty much to the letter apart from the higher temp at the end of cooking section. But I did get the slow increase just about right. More practice on the temperature control but I'm getting there.

Not waxed it yet as it is still drying.

I did a Caerphilly some weeks back and that went well, sorry no photos for that one . It's in my cave getting ready to be sampled.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Your curds appear to be cut way too large, so you will have a lot of moisture retention.

[woollyuk]

I think the photo is a little misleading they were exactly 1/2" cubes at the top I had a rule on hand. I think the cutting may have been skewed vertically. So I cut the larger ones again after the photo was taken , the ones in the photo were from the bottom after I had stirred them up. They all ended up about 1/2" cubes a couple of minutes after the photo. I should have taken a post second cut photo I suppose.

[DeejayDebi]

Looks pretty dry from here and the curds appear dry. Should be okay.

[JeffHamm]

That's a nice looking cheese!  Well done.

- Jeff

[Boofer]

Nice photo essay. Good-looking cheese.

It doesn't look like the curd cake was cut into four slabs and stacked on each other. Was it?

-Boofer-

[Threelittlepiggiescheese]

looks very nice!

[woollyuk]

Hi Boofer, sorry for long delay in response but I've been somewhat busy. I've done a cheshire as well now. Yes they were cut into 4 slabs. The photo is after the bottom 3 had merged into what looks like one. After this photo a turned them over then it really did merge into one longer and thinner slab.

[woollyuk]

  Just a note on the Caerphilly I made. It was far too salty when I tested it after 3 weeks, and I do mean salty. I followed the recipe to the letter, 2 Gallons of milk etc., and 2 tablespoons of salt added after milling. I'm wondering if the extra salting during the pressing could have caused it as I've not had this problem with my other cheeses and this is the only difference salt wise. Anybody else had this problem??

[Threelittlepiggiescheese]

atm mine are about 5 and 10 days old so I haven't had the chance to check the saltyness, i sure hope they arent over salted.

[Tomer1]

How would one creat a basil green tinted derby?    I thought about boiling some water with basil, using a blender to soup it up and strain to get green basil water.   but how and when do I encorperate it into the process?

[JeffHamm]

Hi Woollyuk,

that's interesting.  I use 2.5 tbls for 10 L with extra used during pressing.  Caerphilly is tyically on the saltier side, but I've not found it too salty.  I suspect we're into the realm of individual preferences now, and this is where making your own allows you to adjust the make procedure so you end up with what you like.  I would suggest leaving out the salt during the pressing and see what you think. 

- Jeff

[Montie Derby]

I have been envisioning making a green sage derby -- my surname being 'Derby' and all.  I have not tried the following yet, but when I do I'll let you know.   If you see any issues let me know.  Here is my idea:


I went to culinary school and we learned how to make natural food dyes to color aspics / chaud froid.

You have to shock green vegetables in ice water after blanching to 'lock' the chlorophyll or you will make 'olive drab'.  

If you are doing a sage Derby anf want it green (as dried sage is not green) the maybe Spinach and Parsley would be a good choice -- may have a more neutral flavor than basil ... And cheaper.  You will need a lot of leaves.

As opposed to just purée-ing to make a paste -- we would take the extra step of extracting the chlorophyll from that paste.

I hope my recollection is right:

Have an ice water  bath and a super fine strainer ready.  Use a strainer that you can dip into a pot to 'skim'-- finest you have.  Also, you need to submerge a sieve lined with muslin / cheese cloth in the ice water.   Put spinach /parsley in a blender with cool distilled water.  Try like a ratio of like 8 ounces green to like 2 cups water.  I would put a big pinch of salt normally - factor amount into your make so you don't over salt.  Blend to a purée. Keep blending until obliterated and then some more.  Pour into a non-reactive pan.  bring slowly to a boil.  Skim the green stuff that floats up (thats the chlorophyll)  from the surface. Strain through a damp muslin cloth in a sieve, set over a bowl filled with ice, to cool quickly. Squeeze out liquid really well.  

Mix well with dried sage leaves and add at appropriate time. Etc.

Resist temptation to use that water to make more.  Start over.

Again,  this is just my plan ... Thoughts?

[Tomer1]

I think its too elaborate for no need. I dont mind the bits of plant matter which may remain after blendering and straining.
The main question and when and how to use the green liquid.

And btw, Im not just looking for natural coloring, I like basil    

[Montie Derby]

Tomer: Then perhaps blanch raw basil for like 3 seconds in boiling water and shock  in I've water to lock color.  It will keep some flavor and stay green.  Just puréeing basil might lead to oxidation and browning or blackening in end results.  Then drain iff water and Purée the chilled basil leafs if you wish.  The 'water' won't add much color I think.  I guess you could add the puréed (blanched and shocked basil) to the milk but it would give a pale mint green color to the body of the cheese, not sure that's what your after.  My thought is to add to the curds before pressing.

I've done this quick blanch of basil to color and flavor basil pesto.  In that application one may get good results just using raw leaves plus some citric acid (or flavorless Vitamin C tablets crushed). Not for Cheesemaking though. 

Hope this is not too far off topic -  just chime-ing in on your question as its similar to my idea for sage derby.  Thx