My first attempt at French Neufchatel

[bakerboy]

I warmed my whole milk to 80 degrees
I used vegetable rennet and a touch of p.candidum
I used cultured buttermilk as my mesophilic starter
I used 3 drops of the rennet mixed with 1/4 cup cool water
I combined all of the ingredients and stirred for 2 minutes

So far, so good on Day 1...Will keep y'all posted on my progress

[iratherfly]

Good luck!

Can I ask why are you using SAM3 as your PC? Looks like you are from NOLA but your rennet is this New Zealand brand, how come?

[bakerboy]

The it's the only liquid rennet and pc I could find.  This is my first shot at this type of cheese using these types of ingredients. I have done simple creole cream cheese using junket rennet, but the formula for
this cheese called for liquid.  As for the pc, it too was all the local shop had.

[iratherfly]

Any success yet?

Contact me if you want advice of where to get stuff by the way. Maybe I can tell you of better fitting ingredients.

[bakerboy]

Well,
There were some set backs that I didn't anticipate.  I make creole cream cheese all the time, and like clockwork, the cleanbreak happens right at the 12 hr mark.  The neufchatel look as if it had reached the clean break, but was not quite there.  I ladeled the curds into my strainer only to have the majority of them just run through like liquid.  Some did catch however, and i continued on with those.  It was enough to make one round.  Yesterday marked the start of week 4 aging in the fridge.  The mold has bloomed nicely and it looks pretty good.  I didnt realize that there were different types of PC.  Which would be better for neufchatel?

[iratherfly]

Eh, sorry to hear that.  Did you not use enough rennet? Did you use Calcium? Is the milk ultra pasteurized? How long did you let it set?  Check the curd next time and never use a strainer. Always use a cheesecloth. If this cheese is very creamy (as it should be) the curd mass will be floating on the whey. If it's low on fat it will be covered with whey. In any case, there should be a clear separation and detachment from the wall of the pot so you know it's ready.

PC-VS or PC-VB are good for this cheese.

[bakerboy]

Well we ate it on 8/24 ahead of hurricane Isaac. It was edible, but far from good iwill be in contact soon