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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => ADJUNCT - Blue Mold (Penicillium roqueforti) Ripened => Topic started by: JeffHamm on April 14, 2012, 05:39:40 AM
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Hi,
Well, I decided it was time to try a full sized blue. So far, the only blue (intentional blue that is) that I've made was a small semi-lactic type. It was very good. I've been wanting to try Pav's Stilton-type make for awhile now, and at the moment I've got space in my ripening boxes to house a blue (meaning it can sit by itself and not bother anybody else in the cave). So far, the make seems to have gone quite well. The curds are now sitting and draining until morning. Here's my notes, and hopefully I've not left out any key steps during my translation of Pav's instructions into my list format.
Anyway, no photos at this point, and probably won't be any for a few days as it remains in the mould for about 4 days. We'll see how this goes.
- Jeff
Saturday, Apr 14, 2012 (sunny; approx 20 C)
Stilton Approximation Pav (Linuxboy)
10 L Milk, Homebrand standard
Mold from Onewhere Blue cheese.
6 ml Renco rennet
4 ice cubes Flora Danica
¼ tsp 50% CaCl
5 tsp Salt. Use around 0.5 tsp salt per litre of milk
1 cup Distilled ice cold water, for diluting rennet.
Process
1) heat milk to 30 C with 4 ice cubes from start
2) add CaCl and mould
3) Ripen 60-90 minutes until pH is 6.45 (time 12:45 – 2:09 temp 30.8 – 29.8 C)
4) Add rennet (diluted in water) (time 2:09 floc time 2:23:15 4x = 57m 00 sec cut time 3:06)
5) Cut curd into 2.54 cm pieces heal 5-10 minutes (3:06 29.1 C; 3:13 - 3:23 - temp 29.1 C)
6) Stir (jiggle) 30 minutes to prevent matting (3:23 - 3:53 temp 29.1 – 32.5 C; put it in warm water to return to temp and overshot)
7) then stir intermittently for 30 minutes more (3:53 – 4:23 temp 32.5 – 32.6 C)
8) drain whey, cover, leave overnight (increase acidity) (left in lined colander inside the large pot that had held the warm water)
9) mill curds into smaller pieces (5:30 am)
10) salt at 0.5 tsp/l
11) pack curds into mould (do not press)
12) turn mould every 15 minutes for 4 flips (flipped at 6:00, 6:15, 6:30, 6:45)
13) flip mould every 30 minutes for 4 flips (flipped at 7:20, 7:45, 8:45, 9:15) ; missed the 3rd flip
14) flip mould every hour 2-4 times (flipped at 10:15, 11:00, 2:15, 3:15)
15) Leave in the mould for 4 days to continue draining, flip 1-2 times a day (room temp)
Flipped Monday am & pm; Tuesday am & pm; Wednesday am & pm - noted blue in pm ; Thursday am - lots of blue development
16) Remove from mould (may show some blue) and smooth - did this Thursday am. good blue aroma, tasted crumbs and has blue flavour, just undeveloped. Smoothing went ok, curds well fused (only one break away chunk, which was pasted back in).
17) Place in cave and age 7-10 days
18) Pierce all over, vertical and horizontally
19) Pierce after 3-4 weeks
20) Pierce again at 4-6 weeks
21) Age minimum 60 days
P.S. Well, the flipping is done. Not quite to the schedule, but close enough I think. Now, 4 days of room temp, with flips morning and evening. Then, hopefully, smoothing and caving and bluing. Fingers crossed.
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Looks like you had a flippin' good time with that make, Jeff!
Now we wait.... :P
-Boofer-
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Yah, the flipping tomorrow will be a pain, but it will all happen in the morning. Given that the wee one is up at 5 am, I'll be flippin' as the sun comes up! :)
- Jeff
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Flippin's fun!!! gives a guy something to do :P
"21) Age minimum 60 days"
change that to 90 days Jeff if you can hold out that long anyway that's what they kept trying to tell me
and no I didnt get past 60 days :-[
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Hi H-K-J,
I'll go for 90 if I can. The "minimum 60" is in Pav's notes, so I just left it. Will see how things go. :)
- Jeff
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Flippin's fun!!! gives a guy something to do :P
"21) Age minimum 60 days"
change that to 90 days Jeff if you can hold out that long anyway that's what they kept trying to tell me
and no I didnt get past 60 days :-[
Sailor recommends 90 days. I thought that was too long when I did mine and the blue taste became too strong. It's an individual thing, I think. Try it at 60 and age more through 90 days. See what you like better. It would be a shame to age it out past where it tastes best for you.
I just read that Fourme d'Ambert is typically aged for 4 to 5 months. :o That might not be all versions. A sampling at 60 days might be just right.
-Boofer-
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That's a good idea Boofer. Vanessa has only recently developed a taste for blue cheese, so I don't want it to get too strong for her, so a sample at 60 would be wise. It's easy to get older, so not easy to get younger.
- Jeff
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It's easy to get older, so not easy to get younger.
Boy, ain't that the truth.
I might add that youth is wasted on the young.
-Boofer-
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sometimes after a couple shots and a few beers I get to feelin kinduh chipper ;D
But then again, I do feel a little more older than usual the next day :o
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I fully agree with all statements made so far, except maybe some of my own! :)
Oh, as for aging this, and piercing after the blue forms, etc, does it age the whole time in the cave, or should it get wrapped and then moved into the regular fridge (4 C) for some amount of time?
- Jeff
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I fully agree with all statements made so far, except maybe some of my own! :)
Oh, as for aging this, and piercing after the blue forms, etc, does it age the whole time in the cave, or should it get wrapped and then moved into the regular fridge (4 C) for some amount of time?
- Jeff
I defer to the more experienced Blue Alumni since I have such limited experience.
-Boofer-
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FWIW, Jeff, I kept all of mine in the cave, no wrapping until they were cut and ready to be passed around the neighborhood.
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Thanks George,
I thought that was the case, and I'm sure Pav's notes would have indicated such an important step in affinage, but as this is my first full blues tour after one practice session, I thought I should double check things. Just to be sure.
- Jeff
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Hey Jeff the first one that I did (that actually turned out) was always in the ageing container other than the half hour a day I brought it out to breath and to check, flip or clean the container. I aged that one for sixty days (wishing I would have waited longer) :( the one that is ageing now was left out in a
60 deg. room for five days then put in the ageing container and kept at 51 to 53 deg. at about 90% RH and is looking more like I think a Stilton should look, I still let it breath daily,flip it occasionally, pierce and clean I'm hoping for 90 days at the moment. (so far so good)
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Sounds good. Mine's still at room temp for 3 more days (including today), then out of the mould and into the cave. I'll give it a daily airing during the aging as well, to prevent ammonia buildup in the box. Looking forward to seeing how this one turns out.
- Jeff
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Looking good, Jeff. I always try to watch temp and humidity, and surface flora. It's a deceptively easy cheese to make, but there are all these subtleties that make a big difference. usually, even when it doesn't turn out fantastic, it's still really good. One of my favs. Hope it turns out well.
Re: the whole temp and wrapping issue... for a Stilton, it is crucial to have a dedicated space that is not infected by geo, random yeasts, or other flora. If it does, not the end of the world, but it makes proper blue development harder because it will infect the openings. For this reason, I like to overinoculate with a milder blue strain so I get a rapid growth, and then after a good bloom, lower the temp down to 8C or so, and let it age out slowly for more nuanced flavors and aromas. It's just one approach, though. Classically, it is aged in the cave the entire time and the surface crust forms a sort of protective barrier. This is hard to do in a small aging chamber so sometimes, one needs to cheat.
You can wrap, but that's typically done for surface salted blues. I suppose overall point is listen to what your cheese is telling you. If it looks like it's doing something other than what you expected, figure out what it's doing, and see where you want to go, and then figure out how to get there. Post pics and descriptions if you want help. Right now, the draining and acidification step is pretty crucial. If it has stopped draining at 3-4 days, you're done. It needs to be able to retain its shape. With less fat in the milk, it may not need the full 5 days.
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Thanks Pav!
I can dedicate a ripening box to it, which I'll give a good cleaning and sterilisation wash first. That's about as good as I can do to prevent cross contamination. I'll start it off on the top shelf, and later in the ripening process move it to the bottom and see how it's developing. I can lower the cave to 8C as well if necessary.
Anyway, will post some photos in a few days when it's finished draining. I put a fair amount of blue mould in from the cheese I borrowed it from, but will have to see how quickly the blue develops. Seems to do quite well when I'm not trying, so there's some wild blues around that I'll have to compete with. Fun stuff.
As you can see in my notes, the temp got a couple of degrees warmer than target, but the curds seem to be good and doing what I'm expecting - as in they seem to be fusing together so the cheese won't fall apart when I remove the mould, etc.
- Jeff
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Hi,
Well, this is the 3rd day of flipping morning and evening and I noted the first blue mould development after flipping this evening. Has a good blue smell developing as well. I'm pleased so far. Anyway, after tomorrow I'll smooth things out and into the cave it goes. Nice.
- Jeff
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Hi,
Ok, as the blue is well forming up this am, I decided to smooth this morning rather than this evening. The cheese weighed in at 1490g from 10L. The curds have fused, and during the smoothing only one "chunk" broke away, but I was able to mortar it back in, so all is not lost. The crumbs have a definate blue taste, but it's very young and hasn't any depth. Still, the paste seemed creamy enough to smooth and the blue is developing rapidly and, hopefully, will soon cover and protect the whole cheese.
I'm curious though, the smoothing, is this primarily to improve the appearance and/or structural integrety early on? Or, by sealing the cracks, is the idea to slow down the blue development internally so that it doesn't develop bitter and off flavours due to rapid growth? This latter seems to contradict the notion that the rind, which is exposed, is edible (so I suspect I'm wrong on that, just trying to cover all the bases).
Anyway, this seems to be going well so far. But there is a journy ahead, and things to see along the way, not all of which will be expected.
- Jeff
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that's a purdy lookin blue. good job.
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Somehow I missed this post. Lovely looking blue Jeff. I don't really understand the purpose of smoothing either.
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That is a pretty colored cheese Jeff good luck with it.
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Thanks everyone! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this one. Must remember to take it out to air each day.
- Jeff
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Kinda like a pet. :)
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Yes. I'm expecting it to start scratching at the door to get out in a couple weeks. Still, cheese doesn't make a good pet. It's too quiet, and hard to get them to come in at night. (If you can spot that obscure movie reference a cheese to you!)
- Jeff
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Yes. I'm expecting it to start scratching at the door to get out in a couple weeks. Still, cheese doesn't make a good pet. It's too quiet, and hard to get them to come in at night. (If you can spot that obscure movie reference a cheese to you!)
- Jeff
When you can finally get them to stop wetting the paper...that's really nice. ;)
Good progress, Jeff. I can smell it from up here. :D
Movie reference, huh? Let's see..."Wolf" (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCcQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imdb.com%2Ftitle%2Ftt0111742%2F&ei=bxOQT9XlEa3ciQLHg7ToAg&usg=AFQjCNG35w0QXzB4BkC8KcWUz2bcHDtbzQ&sig2=YmnFylOXUEW5wJRcr-vM_Q) with Jack Nicholson? How about "The Thing" (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CEQQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imdb.com%2Ftitle%2Ftt0044121%2F&ei=7BOQT8SpG9DKiAKDpJmPAw&usg=AFQjCNG7vgS517NPxt9gq1WTZfKUK-UjHg&sig2=PoL3z97hplWUKtwblvwhSw) with James Arness? Wrong track?
-Boofer-
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Lookin very nice Jeff, :) the main reason I smooth mine is that they do it at Stilton and everyone told me to :P
and why I smoothed my second one? the first one turned out excellent ;D
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I'm stumped! Guess I don't get that cheese. Good thing I make my own! ;)
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I'm curious though, the smoothing, is this primarily to improve the appearance and/or structural integrety early on? Or, by sealing the cracks, is the idea to slow down the blue development internally so that it doesn't develop bitter and off flavours due to rapid growth? This latter seems to contradict the notion that the rind, which is exposed, is edible (so I suspect I'm wrong on that, just trying to cover all the bases).
Covered this in more detail somewhere before, but point of smoothing is for appearance and to decrease rind inclusions. You want the yeast and blue to create a "skin". This skin doesn't form too well with all sorts of crevices... can get inside the cheese. So when smooth out, gives a higher yield and a prettier finished cheese. Idea of rind as skin is extremely important in cheesemaking. All cheeses require skin management... whether natural (flora sequence), or fake (plastic, nat, wax, etc).
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Ah, thanks linuxboy. So appearance and rind/skin integrety are the primary functions of smoothing.
Hmmm, for those playing movie trivia, the quote from the movie is about eggs not making good pets. They're too quiet and hard to get them to come in at night. The actor who delivers the line is Peter Sellers. I'll leave it at that for now I think.
- Jeff
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LOL... the cat and Dr Pratt.. I remember now. I haven't seen The Wrong box in a long time. Kind of meh movie, but the Peter Sellers bit is so good. That film has to be 30+ years old now.
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And the cheese goes to Linuxboy! Yes, for a movie with such a heavy weight cast, it's a bit of a let down. Peter Sellers is briliant, but only appears in a couple scenes. Of the main characters, it's the butler who steals the show and he's the one non-star from the bunch!
- Jeff
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How about "The Thing" (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CEQQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imdb.com%2Ftitle%2Ftt0044121%2F&ei=7BOQT8SpG9DKiAKDpJmPAw&usg=AFQjCNG7vgS517NPxt9gq1WTZfKUK-UjHg&sig2=PoL3z97hplWUKtwblvwhSw) with James Arness? Wrong track?
-Boofer-
Yah, but The Thing was one of the great early horror films. John Carpenter did a remake in the 80s, which is still one of my favorite horror/suspense films. Some of the best use of editing to really bring you into the pace of the film. I've seen posters recently of another re-make, but have avoided going.
- Jeff
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Oh, and Linuxboy, the Wrong Box came out mid-60s, so it's almost 50 years old! Eeep!
- Jeff
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Hi,
Just an update to show the mould progression over the past week. It's developing some white fuzzy to it, but I've seen that others have had this too, and then the blue develops more rapidly (there is blue progression, so it's doing what it should). There was really good blue development while draining, then I smoothed and the lower cave temp has slowed things down. I'm getting lots of condensation on the wall of the ripening box, so it should be humid enough in there.
- Jeff
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Looking... fuzzy! :) What's it's name?
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what is you RH? I haven't had one get that white, Temp might be high? 50 to 55 deg. 87% to 90% RH ?
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Hi,
No name just yet. The photo looks whiter than it does "au natural". Temp is 10 C, but I don't have a hygrometer so don't know the RH. Box has lots of condenstation, which I wipe down. I give it time each morning to air out as well.
- Jeff
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Looks great, Jeff. Yum!
-Boofer-
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So far so good Jeff! Looks good! A cheese to you!( early) :D
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Hmm, thinking my humidity might be a touch low (for no reason other than I don't have a hygrometer - yah, I know, easy to fix) I decided to not fully wipe down the condensation on the side of the box (just one side gets wet). This morning, after a day or two of this extra damp, I can detect a touch of amonia starting to develop. That, I think, indicates my humidity is too high now, so I've wiped down the box, opened the lid a bit more, and hopefully things will settle down. Temp is 10 C in the cave. I air the cheese out each morning for around 30 minutes as well, though I might give it double air time today and take it out again this evening.
Any other suggestions? It's looking good, and I have to get very close to smell the amonia, but it's starting and I want to nip it in the bud.
- Jeff
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Jeff,
I can detect a touch of amonia starting to develop.
Even now I get just a slight ammonia smell, it goes away in just a few minutes and then it just smells like stinky feet :o
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Hi,
Well, it's been 14 days today, so I pierced it. The very slight amonia smell is there if you put your nose really close, nothing you would notice otherwise. This could be normal, of course, as it's not "built up". I used a meat skewer that I've given a good scrub to and then steralised in boiling water. Anyway, the paste feels wonderfully creamy when you pierce it. It flows out around the skewer like soft butter. The taste is very good, not a lot of blue flavour but a wonderful texture. This is really going to plan nicely, and once the blue starts to develop more and provide more intensity, this has the beginings of a wonderful cheese. Oh how far beyond the horizon does a month or two lay?
- Jeff
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I'm likin that MMMmmmmMmmmMM ^-^ very nice Jeff
Oh how far beyond the horizon does a month or two lay?
A very, very, very long time :o
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:o Looks... scary! ;)
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Hi,
Just an update to show the mould progression, or what may be lack thereof? I've been letting this sit out every morning for 30 minutes or so, flipping it, and putting it back in the cave. I flip again in the evening, but don't air it at that time. The blue mould developed really well the first 4 days, since it's been in the cave at 10 C, not a lot seems to be happening. It's certainly not covering up with blue. There is a slight amonia smell (again, if I put my nose close, it's not something you can detect when you open the box) but that's been there all along and airing it doesn't seem to make it go away. The box ends up with condensation each morninng, which I wipe down. The plate underneath the cheese gets a wipe too as again, condensation collects there.
Some of the holes are closing up, so I'll pierce again in a week. I suspect more is going on under the hood than meets the eye though.
- Jeff
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No peeking Jeff! My first blue seemed to be a little underpopulated on the outside, but the holes I pierced did fill with blue.
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It's looking good, Jeff. Wow, you really air yours out a lot! It's all I can do to keep from touching mine every day. And now that I write that, I see some evil little minds working in the back there. >:D Every other day seems okay in my mind.
What a magnificent obsession!
-Boofer-
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How much longer do we have to wait?
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Jeff. Wow, you really air yours out a lot!
YUP, everday, everday, bring it out, clean it out, air it out ???
OH yah-Sniff it out :o
anduh cheese ;D
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Thanks all. It's 21 days tomorrow. June 16th will be 63 days, and July 14th is 91 days. I'm sure the blue is developing inside just fine. It seemed like it was full bore until I smoothed it and put in the cave though. I'm assuming the cooler temperature has slowed things down.
I flip most of my cheeses twice a day until they're waxed and into long term storage, at which point they shift to a more leisurely once a week roll over. This one gets the twice daily flipping. I figure it will help distribute spores. Since this has to be kept in a box by itself I take it out to give it some company in the morning. That seems to keep it happy for the most part.
- Jeff
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Hi,
I've pierced this a 2nd time. I was starting to get a bit worried as the top and bottom are remaining quite moist and I'm not getting a lot of blue developement on the rind. When I was piercing top to bottom (top side shown) on the dinner plate, I could even hear it "squish". After piercing top to bottom, then all the way round the sides, when I lifted the cheese off the plate some of the bottom surface came away, stuck to the plate. Didn't create a huge cavity, but I did smear it back on. What it did give me was a glimmer of the insides, which appear to be developing good veining and lots of blue. So, as I was hoping, it's just the external damp surfaces that is preventing good blue on the outside. I've decided to sit in on the edge for a while and leave it out of the cave for a good airing and drying session today. I've also changed the set up in the box, rather than sitting it on the needlepoint mat on top of a saucer, I've not put the mat over chopsticks. I think the saucer was creating a high humity pocket underneath the cheese. The chopsticks should give more airing underneath.
Anyway, the paste is firm, but still creamy and from the volunteer samples that came out during the piercing it's developing good flavour too. So, apart from needing to get the top and bottom surfaces to dry out, all seems to be going well. But of course, any tips/advice more than welcome.
- Jeff
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Looks great, Jeff. So will you be sampling around June 16th?
-Boofer-
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Hi Boofer,
Keeping an open mind about the sample date. I want to try and get the dampness under control. It could be the needle point mat is holding the moisture in the holes. It just occurred to me now that the mat is one of the small hole mats, so I just went and cut a larger hole mat to fit the box. That, hopefully, will not hold water in the holes. Will see. Anyway, the cut date will depend upon what's happening to the rind I think. Fortunately, I think the interior is holding up well, and the blue seems to be developing in there well enough. So, there is, as always, hope.
- Jeff
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This one's going to be outstanding I bet!
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I'm hoping! Some friends are comming over this weekend, so although it's a bit early, we may cut into it this Saturday. Vanessa doesn't like it too sharp and spicy, so younger is safer I think. Can always age it longer if it's not quite there yet.
It developed some linens on the top and bottom faces, so those remained a bit dampish, but I think it's doing ok.
- Jeff
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Alright, we'll be waiting for the verdict after the weekend...and pics if you get them.
I'm with Vanessa...not too sharp & spicey. :D
-Boofer-
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The wife and I like em sharp-n-spicy :P My first one (http://cocker-spanial-hair-in-my-food.blogspot.com/2012/03/my-stilton-style-blue-cheese.html) had some sharpness to it, not enough blue bite, the last one (http://cocker-spanial-hair-in-my-food.blogspot.com/2012/03/stilton-style-blue-cheese-just-another.html) has some bite and shapness but for us not enough, although they both seem to get better with age :o
I will be starting another one this week ;D am going to tweak my recipe a little more and will let it age longer than 12 weeks (if possible ::))
Once you cut this and taste your's I am betting you are going to love it, I know I can critique my blue's but we still love em ^-^
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Looks like this one will survive another week. The kids have both been down with a tummy bug, and so we decided to put off having our friends over until the following weekend. Of course, the day after cancelling both kids are now fighting fit! Oh well, next weekend the blue will be over 60 days and that was the target for aging so it works out.
- Jeff
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Hi,
Well, it's 63 days today. Friends will be comming over, so we're cutting into this one later. It's weighed in at 998g. Developed a b.linens skin as well. Will see how it things are a bit later today. Fingers crossed it's ok.
- Jeff
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Hi,
Well, had a sample. Unfortunately, not good. The amonia that I detected early on seems to have put this one off. The paste has an acceptable texture, but it's already very spicy and not in a good way. Doesn't taste "spoiled", just amoniated. Poor agining conditions on my part, which is a shame, but at least I didn't subject others with it! :)
- Jeff
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I think aging time has also got to do with it. Maybe next time pierce early and age it to 40 days max.
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Hi Aris,
Shorter might have been ok, but the moisture was too high on the first few weeks in the cave and that's when the mould went into overdrive and ammoniated the paste. I think it was that, more than time, that is to blame. If I can get the environment right, then it will be a matter of figureing out the proper aging time.
- Jeff
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Sorry for that, Jeff. I've got a feeling you'll greatly improve on your next effort.
That's kind of the same feeling I came away with for my Stiltonesque cheeses. Same coloring too. I asked my wife whether they smelled like ammonia and she said they didn't. Still, they were too harsh and bitey. Very different than my recent Fourme d'Amberts which were (and are) very nice. Maybe give that style a go?
-Boofer-
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Thanks Boofer.
I'm sure the next one will be better since it could hardly be worse; well, no, things are never so bad they can't be worse but you know what I mean! :) The colouring is ok, well, I've had bought blues with that deep yellow colour that were fantastic. It is definately a result of too moist, causing blue overdrive. I was hoping the daily airings would take care of it, but no, it had penetrated the paste and was there to stay. I think the mould I harvested is a very fast devloping one as well, so Aris' suggestion of cutting earlier is also to be noted. Not sure when I give it go next. I'm going to get a hygrometer first though. Cheddars and such you can get away with a bit of play, but blues need more care.
- Jeff
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I'm going to get a hygrometer first though. Cheddars and such you can get away with a bit of play, but blues need more care.
Jeff, that was one thing I have found you have to keep an eye on the RH, the ammonia aroma my first Stilton (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9152.msg64838.html#msg64838) had is the number one reason I joined the forum :o
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Jeff,
What was the aging temperature of the cheese? Yeah you must have harvested a fast growing blue mold. Don't quote me on this but from my observation cheese like Roquefort use fast growing mold. However it is wrapped in foil and stored in cool temperature of 6 c (or less) for several months after being aged for 21 days or more in the cave. And it is also rindless. I think those 2 factors is the reason why i never tasted ammonia in a Roquefort. If you happen to use that same blue mold culture you could try aging the cheese at a cooler temperature like 8c perhaps and age it 60 days. Or the old temp you used but shorter aging time, like 40 days.
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Hi Aris,
The cave is about 8-10 C at the moment. I think what happens is that when the cheese first goes in the ripening box, I didn't have the lid far enough ajar, and given how wet the curds are, once in the box the humidity just spikes and this ends up being the wrong situation for development. Then again, the paste was fine for the first and 2nd piercings (the bits that oozed out), so I'm pretty sure if I cut it then it would have been ok? It may be that I needed this to be cut sooner, or as you say, wrapped and put in the regular fridge to really slow it down. Will get there though.
- Jeff
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you got good blue coverage. That is one of the things that is hard to do. Once you get that down, modify your aging technique, to fit your "production situation". Change 1 thing at a time.
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Thanks T-Bird. Yah, this one looked like it was going to be a treat. A buddy was over the day I cut it, and when I showed it to him he thought it looked really good, so I told him to sniff test it, and then he realized my pain! Still, I think the next make will work out well. This was the first of my makes to go in the bin. At least I got that over with. No more worrying "will this be the one?" :)
- Jeff
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I threw 2 or 3 in the bin for lack of blue coverage earlier as part of my learning curve-disheartening after working with it 12 wks. Once I figured out how to get good internal bluing, for my situation and cheese size, 12 wks was way too long too age. I landed on 9wks and I may cut the next one at 8wks.
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Hey, T-Bird, you might check out doing a Fourme d'Ambert. I've had one (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9508.0.html) done for a while now, vacuum-sealed, and it's terrific.
-Boofer
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Hey Boof I just saw this post today, been working more lately, not as much time on the forum. I watched your Fourme d'ambert progress, I've never seen or eaten one.I heard of it for the first time on this forum. It looks interesting. Got some "life bumps" to get over then I may give something new a shot!
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I'd never heard of Fourme d'Ambert before I saw it on the forum. I'm glad I did. A mild blue for sure. :)
Good luck on your life bumps. They do even out.
-Boofer-
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What was your mold source for the Fd'A (is that a bona fide abbreviation?) Boofer?
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FdA or Fd'A are qualified abbreviations of Fourme d'Ambert, it just seems easier if the dialogue continues once the cheese style has been mentioned at the outset to use a moniker.
I had recently sampled some blues from igourmet.com (http://www.igourmet.com/shoppe/cheese.asp) and it seemed like a natural to slurry them up for these cheeses.
For my first make (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9484.0.html) in this style:
"Regina Blu
This new specialty from Paladin has an extremely mild and creamy flavor. Its extravagant richness is due to the fact that the cheese has a 65% fat content. Paladin is calling extra creamy Regina Blu, "the new queen of our blue cheeses from Bavaria". This German blue is easy to cut and is delicious spread or melted over steak, crackers, or potatoes."
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For my second effort (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9508.msg68801.html#msg68801):
- a slurry from a Fourme d’Amberg I just happened to have in my fridge
"Fourme d'Ambert AOC
This AOC (name controlled) creamy blue cheese is a lovely French treasure. "Fourme" is the old French word for cheese from the Latin noun forma, describing its cylindrical shape. Ambert is the mountainous town in Auvergne where the cheese is made. The people of this town have been making Fourme d'Ambert since the 7th century! That makes this cheese as old as Roquefort. Fourme d'Ambert is high in moisture and compact in texture, so the blue mould does not spread in veins like other Blues. Rather, it forms in distinct, disconnected pockets. Compared to Blue Stilton, it is much creamier and, therefore, less crumbly. Fourme d'Ambert is cave-aged for a minimum of two months, made from raw cow's milk and has a tremendous, creamy, full-bodied flavor."
I got a little antsy and thought this make needed a little push, so I painted on:
- a slurry of Blue Castello
"Blue Castello
This brie-like blue cheese from Denmark is now made by Danish owned factory in the United States. Blue Castello is richer than its cousin, Saga Blue, which is also made in the United States. Castello is a distant derivative of Italian Gorgonzola but has a higher fat content and a milder flavor. It is a perfect blue for those who like a little blue flavor without being blown away."
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Sorry, Jeff, I don't mean to hijack your thread. A)
-Boofer-
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That Fd'A picture looks like my "Stilton"- who knows what I'M making!
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T-Bird, I believe one characteristic that differentiates the Fourme d'Ambert style from the Stilton is the rind. When I made my Stilton effort, the rind got all nasty-looking (see the attached picture). In comparison, the rind of my FdA is pretty clean, which I prefer (sorry, Sailor :)).
-Boofer-