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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => RENNET COAGULATED - Semi-Hard "Sweet" Washed Curd => Topic started by: jwalker on April 18, 2014, 03:07:46 PM
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Just opened up a 7 month old Gouda , it was a washed natural rind for one month before being coated and waxed , I also added a very small amount of Shermanii and Lipase.
It has a great texture with no crystallization as yet , but has the added flavour of a natural rind cheese , with a slight hint of Shermanii and some very small eyes (even tho I gave it no real warm phase) , it also has a slight tang typical of cheese with Lipase.
It is basically a medium/strong cheese and appeals to all at home here , and it melts very well , something I find very desireable in most cheeses.
I made two of these 7 months ago and will age the other out to at least a year.
I had it on toasted rye bread that the wife made yesterday , (pics).
It was raining so we stayed in and made rye bread , a two gallon Brie , a two gallon Blue , and started a six gallon sugar wash that will be 2 gallons of Vodka in about three weeks , all in all , a nice relaxing and productive day.
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A cheese for you for a successful gouda! On
Good Gouda Friday too! ;) I'm actually making a gouda right now.
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Looking good! AC4U! What exactly causes the desired crystalization, and has anyone achieved this? I admire an aged Gouda with a crunch!
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Very nice! I've just made a butterkase and put a touch of lipase in it as well. Glad to hear that it works well in this gouda as that gives me some reason to hope for a similar outcome. A cheese to you.
- Jeff
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Thanks for the cheeses and kind words guys.
As for the formation of crystals:
Those bits are called tyrosine, and they're actually amino acid clusters that form with age. Tyrosine clusters are signs of a well-aged cheese, which is why you'll find them in some of the world's most loved cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano, aged goudas, and mountain cheeses like gruyere or Pleasant Ridge Reserve.
Tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid found mainly in casein, the dominant protein found in milk. The word itself is from the Greek tyros, meaning cheese. What's most fascinating (from a dorky cheese fanatic perspective) is the reason that these protein clusters form.
When cheese is made, fats and proteins are trapped within chains of proteins that have bonded together during acidification. Groupings of these fats and proteins make up the solids, or curds, that form cheese. When cheese spends a long time aging, these protein chains begin to unravel, leaving small, crunchy deposits behind.
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Nice cheese JW I haven't made a Gouda (with or without crystals ;))
AC4U
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(from a dorky cheese fanatic perspective)
Not that we could find anyone around here like that!
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Speaking of desirable crunchy deposits, I found this "patent" on how to speed up the process of aging gouda and obtaining amino acid crystals within 5 to 10 months.
http://www.google.com/patents/EP0281167A1?cl=en (http://www.google.com/patents/EP0281167A1?cl=en)
The addition of thermo rod-like cultures mentioned in that link may be: LB, LL, or LH. Those 3 are the rod-like thermo cultures that I know of (thanks Pav!). ST is sphere shaped , so it's not TA61, most probably something like LH100 or LB340 would do the job as an adjunct.