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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => RENNET COAGULATED - Hard Cooked (Swiss) => Topic started by: Boofer on May 11, 2012, 03:36:51 PM

Title: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: Boofer on May 11, 2012, 03:36:51 PM
Sure, why not?

I decided to run through the Maasdam recipe again, with slight variations.

Everything ran pretty close to the first make (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9402.0.html), including floc time, pH points, cutting, scalding, whey-drain, putting the curds in the mould, and pressing. What was different this time was, for me, a Eureka! moment. I had taken an 8-cube vacuum bag of Alp D out of the freezer last night and put it in the fridge to begin thawing. Yesterday morning the first thing I did was to remove the bag of Alp D from the fridge. When I added it to the warming milk later, it was thawed and virtually liquid again. Twenty minutes after adding it to the milk, the pH had dropped from 6.70 to 6.61. At that point I added my CACL and rennet. Never before have I experienced such a rapid pH drop. Perhaps the raw milk contributed some momentum to that drop. I now would like to make a cheese using only creamline (no raw milk) and employ the same thawed cube idea in the process to see whether it was just a fluke or is a repeatable technique.

I left the Holdbac culture out for this make, believing I don’t really need it. I think it’s fairly safe to say the cows are in the pasture grazing lush green grass now. I’ve included a pic of the gallon of raw milk and I drew a line on the plastic jug where the cream reached.

Starting pH: 6.70

3 gallons Twin Brooks whole creamline milk
1 gallon Dungeness Valley whole raw milk (amazing amount of cream...I marked the creamline.)
8 cubes Alp D (mother culture), thawed
1/8 tsp Propionic shermanii (half what I used before)
1 tsp CACL in ¼ cup distilled water (twice what I used before)
1/16 tsp Renco dry calf rennet in ¼ cup chilled distilled water

pH 5.32; recipe calls for 5.30 – 5.60 before brining.

Weighed cheese and placed in light whey-brine for 6 hours. (1 cup salt to 1 gallon whey.)

Flipped cheese; back in brine for another 6 hours.

5/11/12
Out of brine to air-dry at room temp; placed in minicave (ripening box) with lid widely ajar.

Rubbed dry salt over rind. I will remove excess salt after a bit. The light brine and subsequent dry salting are designed to protect the rind and allow the Propionic shermanii to thrive better. Excessive salt levels will kill or impede its progress.

This was one of the quickest cheese makes I have ever done. Nice.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: DeejayDebi on May 11, 2012, 04:18:15 PM
It's looking very good so far  Boofer!
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: Caseus on May 11, 2012, 05:19:43 PM
It does indeed look good.  I had not heard of that type of cheese before.  Similar to Emmentaler, according to Wikipedia, but softer, sweeter.
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: Boofer on May 11, 2012, 06:38:24 PM
It does indeed look good.  I had not heard of that type of cheese before.  Similar to Emmentaler, according to Wikipedia, but softer, sweeter.
I've been chasing this cheese style for awhile now (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php?topic=5242.0). The style is Goutaler (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,6120.msg43964.html#msg43964).

From the wiki: "The style was introduced in 1984 by the Baars company as the trademarked Leerdammer cheese, though it is now made by other Dutch companies under the name Maasdam."

The Maasdam recipe appeared to me and I decided to try this variation of the Goutaler style.

Although the Madrigal pictured says it's a French Baby Swiss, it's actually closer to a Jarlsberg in flavor and texture. If I can get closer to those targets, I'll be happy. I enjoyed some Madrigal this morning with fresh fruit...imagining the day when my Maasdam (or Goutaler) is there in front of me and it compares equally or better.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: Caseus on May 11, 2012, 07:14:50 PM
That's fascinating, Boofer.  I like the explanation of how Goutaler came about as a new cheese type.  I have that very same Jarlsberg cheese in my fridge right now.  I like the consistency and texture of the cheese, and the flavor goes great on most any kind of meat sandwich, and omelettes too.  I don't know that I've ever had a really high quality Emmentaler cheese to compare it with in terms of texture and flavor, but I know I like the Jarlsberg better than any generic "Swiss" cheese from the grocery store. 

Good luck to you on this cheese.  I might just follow your recipe when I decide to try making one in this style.
 
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: Boofer on May 26, 2012, 06:35:47 AM
This natural rind business has problems. What a difference there is in vacuum-bagging the first Maasdam (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9402.0.html) and this one where I'm attempting to actually develop a clear natural rind.

Using a little organic vinegar and salt helps to knock back the offending molds. How dare they!

This poor cheese has only been out at room temp for a week and I've already been busy with the rind twice. You can see the change occurring in the form factor. It's slumping and there may be a slight swell to it (you can't count the swell from the slumping though ;)). Three more weeks at the minimum for this warm period.

I believe some nut anut gave me the inspiration to use cosmetic removal pads when washing/wiping. They are less expensive and work pretty good.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: Frotte La Tomme on May 26, 2012, 08:59:31 AM
When i frotte my tommes, i use a plastic knitted potato or onion bag.  They hold up and can be sterilized.  Plus you can save those cottons for the baby.
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: Boofer on May 26, 2012, 03:12:11 PM
When i frotte my tommes, i use a plastic knitted potato or onion bag.  They hold up and can be sterilized.  Plus you can save those cottons for the baby.
I had trouble with "frotte". The closest I could come with a translation was "to rub".

I use a brush that I bought specifically for working with my cheeses for those really tough jobs that need cleaning. When I want to wash a cheese, I need something absorbent to soak up the vinegar & salt that I'm using to wash the molds away and to protect the rind.

Am I missing something here?

Oh yeah, the "baby" will be 38 at the end of August. I'm sure he won't need the cotton wipes.  ;)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: Frotte La Tomme on May 26, 2012, 03:35:19 PM
I dont see the necessity of pampering with coton baby pads.  This is an emmental cheese at the base isnt it? A little moisture on the plank wouldnt hurt...  If you use some whey instead of vinegar it would help to restart the bacterial flora.
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: Boofer on May 26, 2012, 11:51:21 PM
Apparently we have a bit of confusion over rind maintenance. I have done some Tommes and they do require moisture for the flora growth on the rind. This is a Goutaler style, not an Emmental and not a Gouda, but a cross between the two. I do not expect moisture to remain in contact with the rind and I discourage any growth of molds on the rind.

I am not pampering with cotton pads. I am merely doing what works for me to remove unwanted growth on the rind. If you don't see what I am doing to be useful in your process, then don't do it. It works for me.

Sorry, I'm not fortunate enough to have a cave with planks. I merely have small refrigerators that serve well as my demi-caves.

I also don't want to restart any bacterial flora.  ::)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: Caseus on May 30, 2012, 01:34:54 AM
I like the idea of those cosmetic pads.  I'll try that next time.  I let my Havarti age three weeks in the cave before waxing, and my Gouda age two weeks.  In both cases, I had fine white mold growing on the rinds that I had to remove every two or three days after about the first 1.5 weeks.  No blue molds though.  I used salty vinegar plus coarse salt and a new toothbrush to scrub them.  It worked, but it was tedious.  The pads sound like just the ticket.
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: Boofer on June 18, 2012, 11:39:37 PM
Alas and alack, this effort produced very minimal swelling. Perhaps the inner paste will be more rewarding and show me some eyes. If not, hopefully at least the taste will be a success.

This needs a minimum 4 to 6 months' aging in the cave. Maybe the timing will allow it to team up with one of the Cheddars hanging out in the cave.  :D

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: hoeklijn on June 19, 2012, 06:35:59 AM
mmm, one advantage of vacuum sealing is the beautiful natural rind you're getting (hearing that from of one of the prophets of coating...)
What kind of equipment do you use for that? Just out of curiosity of course 8)
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: Boofer on June 19, 2012, 12:37:49 PM
What kind of equipment do you use for that?
For what, the rind or the vacuum sealing?   :D

No, I use my wonderful FoodSaver. I can't imagine living without it now. I have a lot of wax that I was using early on, but when I found the FoodSaver, that all changed. Preserves stuff for a l o n g time.  :)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: hoeklijn on June 19, 2012, 06:54:52 PM
Just saw that there are several webshops for kitchen equipment here that are selling a substantial productline of this brand. Looks interesting...
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: Boofer on June 20, 2012, 02:01:35 PM
I'm not sure if the same products are available to you, but I buy (off of EBay) and use rolls of 8-inch (20.32cm) and 11-inch (27.94cm) x 50 feet (15.24m) plastic bagging. It works well. The two sizes allow me to bag a regular size Tomme wheel (7.5inch/19.05cm) or to seal up smaller wedges and chunks of cheese.

The absence of air to the food product really extends its viability for not just cheese, but other foods as well. Simply amazing.

A lot of folks have different inventive schemes for identifying their cheeses. I simply use a Sharpie indelible (permanent) marking pen to mark the vacuum bag. Quick and efficient...not necessarily all that elegant, but it works for me. It doesn't touch or corrupt the cheese like a food-safe marker on the rind might or an embossed rind might. The unasked question for those methods is how do you then mark them when you cut the cheese?

FWIW....   ;)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: hoeklijn on June 20, 2012, 05:28:35 PM
Same brandname and several types available. Plus several sorts of foil, bags and vacuum containers. But for now I will continue coating. Summer holiday is coming up and before that I will make some gouda types and then continue after holidays again...
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: Boofer on June 29, 2012, 01:49:32 PM
I have had some difficulty getting my alpines with Propionic shermanii (PS) to successfully create eyes. I do realize that these styles, Emmentaler and the Goutalers (Maasdam, Jarlsberg, etc.), possess a lower level of salt which facilitates PS growth and viability. I also realize that smaller form cheeses have a more difficult time developing large eyes. Could part of that difficulty arise from the need to have reduced salt paste towards the interior of the cheese and that depth of paste from the rind is not available in smaller cheeses? The attached document indicates that the further from the rind, the better chances of growing PS.

In the past I have brined a 4 pound wheel for 10-12 hours. With this particular make, I brined for 12 hours and then dry-salted the exterior. As can be seen from the pictures posted, this does not prevent rind growth of blue or other molds. I think I need to do a make, exclude the brining step, and do a limited dry-salting to the rind.

Alternatively, I am considering taking the cheese from the press and not brining or dry-salting at all through the Cold Period and Warm Period. Then, after eyes have hopefully been maximized in the Warm Period, either brine or dry-salt normally. Rind maintenance during the Warm Period would include wiping/brushing with vinegar-salt. Hopefully the salt from that would be low impact to the PS viability.

Opinions?

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: Boofer on August 18, 2012, 04:15:41 PM
Just past the 3-month mark....

I was going to remove a little moisture from the vacuum bag when I decided to cut it instead. Looks fairly decent inside. Smaller eyes than I imagined, but they are okay for this size wheel. The texture is spot on, salt level is good, Swiss flavor is good.

There is a characteristic that I have had in some of my other Swiss-type cheeses, but it isn't in this cheese...and that is GOOD. What I am referencing is the tendency for the cheese to be propionically acidic. I believe the PS added to the milk creates too much acid which normally creates that "Swiss" taste, but if it's too much, the taste is slightly acid and "off". Wonderfully for this cheese make the PS profile is within margins and the taste is pretty much on target.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: JeffHamm on August 18, 2012, 07:07:12 PM
That's a nice looking swiss boofer!  A cheese to you.  Sounds like you've got your PS level tweaked as well.

- Jeff
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: Boofer on August 18, 2012, 11:05:36 PM
Thanks, Jeff, workin' it.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: george on August 19, 2012, 10:32:15 AM
Nice one, Boofer!

In reference to your prior question about salting - don't you need to do SOME sort of salting after press to slow down the acidity buildup? (I'm thinking pretty much all cheeses.)  The notes I have for the Baby Swiss from Sailor and LB said that although the original recipe called for brining AND dry salting, Sailor had brined only - and for a shorter time - with no dry salt, and it came out just fine.  So did mine, actually (well, except for the fact that it melted on the shelf).  So I'd think to go one or the other, but not both - and I'm thinking brine, only for less time, else maybe it would take too long for the dry salting to penetrate all the way through the paste and stop the acidity demons?

(Wow, was THAT a big run-on post, or what?)
Title: Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
Post by: Boofer on August 19, 2012, 03:21:06 PM
I've been trying to achieve a decent salt content that doesn't impact the PS development (eyes & Swiss flavor). With this make, it seems I'm closer to the answer. Still too early though. Several more run-throughs of this recipe could nail it down.

-Boofer-