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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => ADJUNCT - Blue Mold (Penicillium roqueforti) Ripened => Topic started by: GlabrousD on March 23, 2014, 10:45:46 AM
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So I’ve decided to try my hand at a Stilton(esque) cheese following the recipe by H-K-J. Sadly without the capacity to make a 5 gallon batch I scaled everything down to 8 litres (being a metric kind of chap).
Everything appeared to go well although after the required five days at room temperature the top and bottom of the cheese were rather dry... this also prevented me smoothing the surface.
“Room temperature” here in Dubai is about 26oC (79F) so that might have something to do with the drying out. Once it gets a bit warmer I’ll switch on the air-conditioning but that will dry the air out even further.
The Beast has now been in the cave for a few days and is starting to blue-up nicely... I’ll post more photos later.
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Looks great good luck, and a cheese to you :) :D
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Thanks very much for my first Cheese Matthew :)
Well it's now at nine days and starting to smell... in a good way. It sat out on the dining table last night as we had our dinner and lured us with bluey odours. Can't wait to try it.
Cheers, GD.
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Aaaaargh! I think my Stilton has got black-spot... not good on roses and probably not on cheeses either. Would one of you kind people care to give me a diagnosis and advice please?
Thanks very much in advance. GD.
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you might try some vinegar on a Que-tip or paper towel and dab the area of the mold :-\
maybe a mix of salt and vinegar, just dab the infected mold so we don't kill off the blue.
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Thanks very much H-K-J I'll give it a shot. Still can't smooth it down as it's too solid/hard/dry... hopefully it'll survive :(
Cheers, GD.
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yea i would agree with HKJ give it a good wipe.
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Thanks Matthew,
I've attacked the offending spots with salt & vinegar and I'll keep and eye on them.
On a positive note I'm now managing to smooth the outside... more photos to come.
Cheers, GD.
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Well the Stilton has been smoothed and is looking good IMHO but with very little mould or fuzzyness on the surface now. Not sure whether to pierce or not at this stage... it's now a rather boistrous (smelly) 32 day old.
Cheers, GD.
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Yes, I think I would pierce that now for sure. Looking ... well, stiltons never really look good, but you know what I mean when I say "looking good"! :)
- Jeff
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Thanks very much Jeff.
I shall duly be attacking it, Ninja style, with sharpened knitting needles or something similar this evening. If you hear loud screams I've either stabbed my hand or the cheese has developed sentience and I've committed fromagicide.
I'll post photos... provided I still have the use of both hands :)
Cheers, GD.
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Well the Stilton now has more body piercings than a punk and is in quiet shock in its box in the cave. When I flip it next I'll pierce its bottom.
Doesn't this Cheese Forum allow for some very strange postings that, in polite society, would not be allowed? :)
Cheers, GD.
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looking great you should get some really nice blue veining there!
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looking great you should get some really nice blue veining there!
Thanks Matthew I do hope so - I'm a blue-cheese-aholic :)
Cheers, GD.
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i will admit as well i should probably be going to 'bluholdic' meetings with the amount of blue cheese i consume :)
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Now a question for the Jedi Master Blue Cheese Makers out there... I'm away for about 10 days in late April and my FLW has already expressed concern at the "ripeness" of this cheese. Rather than trusting it to her tender ministrations will I be OK vac-packing for about ten days?
Thanks in advance for any advice. Cheers, GD.
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what i normally do with a blue if i am going away for a week or so is cover it in foil then vac pack it.
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Fantastic thanks Matthew - I'll give it a shot and will report back on my return :)
Is normal aluminium (aluminum for this forum?) foil - BacoFoil or similar OK?
Cheers, GD.
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i only thought there was one type of foil ;D so yes it should be ok
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i only thought there was one type of foil ;D so yes it should be ok
Thanks Matthew. Very true but the foil that cheeses normally come in (Fourme for instance) appear very much thinner... still I suppose the thicker (regular) stuff would provide better protection :)
Cheers, GD.
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Hi GD. It will be interesting to see how the baby blue turns out. I did the same size (2 gal) a couple of months ago and have been meaning to post pics of that one.
Going back to your first post I was surprised seeing your curd cutter design. It was surprising be cause it looks almost exactly like one we had designed for round pots but never commercialized it because of our concentration on rectangular pans and cutters. Was this a purchased cutter, and if so could you share the supplier's name? I used our "spinner" cutter on several makes last year and remember it was much better than any other technique that I tried for the horizontal cuts (still had to use a knife for the vertical cuts though).
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Hiya John,
please excuse the delay in replying I've been away on business. The cutter is a blatent plagerisation of one I spotted on line - I think on the forums at Cheesemaking.com. It's a wooden dowel cut to length, marked in cm and with a rigid wire at the bottom to cut the curds. A butchered coat hanger donated the wire :)
It's varnished to protect the wood and actually cuts very well giving nice regular cubes. As you mention the vertical cuts are made in the normal manner. I made a guide/support that sits on top of the pot keeping the axis of the cutter centrally located.
Making this commercially would be difficult I'd imagine as the diameter of the cutter has to match that of the pot being used.
I'll try to post more pictures on my next make. Cheers, GD.
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Well I'm back from my business trip and can now finally post the pictures I took before I left.
The stilton has oozed slightly in the vacuum pack but I'll post photos of that next week when I get back from diving this coming weekend.
Cheers, GD.