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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => ADJUNCT - Rennet Surface White Mold (Penicillium candidum) Ripened => Topic started by: mjr522 on September 30, 2012, 03:13:41 AM

Title: Camembert #1 (and #2 now...)
Post by: mjr522 on September 30, 2012, 03:13:41 AM
After some encouragement from fellow forum members, I'm in the process of raising my first Cam.  The father of 3 boys with a girl on the way, I'm concerned that this is a kind of foreshadowing of what it will be like to raise the girl.  Where the other cheeses have required very little post creation attention and seem to be turning out well, this Cam seems to require constant attention, and I can't tell if it's turning out well.  Let me tell you about the birth story:

I tried to follow Yoav's instruction, linked  here  (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9967.msg73801.html#msg73801) for your review.

I used only MM110 and FD because that's what I had, as well as PC-Neige--though I reduced the amount I put in because I understand that it is more aggressive than PC-ABL (not sure if that's the right way to approach the aggressive nature of Neige).  Other than those differences, I followed the instructions pretty closely.

I had some serious sticking to the draining mats prior to the first flip--the first flip tore the cheese in half, in fact.  I put cheesecloth between the mats and cheese so that it wouldn't happen again, and that seemed to work, though the childr...cheeses have some scarring.

The Cams have been aging at 52F (I couldn't get the cave warmer without more effort than I'm willing to put in at the moment) and a relatively constant relative humidity of 92-94%, with a single short-lived foray up to 99%.

I first observed mold growth on day 5.  I have been diligent at flipping daily as well as rubbing down the cheeses with every flipped.  I've washed my hands each time I've handled them (though I don't have any cool blue gloves...).

Tonight, however, I observed what appears to be a very faint reddish color below the white, possibly mixing with the more yellow color (the geo, right?).  I've posted a picture (the last one), though I don't think you can see any of that color.  I'm not sure what it is and not sure if I should be concerned about it.  To paraphrase, I have been wondering, "What more could I have done for my Cams?"

Also, what does, "fully bloomed" mean--white fuzz everywhere?  Thanks!  Enjoy the pics.







Title: Re: Camembert #1
Post by: bbracken677 on September 30, 2012, 03:28:24 AM
your temp and RH are perfect for the first part...I defined fully bloomed as in total coverage by the white PC.

Not sure what is going on with the yellow...perhaps the faint reddish is either your pc dying back a bit, which is no problem, likely...however I dont know what stage you are in...you mentioned mold growth at day 5...what day is current? Or...the reddish could be b.linens...
Title: Re: Camembert #1
Post by: mjr522 on September 30, 2012, 03:43:30 AM
Today is day 7, so I expected to keep things as they are for the next week.  If dying back PC causes red, it could be the result of an (unreported) drop down 84% humidity for a couple hours while trying to stabilize after the 99% foray.

If they are b. linens, I don't know where they came from--do those float around in the air all the time?
Title: Re: Camembert #1
Post by: bbracken677 on September 30, 2012, 04:00:59 AM
From what I understand, the linens are fairly common. Also...I used a different PC so I am not really familiar with the Neige.  I really don't think the couple hours would cause the pc to die back...I just wasn't sure how old the make was.

I would suggest to carry on, but if you do have full coverage you might consider dropping the temp by 8-10 degrees
Title: Re: Camembert #1
Post by: mjr522 on September 30, 2012, 06:24:44 PM
Will do--thanks!
Title: Re: Camembert #1
Post by: mjr522 on October 03, 2012, 02:15:03 AM
I don't have full coverage of the PC yet, but the corners are softening (on one cheese a corner tore off--it tasted good...).  I presume that it's normal for the corner to soften first, but I'm concerned that I'm going to have very uneven ripening because of the lack of coverage in some places and thick coverage in others.

Should I put it in a the cooler fridge to slow the ripening where it is ripening, or should I keep it in the cave to encourage the PC to cover the rest of the surfaces?
Title: Re: Camembert #1
Post by: george on October 03, 2012, 09:38:52 AM
Pet it every day to spread the PC from the thicker parts to the nekkie parts.
Title: Re: Camembert #1
Post by: Boofer on October 03, 2012, 01:56:16 PM
Pet it every day to spread the PC from the thicker parts to the nekkie parts.
Nekkie parts? What's all this about violins in nature?  :o

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Camembert #1
Post by: bbracken677 on October 03, 2012, 03:46:54 PM
Violins in nature...better than violins in the workplace! Years ago my company had "training" about violence in the workplace...I didnt make any friends when I asked at the end "So what's the problem with violins in the workplace?" lol
Title: Re: Camembert #1
Post by: mjr522 on October 04, 2012, 03:31:32 AM
Either there's violins in the mini-cave or one of my cheeses is a black sheep because it's completely nekkie!  Well, not completely, but it definitely refuses to get dressed with the rest of 'em.  I've been petting and yesterday I started rubbing the white ones on the yellow one.  I'm giving it just a few more days before I'm moving the whole lot of them to the cooler fridge.  Let's hope they start cooperating...
Title: Re: Camembert #1
Post by: george on October 04, 2012, 09:39:11 AM
Either there's violins in the mini-cave or one of my cheeses is a black sheep because it's completely nekkie!  Well, not completely, but it definitely refuses to get dressed with the rest of 'em.  I've been petting and yesterday I started rubbing the white ones on the yellow one. 

Yikes, talk aboutcher cheese porn!    :o
Title: Re: Camembert #1
Post by: mjr522 on October 07, 2012, 02:49:03 AM
My efforts at spreading the PC seem to be making no difference--I've still got bald spots and one cheese that's almost completely bare.  At this point I'm considering mixing up a spray of PC and spraying the bare spots (and the bare one...).  I have a couple of questions about this:

1.  Will the PC still grow where the geo (yellow stuff) has totally covered the cheese?
2.  Can I freeze the left over spray?  I won't be able to do another Cam make for at least 2 weeks and I understand that the spray is only good for about that long.

Thoughts--is this a good idea or not?  I'm now 14 days into the make...
Title: Re: Camembert #1
Post by: iratherfly on October 07, 2012, 04:22:43 AM
Oh my, this is the first time I see this thread! I wish you would have contacted me as you were doing it and I could have helped. Camembert is a bit finicky to learn but it doesn't take long to get over the hurdles. Always allow for a few experimental batches until you start getting it right.

The sticking to the mats on the first turn usually means you waited a tad too long for the turn. It's no big deal and usually if you have any chunks of curd falling from the mat at that point you can toss them back on the cheese and they will heal themselves into it.

The way to deal with aggressive PC is not to use less but just to drop the temp/humidity a tad so it takes longer to develop. The thing with the Neige is that it is aggressive on growth speed, height, ammonia production and paste development, but it is not nearly as dense on the surface as the classic strains such as VB or ABL. Personally I usually use Neige when it is mixed in with other PC's.  Some producers of Camembert in Normandie mix even 3 strains together.

The issues you are having now however are related to overgrowth of Geo. any of the following 3 reasons or combination of 2 or all 3 are possible causes:
1). Too much humidity (or not enough draining)
2). Temperature too high
3) Not enough salt

You said that your temp is 52°F which is perfect, but once you have growth of mold, the cheese needs to be refrigerated so that the geo slows down and the PC gets a good coverage. Humidity really sends the geo on a wild growth spree which inhibits the growth of PC so that could be an issue.  Did you keep the lid partially open and allowed air ti escape?
The reason salt is an issue is because it slightly inhibits the geo and keeps it in check. Wild growth of Geo like this is often a sign of lack of salt.

Another factor could be too much Geo in relation to the PC. Geo doesn't need much to grow and you can use a lot less than PC. Reducing PC quantity isn't advisable though.

All this creamy-colored wrinkly skin is Geo. As the color gets darker it's an indication of ammonia buildup. I see it happening right now as your corner edge seems loose and the PC seems to be receding.  I suspect this batch may not give you what you want  :-[
Can we try this again? Less moisture, less humidity, cooler temp. It will work.

What Geo strain did you use?
Title: Re: Camembert #1
Post by: mjr522 on October 07, 2012, 05:41:50 AM
Yoav--thanks for the reply.  I don't mind a few "experimental" batches.  I'll certainly try again--though it might have to wait a couple of weeks (depends on what the wifey says...).  But, so that I'm better prepared for next time:

-- I waited for the cheese to look "stiff enough" before flipping the first time, a little over 2 hours.  Perhaps "stiff enough" doesn't mean what I thought.  I've read elsewhere that people flip within the first 30 minutes.  At 30 minutes mine still filled 1/2 or 3/4 of the mold.

-- Don't reduce the PC just because it's aggressive, got it.

-- Geo overgrowth:
  --- Like you said, I don't think temp was a problem.  I salted at 1.8% of weight, though I have since read elsewhere that I need to include 15% over that to account for losses that don't stay on the cheese.  So, I'm guessing I under salted. 
  --- As for the humidity, I thought I was doing really well because my meter was reporting between 92 and 94%.  However, I have come to mistrust it because it started reporting 80% when there was condensate on the top lid.  After that happened, I tried to use your guide of keeping really tiny droplets of condensate on the lid--opening more when bigger droplets appeared and closing more when there were none.
  --- I certainly had a problem with the ratio of PC to Geo since I reduced the amount of PC I put in.  I understand now that they are not friends and don't share well...
  --- I used Geo 15.

So, for next time: 
- Flip sooner, even if it doesn't look "stiff enough"?
- Should I add the PC and Geo (in the right proportions this time) to the milk or spray it on (I bought some cute little spray bottles)?  If I spray, I have read to make a brine with 3 or 4% salt, but how much PC and Geo do I add to it?
- I'll include the +15% of the 1.8% salt to make up for losses during dry salting
- I'm a little less confident in maintaining humidity since my meter isn't as trustworthy as I thought.  I live in Colorado Springs, at about 7,000 ft elevation and our humidity level is pretty low.  To get tiny droplets on the lid of my box, I needed a damp paper towel and the lid just barely open, or resting closed (not snapped closed).

Thanks for the help!
 
Title: Re: Camembert #1
Post by: iratherfly on October 07, 2012, 07:56:22 AM

Yoav--thanks for the reply.  I don't mind a few "experimental" batches.  I'll certainly try again--though it might have to wait a couple of weeks (depends on what the wifey says...).  But, so that I'm better prepared for next time:
-- I waited for the cheese to look "stiff enough" before flipping the first time, a little over 2 hours.  Perhaps "stiff enough" doesn't mean what I thought.  I've read elsewhere that people flip within the first 30 minutes.  At 30 minutes mine still filled 1/2 or 3/4 of the mold.
You can do that, just don't flip the cheese in and out of the hoop. Flip the hoop itself. Put a ripening mat tightly on the top of it and flip it rapidly in a single motion to the ripening mat on top now becomes the bottom and the cheese slides down without squishing it or messing it up... In the creameries they usually have special trays on the top and bottom and about a dozen moulds on each tray. Two workers hold the trays at both ends and turn them together.  You can also use a finer or stiffer draining mat. I assume your draining mat is set on top of the crisscross draining board and not on top of the cutting boards. The cutting boards really slow down the drainage otherwise.

I salted at 1.8% of weight, though I have since read elsewhere that I need to include 15% over that to account for losses that don't stay on the cheese.
Correct. The 1.8% calculation is what you need in order to salt the cheese at 1.5% for exactly this reason. My recipe accounted for this and added the extra 0.3% to the 1.5%, hence 1.8%.

  --- As for the humidity, I thought I was doing really well because my meter was reporting between 92 and 94%.  However, I have come to mistrust it because it started reporting 80% when there was condensate on the top lid.  After that happened, I tried to use your guide of keeping really tiny droplets of condensate on the lid--opening more when bigger droplets appeared and closing more when there were none.
The method with the lid and droplets is best because those RH meters are never accurate close to their top end (most are rated up to 95% or 99% RH anyway). Heck, I wouldn't even put a lid for the first 24-48 hours. It's so wet that whey collects on the bottom.  Did you clean the bottom and empty the collected whey? The cheese must never swim in a puddle of its own whey. That can actually create the problem in your photos too.
From what you are saying it seems that you had overly high moisture in the beginning. This is an issue because it causes the rind to grow prematurely. If the rind grows before the cheese has sufficiently dried and drained, it locks all this excess moisture inside - and there is your ammonia. This is why you want to opt for more traditional strains that take their time.

So, for next time: 
- Flip sooner, even if it doesn't look "stiff enough"?
- Should I add the PC and Geo (in the right proportions this time) to the milk or spray it on (I bought some cute little spray bottles)?  If I spray, I have read to make a brine with 3 or 4% salt, but how much PC and Geo do I add to it?
- I'll include the +15% of the 1.8% salt to make up for losses during dry salting
- I'm a little less confident in maintaining humidity since my meter isn't as trustworthy as I thought.  I live in Colorado Springs, at about 7,000 ft elevation and our humidity level is pretty low.  To get tiny droplets on the lid of my box, I needed a damp paper towel and the lid just barely open, or resting closed (not snapped closed).
- Flip as soon as you can
- you can do either or both. What I love about spraying is that you get much more control over the development. You have the freedom to start spraying when you know that the cheese is dry/drained enough and the liberty to stop the spray regiment when you feel that the bloom is working. Typically I would start at day 4 or 5 and spray thinly once every two days. you should have a nice looking growth after 4-6 sprays
- You can salt with more if you want.
- Don't worry about your ambient atmosphere in Colorado Springs - as long as the cheese is in the box, the moisture holds up in the box.  Initially your cheese will be very moist anyway. No need for paper towels probably for at least a week.

Keep this thread posted!
Title: Re: Camembert #1
Post by: mjr522 on October 07, 2012, 11:42:27 PM
Thanks, again, Yoav.

I did drain on the cutting boards, so next time I'll put the draining mat directly on the egg crate (and cross my fingers that it doesn't just seep right through  :-[).

As shown in the pictures, the cheeses sat on the egg crate in the aging container while aging, so they never sat in their own juices.  Even though they are off the bottom of the container, should I still clean out the bottom of the container every day?  I did not do that this time--I only cleaned in out a couple of times.

With the sprays--I read on one thread to add "a pinch" of geo and of PC to the brine.  Does it need to be precise at all, or just some?  Also, can it be frozen and reused?

Finally, my pregnant wife complains about the smell of this cheese (I barely notice it...) any guess on whether it will be weaker/stronger/the same when I get it to work more like it should?  She's patient (some might say indulgent) with my "obsession", but I like to keep her happy, too.
Title: Re: Camembert #1
Post by: bbracken677 on October 08, 2012, 12:41:36 AM
I used needlepoint mat, cut to size, as "followers" for my cam forms...kept the cheese seepage to a minimum as well as aided in the flipping process.
Title: Re: Camembert #1
Post by: iratherfly on October 09, 2012, 05:43:32 AM
next time I'll put the draining mat directly on the egg crate (and cross my fingers that it doesn't just seep right through  :-[).
It won't just look like it should go through the flexible draining mat but it doesn't. As a matter of fact, that mesh it so open - it helps the curd drain faster so it knots together and firms up fast.

should I still clean out the bottom of the container every day?  I did not do that this time--I only cleaned in out a couple of times.
Just in the first 2-3 days water will collect on the bottom. Too much moisture still in the box.Help knock it down by wiping any water on the bottom. After that - only wipe if you see more water draining (though I don't expect that past day 4 or so this will still be happening).
With the sprays--I read on one thread to add "a pinch" of geo and of PC to the brine.  Does it need to be precise at all, or just some?  Also, can it be frozen and reused?
No need to be super accurate. Make a light brine of only 3%-5% salt by weight. I use a culture scale (micro digital scale) and measure 100g of water, to which I add 3g salt. (always dissolve the salt in the water before adding the culture. Always use clean non-chlorinated water and clean spray bottle).  Once the salt has dissolved and the mixture is at room temp, add cultures to it. 1/32 to 1/16 of a teaspoon if each culture should just about do it.  Tighten the cover or sprayer, wait 5 minutes for it to reconstitute and mix/shake gently. Then wait for it to activate at room temp for 12 hours or in the fridge for 16 hours. Begin your spray regiment. This is of course very general. Some cultures require you use only room temp or only fridge and some ask for longer/shorter activation time, some may also ask toy to add a pinch of sugar. Don't sweat it with PC. 12 hours at room temp should do it with these quantities.

Finally, my pregnant wife complains about the smell of this cheese (I barely notice it...) any guess on whether it will be weaker/stronger/the same when I get it to work more like it should?  She's patient (some might say indulgent) with my "obsession", but I like to keep her happy, too.
The famous third trimester nose is at work? haha...  If it's the ammoniated cheese, she may very well smell the ammonia and it may be all over the kitchen and fridge (especially if it's on a higher shelf. Ammonia is heavier than air and tends to go downward so if it's on a top shelf it is all over all the shelves below it and your entire kitchen probably...) There is nothing much you can do about it aside from evicting the cheese (got a garage fridge?). When your Camembert is on target it won't smell and would probably get consumed long before it gets ammoniated! It should have a faint smell not much stronger than a piece of camembert in a store. (so when you stand 3 ft away from it, it should smell as much as being 3 ft away from the cheese in the store)
Title: Re: Camembert #1 (and #2 now...)
Post by: mjr522 on October 25, 2012, 02:36:14 AM
Okay, started #2 this weekend.  I'm only spraying this time.  I can't seem to get water droplets on the top of the container regardless of what I do, though there are tiny droplets on the side...

I did have some major sticking within 30 minutes, though I'm sure that was the result of weak curd due to the cheap milk I'm using.  Someday, soon, I'll start using better milk (in another post I shared the first cheese I've made that my wife honestly liked, which means I'll be justified soon, I hope, in spending more money to get better milk...).

The make seemed to go well.  Now we'll see if the fuzz wants to grow right.  I made it Saturday, let it sit without the lid on Sunday, and sprayed in Monday night and then again this evening (wednesday).  I've flipped it every night.

Here's a picture of the major sticking issue.
Title: Re: Camembert #1 (and #2 now...)
Post by: mjr522 on October 29, 2012, 03:22:46 AM
I've continued flipping and sprayed again on Friday.  Yesterday (Saturday) I saw the first little hairs showing up.  Today they cover a large part of most of the cheeses.  I sprayed a tiny bit more on the bare spots.

I still have no idea what's happening with the humidity--the droplets refuse to appear on the top of the container.  I'm concerned about having too high humidity again, but also concerned that if I try to prevent too high, I'll get too low...oh bother.

Here are a couple of pictures from tonight (Sunday).  Again, this is the day after the first mold appeared.  I've got one picture of the hairiest part and one of the barer parts.  This is day 8 of this make.  I haven't patted down any of the mold yet--for fear that I was too rough and too soon doing that last time.  I'll start that tomorrow, and will gently pat it down instead of aggressively rubbing it.

Any advice at this point?

Title: Re: Camembert #1 (and #2 now...)
Post by: bbracken677 on October 29, 2012, 03:28:57 AM
Are your containers fully closed? I would expect some moisture to be collecting on the inside.

Once your cheeses have a nice covering growth of pc, you should consider dropping the temp to 43F ish.
Title: Re: Camembert #1 (and #2 now...)
Post by: mjr522 on October 29, 2012, 04:09:23 PM
Yeah--the container is fully closed.  Like I said, I get moisture collecting on the sides, a bit, but none on the lid.  The lid, however, has little features in the groove that sits on the containers edge preventing the lid from making any sort of seal with the rest of the container.  I've considered filling the groove in with wax, up to the feature, so that it will seal better, but if this works out, perhaps the offset from the feature provides me with a good humidity.  We'll see.
Title: Re: Camembert #1 (and #2 now...)
Post by: bbracken677 on October 29, 2012, 05:35:54 PM
If you are getting condensation on the sides, but not the top, I would think that your RH would be around 90-95ish...That would seem ideal for mold growth.
Title: Re: Camembert #1 (and #2 now...)
Post by: mjr522 on October 30, 2012, 02:56:16 AM
I had what I presume is PC growth over almost all of the surfaces today.  I wasn't sure if it was time to do so yet, but I gently patted it down (I hope I didn't do this too early).  I'll let it stay in the cave another day and hope that the PC comes through on the remaining parts.  If it does, even though it's a really thin coating, I presume I put it in the fridge.  My question is, does the PC continue to grow/fill-out in the fridge or should I leave it in the warmer cave for a more robust covering of PC?

Also, I've got about half of my bottle of PC/Geo in brine still unused.  I'm not going to be making any more Cams for a few more weeks.  Can I freeze it?  If not, what do you think it would do to the 3 week old tomme I've got in the cave?  I've tried to bag the tomme twice, but each time, after a few days, I find moisture in the crevices of the bag.  I had resolved to just let it age without any bagging--washing it occasionally with a light brine.  Now, with the extra spray, I wonder what would happen...
Title: Re: Camembert #1 (and #2 now...)
Post by: mjr522 on October 31, 2012, 02:59:43 AM
Pictures are from this evening.  One of the cams is showing yellow through the corners.  I'm concerned that I'm having an experience similar to last time--that this is geo overgrowing.  I'm still not sure, though if these guys should go in the fridge yet because the PC coverage is so thin.  So, I put two in the fridge and left two in the cave.  I'll watch them the next few days and try to figure out which was the better choice.

Title: Re: Camembert #1 (and #2 now...)
Post by: bbracken677 on October 31, 2012, 09:03:42 AM
At this stage, a reduction in temp to around 41-45F would be desirable, as would a reduction in RH to 85-90%.
Title: Re: Camembert #1 (and #2 now...)
Post by: mjr522 on October 31, 2012, 07:19:41 PM
Thanks--I'll pop the other two in the fridge tonight.
Title: Re: Camembert #1 (and #2 now...)
Post by: iratherfly on November 11, 2012, 07:46:06 AM
Hmmm... was this the geo over-growing? or the PC under-growing?  Fridge kind of halts the geo and give the PC a go ahead. Problem is that too much fridge disrupts the balance and you get a thickj fluffy dry PC rind which is also undesireable. Just be vigilant. You will learn to recognize the sweet spot very fast though.
It's been a few days now. How is it looking?
Title: Re: Camembert #1 (and #2 now...)
Post by: mjr522 on November 12, 2012, 04:47:15 AM
It certainly could be too little PC at that point.  I ended up putting 2 in the fridge and 2 back in the cave for a couple of days.  I then add the two from the cave to the fridge.

They are now a day over 3 weeks.  I can't tell which ones stayed in the cave and which ones went to the fridge first.  I opened one up today even though I knew it was not soft enough--I figured I had four and could spare one to education.  It really hadn't soften a whole lot--the edges are somewhat smooth.  The flavor was sour, though it wasn't bad.  My wife is thrilled that these don't smell at all.  I'm glad they look better--now I just need to get some that taste good... I hope these will continue to soften and improve in flavor with some more time.

Here are some pictures--if I can get them to upload...one at a time...
Title: Re: Camembert #1 (and #2 now...)
Post by: Tiarella on November 12, 2012, 12:55:11 PM
Yum, those photos have me excited about the batch of Brie ripening here now!  I think finer mesh matting would be much easier for you.  I have some of the type you have and prefer the more rigid slightly finer weave.  Too fine and nothing drains but medium fine is great.  The stuff you have I love using for aging hard cheese in the cave.

I don't pat down the PC until it's a bit higher but I'm not the expert with this.  I don't imagine early patting will do anything negative to the growth of the PC. 
Title: Re: Camembert #1 (and #2 now...)
Post by: iratherfly on November 17, 2012, 08:10:35 AM
It certainly could be too little PC at that point.
Too little? Why? Seems like you have plenty growing there. Rind should be thin. They look very nice but they are still young. I would even age them longer in the cave next time if they look like this.  They will be ready when you begin to see streaks of geo showing up from under the PC as the PC gets thinner. The cheese should feel softer. Give it another week or two.  also, test it in room temperature. It opens up and the texture is optimal and as gooey/soft as it will get.
Title: Re: Camembert #1 (and #2 now...)
Post by: mjr522 on December 04, 2012, 08:18:52 PM
At 6 weeks, I've got some good softening.  I'm starting to get a hint of ammonia when I put them right to my nose.  The softening is not entirely uniform, as you can see.  The flavor is okay--it has very faint, promising flavors of dirt and mushrooms, all hiding behind a bitter, though not inedible or overpowering, taste.  The rind is dry and chewy, like the cam I got from walmart...

I'd like to remove the bitter flavor, bring out the mushroom flavor, and get a nicer rind--and not have such a long ripening time.  These are my guesses at how to do these things.  Any input would be appreciated.

First, for all things involved, use better quality milk.  Got it.

For the bitter flavor, perhaps reduce the rennet.  I used about 1/8 tsp double strength rennet in 2 gallons of milk.  Also, use a non-homogenized milk...

To Bring out mushroom and dirt flavors, let the geo grow a little more.  Because of my first failure, I wonder if I over-compensated against the geo--more salt than needed, moved to the cooler fridge too soon.

To get a better rind.  I was very timid about patting down and rubbing.  Perhaps I can be a little more assertive in this area.

Thoughts?
Title: Re: Camembert #1 (and #2 now...)
Post by: bbracken677 on December 04, 2012, 09:05:07 PM
I have had similar issues with a couple of makes, and I think thinner would work rather well...about 1 to 1 1/4 inch final size should work...my current cams are almost perfect but for the very center layer which is a bit chalky compared to the rest (in texture). The flavor is excellent though. So I think I am on the right path, just a bit thinner so that the ripening from the rind inward will occur a bit sooner and more completely.

I think (at 6 weeks) your bitter problem relates to the excessive time ripening. My first make went really well, but due to the amount of fat (triple cream) it took a lot longer to ripen, at which point the flavor was also a bit bitter, but otherwise very good.