CheeseForum.org ยป Forum
CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => ADJUNCT - Blue Mold (Penicillium roqueforti) Ripened => Topic started by: Boofer on July 28, 2013, 08:03:11 PM
-
Just about running out of steam for my cheese hat trick yesterday, I finished up the day with this cheese from Mary Karlin's "Artisan Cheese Making At Home". It has been a while since I made a blue cheese and this one sounded intriguing.
1 gallon Twin Brooks whole creamline milk
1/2 gallon cultured buttermilk
1 quart heavy cream
1/4 tsp MM100
1/4 tsp liquid PRB18 (hope this is still viable...it's two years old)
1/4 tsp CACL
1/32 tsp Renco dry calf rennet
floc'd in . . . 3 minutes!!! (probably because of the acidity from the buttermilk).
the cheeses are now in the minicave (lid slightly cracked) inside the cave, continuing to drain (they have a ways to go yet).
with that one pic, I caught myself staring into the little rows of cut curd...so I snapped a picture. :)
-Boofer-
-
I've made this several times most successfully. Will follow your progress with interest. I've never had such a quick flocc time though.
Margaret
-
I've never had such a quick flocc time though.
Neither have I. I was very surprised and kind of caught me off-guard. The amount I used was only 1/32 tsp. I guess it's still very viable after several years in the freezer.
Funny thing...the photo in her book shows a form factor like a Reblochon. I don't believe these are ever going to be short & squat. They seem more like my Fourme d'Ambert (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9508.msg71191.html#msg71191).
I modified the recipe for what I had available. Instead of dry PR, I had just the liquid which I added to the milk.
How long did yours ripen?
-Boofer-
-
Ah, right on time.... Honey, the blue's here!
Good to know that PRB18 was still in good shape.
-Boofer-
-
PRB18 seems to be a very aggressive blue. Between August 6th and August 7th, it had really spread.
With that in mind, I decided to pierce it yesterday. I'd like to try to keep the rind fairly clean so I'll allow it to find its way into the inner paste and, after a day or two, I'll wash the rind with a little brine.
-Boofer-
-
Nice bluing Boofer :P
this is going to be fun to watch change over the next few weeks :)
I need to make this, just have to figure out the proportions of buttermilk to milk ratio for a 5 gallon make
-
Thanks, H-K-J. It's been a while since I made a blue. The one cave is in segregation from the rest of the clean rinds, Beaufort & Hispanico. They already showed some early bluing which I hope I have canceled as of today.
-Boofer-
-
Nothing...slight blue haze...WOW -- blue, really really blue...then dark blue...then --- Poof!...white fluff!
The inner leavings from piercing are very tasty. A little piquancy from the buttermilk. Creamy...nice.
I figure this will be ready in another 4 weeks. I don't prefer it too bitey.
-Boofer-
-
Your caption under the last photo about them not being very pretty triggered a quiet early morning guffaw out of me! I had just been thinking how much they looked like amputated elephant feet and wondering if you had the rest of the elephant (recovering from the surgery) watching a movie in the next room with his legs up on an ottoman, IV stand with pain meds just behind the armchair. :-\
Seriously, They look great and you're inspiring me to try a blue and maybe use an actual recipe unlike my first two attempts. Although, I am pleased that the wedge of blue that I sent home with a friend got a good review from a French WOOFER who wrote on her Facebook page something to the effect of, "Eating goat's milk blue cheese on warm crusty bread. Delicious! Who knew Americans were capable of this?". ;D
A cheese to you, Boofer!
-
Oh, Kathrin, you have a unique way of capturing an image. If I wasn't so committed to the comfort and safety of my animal friends, I'd tell Tiny (the fore-mentioned) to hit the road. Plus which, lugging those huge bags of Georgia's finest goobers gets tiring. ;) When he gets back on his stumps, he'll be an asset because, as you know . . . he works for peanuts. :-\
Thanks for the cheese. It encourages me all the more, you know. ::)
I would encourage you to try a blue. I haven't done many primarily because I'm the only one that enjoys it and their long-term viability is less than desirable.
-Boofer-
-
;D ;D ;D
Well, thanks for the encouragement although as my post says....I have done a couple of blues but perhaps you mean to do it using an actual recipe? Just for a change of pace you know.....
I'm glad you love animals too. I in particular love elephants although that's hard to tell from my last post but I was thinking surgery as in preventing gangrene....you know, life-saving necessary surgery with convalescence at a house with enough cheese to keep his spirits up. And a cute dog to entertain him if he got glum from the tedium of a long recuperation.
I'm glad that my cheesing you just encourages you.....although you seem to do very fine even without encouragement.
So, you haven't created a blue that your dear wife appreciates? That seems like a neat challenge....to find a very mild blue version of PR and do a make that keeps it mild and then use it in nano doses on salads or pasta dishes? Is it possible or is it any hint of the PR that offends her taste buds? I'm not a big blue fan so I'm looking for mild too. I'll have to try one of the elephant feet kind next. I'll check your notes....... ;)
-
I quite like your elephant blues. My wife never liked blue cheese until I made a small semi-lactic blue a couple years ago (2 litre make). That was very nice and mild flavoured. My daughter, who was probably 3 or 4 at the time, liked it as well. It held that mild blue state for quite some time and didn't get sharp and biting until the very last piece, which was left in the cave, forgotten, for much longer than intended.
- Jeff
-
Yesterday I repierced for the third time. It has been difficult to keep the channels open with the persistent white fluff encroaching and blocking the holes. When pierced, the innards adhering to the knitting needle are creamy and tasty.
This cheese will hopefully fall into the category of a lightly-blued cheese. I know quite a few folks on the forum enjoy their blues strong and bitey. Me...not so much. :P There are some commercial examples of excellent blues that are lightly imbued with PR. In the pic, check out Delft Blue, Regina Blue, and Blue Castello.
Time will tell how this cheese compares to those tasty commercial examples. I had tagged this make with 6 weeks aging before I cut it. That makes this Saturday, September 7th, as The Day.
-Boofer-
-
It's looking fabulous!
I've marked this Saturday as the day for my first attempt at a blue, so I'll be agog to see how yours has turned out.
-
Looks like it has alot of moisture (which caused the lean) so it should be very creamy and tasty :)
I also prefer my blue very light in strength but very big on texture, Unfortunatlly I have not been successfuly at doing such one. I think I need a much "ligher" tasting strain of PR.
-
Yeah, the lean came from too early unmoulding, I think. A little longer in the moulds and they would have been a little firmer from the get-go. Too anxious I was. :) It was the third cheese make that day and I was a little worn around the edges.
-Boofer-
-
Can a blue cheese be too creamy? Yes, I believe so. ???
My Fourme d'Ambert (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9508.msg71676.html#msg71676) was creamy, but it also allowed for a few gas/mechanical openings so that the blue had somewhere to colonize & congregate. This Buttermilk Blue apparently had few openings for the PR to occupy. The piercing canals filled with a little blue and white and became firm "rods" down through the paste. I had attempted to follow the original piercing paths the three times I pierced. I will reconsider that if I attempt this again. Perhaps a fresh path for piercing would find a small chamber for the PR. It would also not reinforce the original piercing path and create those firm "rods".
If I were to remake this cheese, I would modify my make to include a longer collander drain period to remove more of the moisture. That would allow for the formation of voids in the paste.
Although the bluing was lighter than expected, the flavor and creaminess were above par. Very tasty.
-Boofer-
-
Boofer, boy that does look sooooooo creamy numnumnum :P
A cheese to you even with the noted imperfections ;D
-
I don't care for blue cheeses (they frankly scare me), but I would not be able to keep myself from trying that ultra-creamy piece of art, Boof!
A cheese to you ;D
-
A cheese to you Boofer! That is a wonderful looking creamy blue. I know you were looking for more veining and all, but that does look good. And if the blue flavour is mild, this would be an ideal cheese to introduce people to the blues. Vanessa never cared for blues until I made a semi-lactic blue, which also didn't have any cavities for veining and only blued along the piercings, but it had a great texture and flavour. She's now quite a fan of blue cheese. I suspect yours will win some over as well.
- Jeff