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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => RENNET COAGULATED - Semi-Hard "Sweet" Washed Curd => Topic started by: Boofer on February 05, 2012, 06:30:53 PM

Title: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on February 05, 2012, 06:30:53 PM
I've been a little reluctant to add anything to my curds for fear of corrupting the cheese and relegating the expense and effort to the garbage bin. I finally bit the bullet and committed to this cheese. It offers some variety to my little cave effort.

There are two spellings for this cheese style: Leiden and click here>Leyden Sally (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqELgVWeVGM&feature=related)    Kind of stretching here.... 8)

The recipe I followed was from 200 Easy Cheeses.

Note: Edited thread title to correct spelling of cheese per member hoeklijn.

Calibrated Exstik PH100.

4 gallons Twin Brook Creamery whole creamline milk (pH 6.76)
1/4 tsp Aroma B (meso)
1 tsp CACL diluted in cool distilled water
1/16 tsp Renco dry calf rennet
1 TBS cumin seeds, boiled in 2 cups water, allowed to sit covered overnight to soften

8:00AM - pH 6.57 @ 85F <<== dropped from 6.76...Wow!!
No preripening here. Added 1 cup of the cumin seed liquid, culture, allowed to rehydrate, stirred it in.
Added CACL and rennet, stirred in.

8:27AM - floc'd in 20 minutes; I'm using 3.5x so that's 70 min to wait.

9:40AM - pH 6.55 @82.8F; cut the curds to 1/2 inch; rested 10 min.

9:50AM - Whisked down to 1/4 inch...recipe said "navy bean"; rested 10 min.

10:00AM - Stirred and began to raise temp.

10:05AM - Removed 1 gallon whey in two actions, saved 1/2 gal for whey-brine.

10:10AM - Replaced lost whey with 140F water to raise temp to 98F; stirring.

10:20AM - Curds @ 98F; held at that temp, stirring, for 20 min; let curds settle.

10:40AM - Drained whey; added cumin seeds and rest of liquid on top of curds; mixed in by hand.

10:50AM - Put the curds into the prepared mold with Plyban; seeds had fallen through curds to bottom of pot. I had to collect them and press them with spread fingers into the molded curd mass to distribute them.

11:00AM - Pressed under whey, using my Dutch press with just the weight of the lever arm and piston (11lbs) for 30 min.

11:35PM - Rewrapped and pressed under whey for another 30 min.

12:10PM - Drained whey, rewrapped and pressed with 5lb and 2 pulleys (which delivers ~ 1.9psi) for 4 hours.

4:15PM - pH 5.56 - Rewrapped and pressed @ 1.9psi.

11:00PM - pH 5.15 - Removed from press; into whey-brine in refrigerator.

2/5/2012
5:00AM - Flipped and back into the brine.

10:00AM - Out of brine to air-dry at room temperature; 11 hour brine.

I reduced the 2 tablespoons of cumin seeds down to one. Even that may be a little much. I do believe the overnight soak helped to soften the seeds. The knit seems decent although there are a few Plyban marks. Those will probably fade with wiping, washing, and rubbing. The Plyban does stick a little, but it doesn't wedge itself into the curd like muslin or cheesecloth. It sticks lightly to the outside of the cheese. Nice stuff.

-Boofer-
Title: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on February 07, 2012, 03:45:45 PM
There wasn't much whey leakage since it came out of the brine. The pressing obviously expressed a lot of the residual moisture from the wheel.

This morning it joined the ranks of Tomme #5 and Tilsit #2 in the white cave. I'll let it sit in there for a week or so for additional drying. I think the rind should be fairly clean so I'm thinking once it has had a little time in the cave, I'll vacuum-bag it. The recipe calls for a double layer of wax.

I don't have much information about the care and feeding of a Leyden. We'll see how it fares.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Iezzo on February 07, 2012, 05:11:20 PM
I just recently received a wedge of Leyden (for my second monthly cheese).  Ironically enough, I just watched a Discovery channel episode entailing a few cheese histories, this particular one being rumored that the first instance of cumin use was actually a mistaken sandwich crust dropped in the batch.  I digress.  When I first tried Leyden, I found the flavor rather complex and the cumin fighting for superiority.  After I got through roughly half the wedge, the other flavors began to show themselves; nutty and mildly buttery (which is surprising due to the traditionally lower fat milk base).

The jury is still out on this particular cheese for me but if you are looking to add depth to your cave repertoire, Leyden is defiantly going to accomplish it.  It looks like a beautiful wheel and I wish you luck with it's maintenance. 

As an aside, it doesn't appear like copious cumin was added to your make which I may like better; my sample wedge was riddled with seed, so I'm leaning toword another brand (preferably with less cumin) so as to ruminate fairly.
Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: anutcanfly on February 07, 2012, 05:41:05 PM
I am very interested in knowing the outcome of this cheese.  I can't even begin to imagine what it will taste like!  :)
Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: DeejayDebi on February 08, 2012, 03:57:36 AM
Looks great hon. One thing I will say is this cheese gets really stong (cumin) if you leave it age for more than about  months. might be okay if you are a huge cumin fan but i am not. i found the same recipe is better with toasted seseme seeds.
Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on February 08, 2012, 07:18:13 AM
As an aside, it doesn't appear like copious cumin was added to your make which I may like better; my sample wedge was riddled with seed,
The recipe called for 2 tablespoons of cumin seed. I tasted and compared caraway seeds and cumin seeds. The cumin was a little bitter but I wanted to get closer to the true style so I used the cumin, cutting the amount in half. I didn't want a teaspoon of seed in every bite but I did want flavor.

I didn't use partly-skimmed milk but went with whole creamline which should produce a richer, slightly off-style cheese.

Debi steered me to a description that calls for the rind to be colored red/red-brown with annatto. That would make it interesting. It also talked about saving back some curds without seed so that the top and bottom flat rind faces could be made without seeds. No I didn't do that.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: DeejayDebi on February 09, 2012, 03:02:45 AM
Ah but it looks so kewl when you cut it Boofer!
Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on February 12, 2012, 08:00:10 PM
Well, I did try to dye the rind as per the big boys, but the milk fat said "No, you're kidding, right?". It has a little darker complexion, but not like the ones Debi steered me to. Eh!?

Today seemed like a good day to bag it up. So it joined my Tomme #5 and Tilsit #3. It's a party!  8)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: anutcanfly on February 12, 2012, 08:53:35 PM
Party?? Cool, I'll be right over!  :P
Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: kookookachoo on March 20, 2012, 01:39:28 AM
Just saw this, Boofer!  I absolutely love cumin.  One of my favorite recipes is a variation of keftah a friend in college taught me to make....the kids absolutely love it (cooked in sauce with potato slices on top)..and it's heavy on cumin.  I've got my tomme & probably butterkase to make tomorrow, so I may try this for the weekend!!  Looks good, too. 
Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on March 29, 2012, 07:55:21 PM
I can't be entirely certain, but it looks like I'm getting a little swelling in this wheel. I believe I was targeting the middle of April to cut this cheese.  Very curious.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: anutcanfly on March 29, 2012, 09:30:39 PM
Now here is a cheese obviously puffed up with pride.  You spent all you're time sweet talking this one!  That's why you're other cheese died!  A broken heart for sure!  ;)
Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on March 29, 2012, 10:43:16 PM
Now here is a cheese obviously puffed up with pride.  You spent all you're time sweet talking this one!  That's why you're other cheese died!  A broken heart for sure!  ;)
Wait a minute! I have a dead cheese? Okay, where is it? Lemme look behind the sofa....

Oh yeah, there's that smell. No, sorry, just my Esrom stinking up the place.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: DeejayDebi on March 30, 2012, 02:39:14 AM
LOL I saw the quote and didn't even have to look to know who it came from!
Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: anutcanfly on March 30, 2012, 04:55:27 AM
 A)
Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: hoeklijn on March 30, 2012, 06:36:36 AM
Nice cheese Boofer! The Dutch spelling is Leiden, believe me, I know. I'm living in between the cities of Leiden and Gouda ;-)
About not much whey leaking: That's due to the use of cumin, it makes the cheese drier.
Officially here in Holland Leiden is made from skimmed milk, but personally I prefer to make it from whole (raw) milk.
At the moment I have about 5 lbs of Leiden waiting in the cave for consumption...
Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on March 30, 2012, 01:42:47 PM
Thanks, hoeklijn, and thank you for the corrected spelling. I originally had it as Leiden but was steered towards the "y" by something I read that claimed it was more correct.

Do you have a more correct recipe, including the amount of cumin to add? The recipe I used was from 200 Easy Cheeses, but I cut the amount of cumin in half. I wanted cumin-flavored cheese, not cheese-flavored cumin.  ;)

When I read your "5 lbs" I was at first shocked because that seemed to be a lot of cheese. Then I was reminded that each of my cheeses is 4 lbs.  ::)

You say the cumin makes the cheese drier. Even if I have boiled and cooled the cumin and it is moist when added to the curds? Should the cheese be dry and firm, semisoft, or semihard? Mine seems to be headed towards a soft Gouda.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: anarch on March 30, 2012, 09:35:17 PM
The only Leyden that I've had is this one: http://www.jamesranch.net/cheese/our_cheese/ (http://www.jamesranch.net/cheese/our_cheese/) from my local artisan cheesemakers.  Theirs is somewhat dry, but not approaching anything I'd grate.  Definitely more of the medium to hard gouda texture, not soft.  But then again, they do age theirs for 6 months.  Very good! 

Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: hoeklijn on March 31, 2012, 03:23:32 PM
Hi Boofer,

Here is the short version of the recipe from "Rondom boerenkaas" ("Around artisan cheese") which has been a dutch standard for the cheese farmers since 50's and is updated frequently. It is a book published by the union of artisan cheesemakers, with help from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Beware: It's a recipe also for 100 liter and at this moment I'm too lazy to convert it to US-metrics  ;D
Warm the milk to 29C, add per 100 liter milk 0.5 liter culture, 45 ml nitric acid (HNO3) and 15 ml CaCl and 25 ml rennet in 60 ml water. Let it coagulate for 30 minutes. Cut the curd into pieces of 1.5 cm (takes up to 20 minutes). Let it rest for 5 minutes. Remove 1/3 of the whey. Use almost cooking water to heat the curd up to 32C. Stir for 15 minutes. Let the curd rest for 15-30 minutes. Drain as much whey as possible. Put a part of the curd away for the "white bottom" of the cheese (this is common for the bigger Leiden cheese, you can skip it for the sizes we make. It is to prevent that cumin pierces the rind) and mix the cooked cumin (50-75 gram per 100 liter) with the remaining curd. Fill the bottom of the mould with white curd, fill with the mixed curd and cover with white curd. Let the filled moulds drain for an hour, flip half time. Press depending on the size between 20 and 24 hours, shorter if you use Kadova moulds (form a better rind). Weight to use is the same as for Gouda. After pressing brine the cheese in a 20 Beaumme solution for the same time as a Gouda, depending on the size.
Texture should be medium to hard, depending on the age, but indeed somewhat firmer that a Gouda. But it's no rocket science, artisan cheese WILL show some variety. One degree up or down, 1 ml more or less, the quality of the milk is also depending on the time of the year. At the end the taste is all that counts...
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on March 31, 2012, 11:48:05 PM
Thanks, hoeklijn. Nitric acid?  :o What does that do for the cheese? I have known to add sodium nitrate to milk when making Jarlsberg. Does it provide the same function?

No worries about conversion to U.S. measurements. I have read about saving part of the white curd for the top and bottom, but the sides would still have the cumin piercing the rind.

At this point, I would say my cheese is semi-soft to medium.
 
Are those your cheeses in the photo? If so, they look wonderful. Nice labels too. How long do you age your Leiden cheeses? They're fairly young when cut, correct?

By the way, I corrected the thread title, per your advice.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: hoeklijn on April 01, 2012, 12:37:00 PM
Hi Boofer, I'm not sure Google Translate gave me the correct translation, that's why I added HNO3. Here we call it "salpeter" and I think I heard somebody call it Potassium in English. Here in the Netherlands it is allowed for cheese to prevent forming gas in an early stage of development caused by B. coli and to prevent forming gas in the late stage of development caused by butyric acid bacteria.
Yes, the cheeses are mine, I always coat my hard and semi-hard cheeses with a plastic coating. It's the same coating as is used by artisan cheesemakers here, as well as by the big dairies for Gouda, Edam, Leiden etc. I have it in yellow and transparent. With e.g. Gouda I use 2 layers of yellow and stick the label on the wet coating and when it's dry I use one transparent layer as a finish. For cheeses as Cabra al Vino I use only transparent coating.
The coating allows "breathing" of the cheese, prevents it against molds and is very easy to clean. I have the labels also with the image of a goat.
I think I will cut the first one about 7 weeks after production, depending on what's available in the fridge downstairs for lunch...
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on April 01, 2012, 02:36:18 PM
Hi Boofer, I'm not sure Google Translate gave me the correct translation, that's why I added HNO3. Here we call it "salpeter" and I think I heard somebody call it Potassium in English. Here in the Netherlands it is allowed for cheese to prevent forming gas in an early stage of development caused by B. coli and to prevent forming gas in the late stage of development caused by butyric acid bacteria.
Yes, you are referring to sodium nitrate (http://www.cskfood.com/ingredients/305.html) (NaNO3, "saltpeter"), not nitric acid. It is for "late blowing" as you have described. I recently used "Holdbac" to prevent late blowing in an effort to not add chemicals in my cheese. It's too soon to know whether it worked.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: hoeklijn on April 01, 2012, 05:09:58 PM
I had a look at the site of Danisco but I can't figure out what HoldBac is made from, I suppose it's not their name for HNO3 or NaNO3  ;D
Anyway, it's hard to get stuff of Danisco here. I've been looking for their cultures for a while, but without success, unless I want to buy enough for a professional dairy...
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on April 01, 2012, 11:54:57 PM
It has two cultures. This is from the Danlac.com site.

Note: I noticed that there were two types of Holdbac available by Danlac. One has P.S. added. The one I used did not.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Oude Kaas on April 02, 2012, 12:44:32 AM
In Holland they add sodium nitrate (NaNO3, alias "saltpeter") to the recipe to prevent late blowing in the cheese. This is a common practice in Holland because cows are often fed on silage and otherwise fermented feed. Gouda is very susceptible to late blowing. Ever been to Holland and seen those plastic covered hills of feed, weighted down by tires in the countryside? I loved how they smell.

Supposedly Holdbac does the same thing but if you use milk for your cheese which doesn't come from cows fed on silage, there is absolutely no need to add any of those substances to your make.
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: hoeklijn on April 02, 2012, 06:34:47 AM
Hello Oude Kaas,

I assume you have a Dutch background, considering the name "Oude Kaas"? What you describe as the reason for adding saltpeter is new for me, I don't think it's even mentioned in then book "Rondom boerenkaas" or "Around artisan cheese" which is considered to be the Dutch standard work on artisan cheese. Next weekend I am going to make a new batch of Gouda and I will ask at the farm if they feed silage. I suppose they do, because it's most common to feed that during winter. Cows are still at the stable, we had temperatures here up to 17C, but they expect again nights with -5C and snow...
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on April 02, 2012, 01:23:01 PM
In Holland they add sodium nitrate (NaNO3, alias "saltpeter") to the recipe to prevent late blowing in the cheese. This is a common practice in Holland because cows are often fed on silage and otherwise fermented feed. Gouda is very susceptible to late blowing. Ever been to Holland and seen those plastic covered hills of feed, weighted down by tires in the countryside? I loved how they smell.

Supposedly Holdbac does the same thing but if you use milk for your cheese which doesn't come from cows fed on silage, there is absolutely no need to add any of those substances to your make.
Yes, but how do you know if the cows have been fed silage? You could most likely assume that during the colder winter season. I believe it is added as insurance...just in case.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Oude Kaas on April 03, 2012, 02:44:52 PM
Quote
Yes, but how do you know if the cows have been fed silage?
Ask your farmer. Of course, this is a problem when using store bought milk but in general I think there is no need to add saltpeter or holdbac when using such milk.

Quote
You could most likely assume that during the colder winter season. I believe it is added as insurance...just in case.
Assume why? First of all, the use of silage doesn't always lead to late blowing cheese. The butyric bacteria spores in the milk have to be high.
The farmer I get my milk from doesn't feed silage to his cows. The entire winter he feeds his cows on dry hay. Recently he asked me if I had noticed any difference in the milk. He had started to feed second cut hay. This is hay cut in September or October and tends to be higher in nutrition and has more caroteen. Indeed, the milk was much yellower, almost like summer milk.

Quote
I assume you have a Dutch background, considering the name "Oude Kaas"?
Dutch indeed.
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: hoeklijn on April 07, 2012, 06:34:29 AM
Asked about silage this morning and they are feeding it indeed. I forgot to ask if they add saltpeter when making cheese because we had a discussion about sheep milk, but I will ask them next time. I once had an early blowing Gouda to which I added stinging nettle, that was before I  started adding saltpeter to my Gouda. Maybe it was caused by not sufficiently cooked nettle? Anyway, I never had it again since I add saltpeter...
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on April 07, 2012, 03:25:34 PM
Asked about silage this morning and they are feeding it indeed. I forgot to ask if they add saltpeter when making cheese because we had a discussion about sheep milk, but I will ask them next time. I once had an early blowing Gouda to which I added stinging nettle, that was before I  started adding saltpeter to my Gouda. Maybe it was caused by not sufficiently cooked nettle? Anyway, I never had it again since I add saltpeter...
I thought nettle was used for coagulating like rennet. How much saltpeter do you add for how large a volume of milk?

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: DeejayDebi on April 08, 2012, 05:24:28 AM
Yes nettle is use as rennet.
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: hoeklijn on April 08, 2012, 09:56:25 AM
I'm not sure that is the "stinging nettle" I'm talking about (Urtica dioica), but the stuff was mixed through the curd just before putting it in the moulds. However, typing this I realize that the water it was cooked in, was added to the milk before the rennet. But could this cause a bitter taste and early blowing? I will also ask my milk supplier about this,because they sometimes makes batches with nettle...
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Oude Kaas on April 08, 2012, 01:37:34 PM
Quote
Yes nettle is use as rennet.


That's a different nettle.

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), brandntel in Dutch, is used as a flavouring herb in cheese in Holland.

Here's one: Brandnetelkaas (http://www.goudsekaasshop.nl/brandnetelkaas.html)
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: hoeklijn on April 09, 2012, 10:18:10 AM
OK, that solves the misunderstanding about "brandnetel" and nettle used as a rennet.

Which part of Holland do you have your roots, Oude Kaas?
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Oude Kaas on April 09, 2012, 12:14:00 PM
Vleuten
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on April 14, 2012, 06:31:36 PM
It is time to cut into this cheese and see what I find.

Removing it from the vacuum-sealed bag, the cheese is poofed up. The rind is dry but elastic. Cutting the cheese, I find it has a texture not unlike a Gouda. There are lots of eyes/holes. While I was surprised by this and excited at first, a Leiden true to the style does not have so many holes. Most pictures of Leiden show it as a Gouda with cumin seed. The cumin lends a gentle touch to the cheese. The flavor of the cheese is mild.

I won't bore any readers with a tantalizing picture or mouthwatering description of the cheese melting on sourdough toast. It was delicious!  :D

I resealed most of it for a little more aging.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: H-K-J on April 14, 2012, 07:07:04 PM
Now that's an OHWOW!! and a thumbs to you, BOOFER, I believe I can taste it ma self  ^-^
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: JeffHamm on April 14, 2012, 09:24:49 PM
Now doesn't that look a treat!  Well done.  I take it this one will be repeated.

- Jeff
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: DeejayDebi on April 14, 2012, 11:11:28 PM
That look awsome Boofer! Looks like just the right amount of seeds too. They call for way to many in the recipe. You texture looks perfect as well, I big cheese for you.
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: hoeklijn on April 15, 2012, 04:01:43 PM
Congrats with your Leiden, Boofer. I'm also surprised to see the eyes, but who cares if the taste and smell is OK!
I will wait at least for another week before I cut the first of my two, but I will surely make some pictures...
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on April 15, 2012, 06:58:04 PM
Congrats with your Leiden, Boofer. I'm also surprised to see the eyes, but who cares if the taste and smell is OK!
I will wait at least for another week before I cut the first of my two, but I will surely make some pictures...
Thanks, hoeklijn. Looking forward to your good results (and pics) as well.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: anutcanfly on April 16, 2012, 04:19:05 PM
That cheese looks awesome.  Which flavor dominates, the cheese or the cumin?
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on April 16, 2012, 11:29:12 PM
That cheese looks awesome.  Which flavor dominates, the cheese or the cumin?
You know, it's a very mild (not bland) flavor for both. I think I achieved the taste profile I was seeking, though I have never tasted a true Leiden. It's a Gouda with a hint of cumin. Because I may be biased in my opinion, I await my son's family tasting it to furnish additional feedback. I gave him a small wedge this morning.

Also, it is a mere two months old. Perhaps its flavor will change positively over the next month or so.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: anutcanfly on April 17, 2012, 12:29:09 AM
If you love it, that's all thats counts! I reread this whole thread and I can't for the life of me figure where those holes might be coming from?  Anybody have any ideas? Very curious!
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: DeejayDebi on April 17, 2012, 02:38:56 AM
Maybe moisture/air trapped in the seeds? I don't recall that happening to mine but I toasted mine a tad so maybe it dried them more? I don't know but I think it looks kewl! You really did want it that way right?  ;)
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on April 17, 2012, 01:17:59 PM
I was thinking it might be winter milk...not pasture-fed. The whey I've been seeing is very pale and white, not green or yellow. Maybe silage?

On the upside, the paste texture and rind are exactly what I want in my Maasdam. I am hoping I got that. It holds the gas in, doesn't allow the gas to escape, and forms bubbles.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: hoeklijn on April 22, 2012, 01:34:18 PM
I promised Boofer to post some pictures when I cut the first Leiden, so here they are. Texture was really nice, as to be expected from a Gouda-type cheese. Good balance between cumin and cheese, like I know from the Leiden that is made here in Holland. Taste somewhat richer than a normal Leiden, because it is normally made from skimmed milk and I made it from raw whole milk.
Wheel turned out to be just over 1080 gram (about 2.4 lbs). Batch was made on March 10 2012, second wheel will stay in the cave for another couple of weeks.
During lunch we had the first slices on a sandwich, delicious...
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: DeejayDebi on April 23, 2012, 12:48:34 AM
That reallt looks good Hoeklijn but do you have a license for that weapon?  :o
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: hoeklijn on April 23, 2012, 06:16:41 AM
 ;D No, it's completely illegal...
But to be serious: It's a two handed cheese knive about 18 inch long and I was lucky enough to find it on the Dutch version of eBay for a very reasonable price. A new one is at least 85 euro's.
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on April 23, 2012, 01:38:03 PM
Thank you for the pics, hoeklijn. Awesome-looking cheese.

I am amazed...only 5 weeks old? Is that typical? I rechecked mine and it was about 9 weeks.

Looks like you have a fine scimitar there!  ;)  Impressive.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: hoeklijn on April 23, 2012, 02:32:04 PM
LOL, I had to look that up on Wiki but no, it's not a scimitar. You don't have those cheese cutters in the US?
Yes, the cheese is pretty young, my wife couldn't wait any longer  ;) but I have one wheel still in the cave, cause I'm curious how it will be when more mature...
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: DeejayDebi on April 24, 2012, 02:08:42 AM
Bet that makes cutting a cheese wheel easier. Hmmm I wonder how a pizza knife would work? Almost the same thing I think?
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Threelittlepiggiescheese on April 24, 2012, 02:19:42 AM
pizza knife is much less sharp usually, and the cheese version would benefit from some fluting to keep cheese from sticking
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: DeejayDebi on April 25, 2012, 02:38:08 AM
My cheeses always stick to my knives and I end up breaking it off in the end. I even bought "cheese kinves" and they still stick. Did fin one with no metal in the middle that cuts well but it's to short for a whole wheel. The wires work well but I always loose them.
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Threelittlepiggiescheese on April 25, 2012, 02:41:33 AM
i wonder if those pocket saws would work well?
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: DeejayDebi on April 25, 2012, 02:59:04 AM
LOL Maybe it might throw the curd to the side.
Title: Re: Leyden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Schnecken Slayer on November 13, 2012, 09:39:08 AM
There wasn't much whey leakage since it came out of the brine. The pressing obviously expressed a lot of the residual moisture from the wheel.

This morning it joined the ranks of Tomme #5 and Tilsit #2 in the white cave. I'll let it sit in there for a week or so for additional drying. I think the rind should be fairly clean so I'm thinking once it has had a little time in the cave, I'll vacuum-bag it. The recipe calls for a double layer of wax.

I don't have much information about the care and feeding of a Leyden. We'll see how it fares.

-Boofer-

What temperature is your white cave? I just made one of these on the weekend from a recipe I found online and it doesn't give time or temp to let it dry before covering. Currently room temp here is 19C.
Cheers,
Bill.
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on November 13, 2012, 02:15:13 PM
Currently my caves are set to 50F/10C. The controller hovers it within +-2 degrees.

I was well-pleased with the outcome of my Leiden.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: hoeklijn on November 13, 2012, 05:24:10 PM
Normally I use 10-12C for Gouda-type cheeses. 19C is way to high....
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Schnecken Slayer on November 13, 2012, 06:49:23 PM
Ok, back into the cooler with it.

thanks
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Boofer on February 03, 2013, 04:33:32 PM
Spotted this little wedge in the fridge and thought it would be timely to sample it 12 months into its affinage.

Looks good, tastes just like when it was vacuum-sealed...maybe a little more emphasis with the cumin character. Otherwise, it's very tasty and creamy. No off tastes. No infections from mold or any other problems. Boy, I love my vacuum-sealer! What great technology for preserving food! 8)

I took the one slice and vacuum-sealed it again. ;)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Leiden (Cumin Cheese)
Post by: Al Lewis on February 03, 2013, 05:55:25 PM
Looks delicious!! :P