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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => ADJUNCT - Blue Mold (Penicillium roqueforti) Ripened => Topic started by: Geodyne on September 13, 2013, 09:09:49 AM

Title: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on September 13, 2013, 09:09:49 AM
I made this last weekend, following Caldwell's recipe.

8 ltr pasteurised, unhomogenised milk
600 ml pasteurised cream
1/4 tsp MM101
2 drops PR18

Turned these into moulds and turned twice daily for 5 days. Smoothed on the 6th day which was a bit too late - I had to break a crust to do so, and there was already a fine white-blue dusting in some of the crevices. These are now in affinage in my 'cave', which consists of a plastic container in a cooler.

I really need to get a taller stilton mould. I don't have anything tall enough to allow the curds to press themselves. I gave these a very light, short press with the press and a 3 lb weight but was wary of taking the press too far.
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: graysalchemy on September 13, 2013, 09:53:28 AM
Nice looking cheese  :)
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: shotski on September 13, 2013, 10:17:25 AM
They look very nice Geodyne, good job.
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: hoeklijn on September 13, 2013, 03:15:54 PM
There are several posts on the forum about how to smoothen the outside of the cheese. That way the risk of getting unwanted molds in the deeper parts of the rind can be reduced. I saved about two handfull of curd in some whey in the fridge for that purpose. Warm them to about 36C and you have a perfect paste to achieve that...
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on September 13, 2013, 08:35:18 PM
Oh what a good idea. Thanks Herman, I'll do that next time. This time, I worked like I would with icing on a cake. Long flexible spatula warmed in boiling water. That worked a treat, with a bit of patience. I'll have to go and search for the other posts about smoothing I think.

Tia, GA, thanks. Hopefully they blue up nicely!
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: shotski on September 13, 2013, 10:31:51 PM
Down near the bottom of this link H-K-J did a video on smoothing blue cheese. I find this techneque works best for me.

http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,10944.0.html (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,10944.0.html)
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on September 13, 2013, 10:49:51 PM
I hadn't thought about smoothing by hand. Thanks Shotski - and H-J-K - for sharing.

One day after smoothing and there's a lot of light blue fuzz evident. I'm working on getting the RH up.

My poor 'cheese cave' is starting to look very full, particularly as there's a 3lb cheddar in the press queuing for space. I'd been hoping to avoid buying an electric fridge but I'm going to have to save up for a wine fridge, I think...
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on September 17, 2013, 08:48:25 PM
12 days and these are turning a lovely gold colour and blueing up nicely, especially in the crevices. I'm quite pleased with being able to maintain a constant 80% RH and 11-13C in a cooler with ice blocks.
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: H-K-J on September 17, 2013, 10:03:59 PM
here is my latest smoothing technique  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3o04QQCZTI) It is a little easyer to fill in the cracks and things ^-^
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on September 17, 2013, 10:33:32 PM
That's a great video H-J-K, thanks. I particularly like the moment when your wife nabs a cheese crumb for herself.  ;)

That's a similar method to the one I used, but I did leave the smoothing a day or two too late. The cracked curd you see on the top of the left-hand cheese is a slightly drier curd to the rest which didn't particularly want to have anything to do with the rest of the cheese. It's joining the crowd now, with the higher humidity.
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on September 19, 2013, 07:31:03 AM
A week in the cave and these are blueing up nicely. I'm surprised at the acceleration in the blueing over the past few days. I think I'll be brave and pierce these this weekend as I'll be away the weekend after that.
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: fabian on September 20, 2013, 12:12:01 AM
Very nice looking blue!
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on October 03, 2013, 09:27:46 AM
I've just come back from a week away in which these were completely neglected in their cooler. Fortunately the weather was cool while I was away so the average temperature (as near as I can tell) was 13.5C, or roughly 55F. They'd become quite fuzzy and had a faint ammonia smell so I decided to air them for an hour and brush them down lightly with a sterilised pastry brush. After airing and brushing they smell good, and a tiny bit of the rind accidentally bumped off with my thumbnail tasted delightfully of PR rather than anything nastier.

I'll pierce these tomorrow and tend them lovingly for 6 days, and then they'll be left to their own devices for a bit over two weeks while I swan off on holiday.

Pics are before and after brushing.
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on October 04, 2013, 11:34:03 PM
I pierced these today, vertically and horizontally, at roughly 3/4-inch intervals, and the paste tastes amazing. I'm really looking forward to trying these in a couple of month's time.
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: graysalchemy on November 05, 2013, 11:25:25 AM
I hope my one turns out as good as that,.  :D

A cheese for you.  :)
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on November 12, 2013, 06:50:03 AM
These cheeses are now 66 days old and have been in affinage at 11-13C and 75-85% humidity for 60 days. Having purchased myself a lovely, fancy cheese iron while in the UK, I thought I'd test these to see what they're doing. A photo of the result is attached.

These were covered in white fuzzy mould while I was away, and I brushed them down gently with a pastry brush as I had the first time. This time however, 12 days after their brushing, they've remained a bit wet on the surface, improving with daily turning and leaving the lid of their minicave container in the esky they're aging in. The paste is creamy with the expected cheddar tones, and there is a light blueing in the inside paste. It tastes of stilton but mildly.

Caldwell's affinage instructions say to now keep the cheese for up to 6 months at 7C. I can't manage that. I can do 13C or 4C in my kitchen fridge. I actually can't eat these because of their fat content so I'm waiting for my husband to come and eat them. That won't be for another month or two.  I'm trying to decide at the moment whether to re-pierce them and keep them at 13C to see whether they'll become less slimy on the surface, or whether to pop them in the fridge for slower maturation.

Does anyone have experiences to share that might help me make a decision? We like a strong flavour to stilton.
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on November 13, 2013, 09:42:50 PM
So apparently the other day, I learned not to try to make posts after a very long day at work while still getting over a cold.

Here's the 60-day old stilton. Mild internal blueing, slimy surface as the blue moulds die off. They have the faintest whiff of ammonia, so I've lowered the humidity in their mini-cave by removing the water bowl and I've been airing them daily.

I decided to continue aging these at 13C for another month or two, keeping my eye on them.

Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on November 19, 2013, 09:17:32 PM
I cut one of these in half the other day, so I could pass some on to a friend. These have been in their minicave in the normal fridge at 4.5C (40F) for about a week as they were still a bit slimy on the surface and starting to smell ammoniated. They're drying out nicely now.

The ammonia I attribute to ripening at too high a temperature - I can only really consistently keep the cooler at 15C (55-60F) using an ice brick, and there are variations in temp. Cheese really need 11-13C so I may well be giving in and indulging in a wine fridge over the next few days.

The good news is that the ammonia taint does not extend past the rind. There are a few mechanical openings in this cheese, but despite only piercing these once, and late at that, there's been a nice blueing of the interior. As to the flavour, well, it tastes of stilton. Not bad for a novice if I say so myself. My challenge will be not eating all of this before my husband comes home. I really shouldn't because my stomach doesn't take to the fat content of stilton! This is the stilton I tested with the cheese iron. You can see the test spot on the right.

So what have I learned from this make? Stiltons need to breathe. Don't be too keen to brush the moulds down, let them grow. And the mechanical holes really will close so don't worry if the paste initially looks too open.

I've just been put on to a source which allows me to buy the local good milk at wholesale prices so I've two crates (9 gallons) of the Thursday milking coming on Friday. There will be more stilton made this weekend.
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Digitalsmgital on November 19, 2013, 10:29:14 PM
Ten cheeses to you for making a cheese you cannot eat! Looks magnificent!
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on November 20, 2013, 08:50:19 PM
Hah, thanks Dave. Don't get me wrong, I love this cheese! I just wish I didn't have to pay for enjoying it.  :-\

I sneaked a bit last night before dinner, and it was good. It's had good reviews from the friend I gave it to as well, so I figure I've done something right.
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: KTownCheese on December 03, 2013, 02:20:19 PM
Awesome job!  I love the rich blue colour your cheese is taking on.  Let us know how they taste!
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Spoons on December 03, 2013, 03:37:10 PM
Nice job on your first Stilton, Geo! Looks real good! A cheese for you!
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: jwalker on December 03, 2013, 04:13:18 PM
Very nice , I have two aging right now , one by the book , and one tweaked by me.

I hope at least one of them comes out that nice.

Have a cheese Louise ! ;D
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on December 03, 2013, 07:22:24 PM
Thanks! These are ageing further now, vacuum-packed at 50F. I've two more stiltons which I made about 10 days ago which look even better, and which are now blueing up nicely. I must really find the time to get photos up.
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Boofer on December 04, 2013, 02:49:08 PM
I must really find the time to get photos up.
Hey, where are the photos?!   Must...have...photos....  ::)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: H-K-J on December 04, 2013, 03:05:40 PM
Ya, where's the pix??? :(
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on December 04, 2013, 07:14:40 PM
You should be careful what you ask for! After two busy weekends of cheesemaking, I've about seven cheeses' worth of pics stored up. But the fridge is almost full. >:D
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: H-K-J on December 04, 2013, 07:19:35 PM
COOL ;D
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on December 04, 2013, 09:34:47 PM
Two stiltons, by request!

I made these from a very similar recipe to the one at the beginning of this thread. These are from a 12-litre (3-gallon) batch and weigh just over 1 kg each. They've been in the cave for about 10 days now and are blueing up nicely. I'm relieved, because I used the bain marie for the first time making these, and in a moment of inattention allowed the temperature during cheddaring to rise to 44C rather than the 39C called for. I was worried I'd killed the PR.

After all the queries I made about moulds for stilton, it's worth recording that a 3-gallon batch is just right for two, 115mm x 130 mm hoops.
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Digitalsmgital on December 07, 2013, 05:28:39 PM
Ten cheeses to you for making a cheese you cannot eat! Looks magnificent!

I tried to give you ten but the site only allows one per hour or somesuch...it's the thought that counts!  :D
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on December 07, 2013, 07:54:57 PM
It truly is the thought that counts, DS!  ;D
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: H-K-J on December 07, 2013, 09:42:42 PM
Looks real nice Geo, How much PR do you use for the 3 gallon batch?
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on December 07, 2013, 10:13:25 PM
Looking back through my notes I used 3 drops of strong PR18, mixed into 1/4 cup of milk from the vat, and added at the same time as the culture (1/2 tsp MM101 in this case).
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: H-K-J on December 08, 2013, 01:19:44 AM
I have been using PR/PV, and I am not getting the blue coat I used to. HHhhmmmmm?
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Pete S on December 08, 2013, 01:28:46 AM
  I also have PR/PV, and am having the same problem.
I didn't realize that there was different strains of PR,till recently.
I just ordered what the supplier had as he did not state the strain
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on December 08, 2013, 01:35:22 AM
PeteS, H-K-J, how old is your PR/PV?Might it be getting past its peak?
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Pete S on December 08, 2013, 12:04:44 PM
  I purchased mine less then 2 mo ago and have kept vac ed and in the freezer .
 I did not get good mold from the beginning. I will check the date on it.
 I was wondering if it was a less aggressive strain.   Pete   
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: H-K-J on December 08, 2013, 02:43:07 PM
  I also have PR/PV, and am having the same problem.
I didn't realize that there was different strains of PR,till recently.
I just ordered what the supplier had as he did not state the strain
Yup I thought of this, knowing mine is well over a year old, I have even started to add just a little more than the instructions call for
Quote
PV strain:  Very fast growing blue culture with strong tolerance to salt. Used to make Blue cheese including Danablu, Roquefort and strong Gorgonzola. Characteristic properties are the very piquant aroma and a very good creamy consistency. The 2.5 dose packet will make approximately 300 4 in.(11cm) Blue cheeses. Use 1/32nd-1/16th tsp.(.14g-.07g) for 1-5 gal.(3.75liters-19 liters) of milk. You will also need to use Mesophilic Starter and Rennet.
About a month ago I bought some new and will try it in my next blue :)
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: jwalker on December 08, 2013, 04:05:14 PM
Cheese can be a funny thing , I made two Stiltons on November 10 , one was by GC's book , and the other I tweaked by adding some Kazu and a generous portion of Lipase , plus Anatto , the book one has hardly any blue at all yet , and the one I tweaked , was extremely blue after only three or four days.

I used the same blue slurry in both , from one piece of blue I had bought for that purpose.

I wonder if certain PR strains grow better with the addition of other cultures.

Strange isn't it ?

(http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=12176.0;attach=28426;image)
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Pete S on December 08, 2013, 04:44:42 PM
Quote

About a month ago I bought some new and will try it in my next blue :)
  Did you buy PV or did you try a different strain.   Pete
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: H-K-J on December 08, 2013, 05:12:53 PM
More PV (I like the flavor) the next purchase will be something different, like PR-18.
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Digitalsmgital on December 09, 2013, 03:49:19 AM
Cheese can be a funny thing , I made two Stiltons on November 10 , one was by GC's book , and the other I tweaked by adding some Kazu and a generous portion of Lipase , plus Anatto , the book one has hardly any blue at all yet , and the one I tweaked , was extremely blue after only three or four days.

I used the same blue slurry in both , from one piece of blue I had bought for that purpose.

I wonder if certain PR strains grow better with the addition of other cultures.

Strange isn't it ?


Those are two cheeses are not from the same make, only half brothers? Still a marked difference between them!
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Pete S on December 09, 2013, 04:17:21 AM
Quote
Cheese can be a funny thing , I made two Stiltons on November 10 , one was by GC's book , and the other I tweaked by adding some Kazu and a generous portion of Lipase , plus Anatto , the book one has hardly any blue at all yet , and the one I tweaked , was extremely blue after only three or four days.

  I used the same blue slurry in both , from one piece of blue I had bought for that purpose.
jwalker,
  What milk did you use. P/H  or P/ non H.  I am wondering if the milk could be my problem. I use P/H.
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: jwalker on December 09, 2013, 12:55:20 PM
I used a low temp patseurized non homogenized milk , for those last two.

But I have had good results with most P/H as far as blue growth goes.
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on December 09, 2013, 07:24:54 PM
It's not really contributing to the conversation, but I thought some cheese porn might be in order. I pierced these last night.
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Pete S on December 09, 2013, 10:19:13 PM
  My first 2 Blues looked like yours but I haven't gotten any to blue up like yours since.
I have used-- PR/PV. -- a slurry of the same brand of blue crumbles as I used at first --and a combination of both and still not gotten any growth.   Pete
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on December 09, 2013, 10:20:35 PM
Hmmm....what humidity do you have in your cave, Pete?
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Pete S on December 09, 2013, 10:35:47 PM
  They were all kept in a ripening box that always had condensation on the lid every day when I turned them. the temp. is from 65 to 70 dgr.   Pete
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Geodyne on December 09, 2013, 10:39:38 PM
It's not that then. Conditions sound ideal for mould growth to me.
Title: Re: First stilton
Post by: Pete S on December 09, 2013, 11:21:54 PM
  The conditions were the same  for all 7 of them.
I am wondering if it is the milk from later in the season.I find it increasingly more difficult to get good curd set as the season goes on.
 The fresh goat milk that I was getting at last would not set up at all. Just something like ricotta But it tasted good when used like ricotta.   Pete