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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => AGED LACTIC ACID COAGULATED - Normally Whey Removed => Topic started by: mgasparotto on November 17, 2013, 02:37:31 AM

Title: Brin d'amour
Post by: mgasparotto on November 17, 2013, 02:37:31 AM
Made up a batch of brin d'amour per Mary Karlin's recipe this weekend. Looks so pretty, I only hope it tastes half as good by Christmas! Anyone else made this before?
Title: Re: Brin d'amour
Post by: dirigoma on November 18, 2013, 12:52:10 AM
These look quite lovely! 

I hope you get some responses as I could use some advice on the same recipe.  I made one a few weeks ago with straight goats milk, and used a ricotta mold for the end draining as the curds wouldn't quite hold together to 'roll into a ball and squash'.  Dried at room temp per recipe ... added herbs on schedule and it looked and smelled wonderful.  After removing from plastic wrap it's been in my wine fridge in an aging box with the lid askew, wiping dry daily.  But it's grown a white PC looking coat and now is dotted with blue, which has invaded most my hard cheeses in this fridge.  She does not give instructions for curbing unwanted molds but I just tried dabbing with vinegar/salt soln, and lowering the humidity as much as possible.

This photo shows the white just starting.

Would welcome other suggestions?

Thank you!
Title: Re: Brin d'amour
Post by: FRANCOIS on November 18, 2013, 11:59:45 PM
Unless your coating materials were sterilised, there isn't much you can do.  I'd use some natamycin, in a hand sprayer, to mist them.  It's the only way you'll keep the mold down at this point.
Title: Re: Brin d'amour
Post by: gjfarm on November 19, 2013, 05:24:00 PM
Would you mind posting the recipe for this -- looks like it would make great gifts.
Title: Re: Brin d'amour
Post by: Digitalsmgital on November 19, 2013, 08:35:30 PM
Made up a batch of brin d'amour per Mary Karlin's recipe this weekend. Looks so pretty, I only hope it tastes half as good by Christmas! Anyone else made this before?

Wow, yours looks better than the pictures in her book!



Brin d'amour from M Karlin's book


2quarts pasteurized goats milk
2 quarts pasteurized whole cow’s milk
¼ teaspoon MA 4001 powdered mesophilic starter culture
⅛ teaspoon calcium chloride diluted in ¼ cup cool nonchlorinated water
¼ teaspoon liquid rennet diluted in ¼ cup cool nonchlorinated water
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1½ teaspoons dried thyme
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1½ teaspoons dried savory
1½ teaspoons herbes de Provence
3 tablespoons dried rosemary“¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon whole coriander seeds
¼ teaspoon whole mixed peppercorns
¼ teaspoon whole juniper berries
2 teaspoons olive oil

1.  In a nonreactive 6-quart stockpot, heat the milks over low heat to 86°F; this should take about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat.
2.  Sprinkle the starter over the milk and let it rehydrate for 5 minutes. Mix well using a whisk in an up-and-down motion. Add the calcium chloride and gently whisk in, and then add the rennet in the same way. Cover and maintain 72°F, allowing the milk to ripen for 8 hours, or until the curds form one large mass the consistency of thick yogurt and clear whey is floating around the sides of the pot. Check the curds for a clean break. If the cut edge is clean, the curds are ready.
3.  Place a strainer over a bowl or bucket large enough to capture the whey. Line it with damp butter muslin. Gently cut ½-inch-thick slices of the curds using a ladle or skimmer and gently ladle the slices into the strainer. Gently toss the curds with 1 teaspoon of the salt, then tie the muslin into a draining sack and hang to let drain at room temperature for 6 to 10 hours, until the whey stops dripping. The longer the curds drain, the drier the finished cheese will be. Alternatively, you can drain the curds by hanging for 45 minutes, then moving the sack to a 4-inch Camembert mold without a bottom, placed on a draining rack. Drain and ripen in the mold for 6 to 10 hours, flipping the curds once during the draining process and sprinkling the remaining 1 teaspoon salt over the surface.“4.  If not using the mold for the final shape, transfer the sack to a clean work surface and roll the curds into a ball, then flatten slightly with your hands. Open the sack and sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon salt over the cheese and lightly rub it into the surface. Set the cheese on a draining rack at room temperature for 8 hours to allow the salt to be absorbed into the cheese and excess moisture to be released. Continue to air-dry for a total of 24 hours, or until the surface is dry.
5.  Combine the herbs and spices in a small bowl. Pat the cheese dry of any moisture, then rub thoroughly with the olive oil. Spread a layer of the herb mixture on a sheet of parchment or waxed paper and roll the cheese in the mixture to coat, then gently press the herbs so they stick to the surface of the cheese. Reserve the unused herbs.
6.  Cover the cheese with plastic wrap and place in a ripening box at 50°F to 55°F and 80 to 85 percent humidity for 3 days. Remove the plastic wrap, coat with more herbs if needed, and place in a ripening box at 50°F to 55°F for 27 more days. The cheese will be ready to eat at this point or can be aged for another month.
Title: Re: Brin d'amour
Post by: gjfarm on November 20, 2013, 03:49:42 PM
Thank you Dave,
  Going to give this a shot, but using my fresh goats milk.  Should be ready for Christmas.
Title: Re: Brin d'amour
Post by: mgasparotto on November 21, 2013, 12:09:44 AM
Thanks for the nice comments, and thanks for posting the recipe, Dave. I didn't see this until now.

dirigoma - some p roqueforti and p candidum are acceptable in a brin d'amour, as far as I can tell, although Karlin doesn't mention that in her recipe. I'd let at least a couple go au natural and see what they taste like.
Title: Re: Brin d'amour
Post by: FRANCOIS on November 21, 2013, 06:55:38 AM
Watch out with natural moulds.  The herbs will potentially (most likely) have some pretty unpleasant tasting moulds to impart to the rind.  Best to chlorinate the herbs and dose the milk with something nice (like PC) before the make.
Title: Re: Brin d'amour
Post by: dirigoma on December 01, 2013, 11:28:14 PM
Thank you all for your feedback on the herbs needing to be sterilized ... and the white and blue molds adding 'interest'.  I think my cheese was too wet as well, and it became a very unattractive looking moldy puddle, which the chickens enjoyed and I was glad to have out of my full-of-cheese wine refrigerator.  I did scrape off the herbs, and found a pale yellow creamy cheese layer coming along underneath, but I may not be inclined toward rosemary or thyme again for a while!  Next time, I make the herbs cheese safe.  How are other's doing?
Title: Re: Brin d'amour
Post by: Digitalsmgital on December 02, 2013, 01:07:55 AM
Well if the chickens enjoyed it...  :(

Too bad the book says nothing about sterilizing the herbs...I would try this but maybe not coat it with herbs until just before it is ready to eat? They do look like very nice gifts for those who are aware that you are making cheese!
Title: Re: Brin d'amour
Post by: Spellogue on December 02, 2013, 04:01:21 AM
I often roll chèvre logs in herbes d'provence, or dill, or a variety of other flavoring combinations.  The logs aren't normally in contact with the herbs and spices for more than a week so I don't sterilize them in any way.  That's worked well so far. 

I like the idea of an aged Brin d'amour but wonder the best way to sterilize the dried herbs and still retain their desired character.  It would seem that boiling or steaming them would yield less than satisfactory results.  How might one chlorinate or otherwise disinfect  them without making them soggy or leaching out their flavor?
Title: Re: Brin d'amour
Post by: Digitalsmgital on December 02, 2013, 05:21:50 AM
  How might one chlorinate or otherwise disinfect  them without making them soggy or leaching out their flavor?

How about ultra-violet light? Would that not kill the pathogenic microbes and leave the flavor profile relatively intact?
Title: Re: Brin d'amour
Post by: dirigoma on December 03, 2013, 12:18:31 AM
  How might one chlorinate or otherwise disinfect  them without making them soggy or leaching out their flavor?

How about ultra-violet light? Would that not kill the pathogenic microbes and leave the flavor profile relatively intact?

I'd love to know what other folks think about UV light ... I wondered about using it where some of my molds were out of control?
Title: Re: Brin d'amour
Post by: jwalker on December 03, 2013, 03:43:59 PM
  How might one chlorinate or otherwise disinfect  them without making them soggy or leaching out their flavor?


How about ultra-violet light? Would that not kill the pathogenic microbes and leave the flavor profile relatively intact?


I'd love to know what other folks think about UV light ... I wondered about using it where some of my molds were out of control?


UV does kill mold .
Check these out:

http://www.amazon.com/Verilux-CleanWave-Sanitizing-Light-Pack/dp/B001TR619W/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top (http://www.amazon.com/Verilux-CleanWave-Sanitizing-Light-Pack/dp/B001TR619W/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top)
Title: Re: Brin d'amour
Post by: Boofer on December 04, 2013, 02:41:37 PM
I'd love to know what other folks think about UV light ... I wondered about using it where some of my molds were out of control?
Years ago when I raised koi, part of the filtering for my pond included a UV passthrough. Before returning to the pond, the filtered water passed by the UV light to kill all manner of organisms that might be present.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Brin d'amour
Post by: mgasparotto on December 13, 2013, 03:10:57 AM
Well opening day arrived for one of my batch and it is lovely! Very strong goat flavor, slightly salty, nice and gooey around the edges and a little tangy on the less ripe paste in the center. The herby flavor is pretty powerful, but goes well with the strong paste. Love it! As you can see, it picked up p candidum from the brie also in the cave right now. Looks mostly similar to photos I've seen, only minus the other molds they usually seem to have. Nice and quick little cheese, and so unique! I recommend it.