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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => ADJUNCT - Washed Rind & Smear Ripened => Topic started by: Illiterate on March 25, 2011, 12:57:23 PM
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2 weeks ago I made a hard pressed cheese with the addition of some rind from a wedge of Raclette I bought at the local Trader Joe's, because it was the only one I knew contained B.Linen. I pressed it over night then soaked it in a 20% brine for about 8 hrs. and air dried it for 12 hrs. I put it in my pretend cave for 1 day then for the next 3 days I air dried it for 30 min. and I dipped in the 20% brine, after that I air dried and dipped in 8% brine for 3 days, then switched to a 5% brine with Racelette added and painted it every other day. Yesterday was day 13 and called for just turning, when I turned it, it was very moist and slippery AND MY HANDS SMELLED LIKE MY FEET ! !
Who new one could experience happiness and joy from stinky hands.
HAPPY Sam
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Congrats Illiterate. . .. welcome to the little-understood fraternity of those who have - for reasons not entirely clear based on how natural selection works - decided that it's a good idea to pursue the eating of things that have the aroma of several decades worth of compacted sweatsocks or, as some one succinctly put it here recently "old Indian food strained through a dirty diaper".
Proceed at your own risk!
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Thank you Brandnetel,
I'm so pleased I made a new cheese last night but without the Racelette in the milk, I'm going to try smearing this one from the first one.
Sam
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What is the traditional old school\pre culture insolated method of smearing a cheese?
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Fattyacid posted about washing from oldest to newest with the same brine and applicator, so that's where I'm going to start.
Hopefully there will be pictures.
Sam
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What is the traditional old school\pre culture insolated method of smearing a cheese?
Believe it or not B. linens is found airborne almost everywhere. I have washed numerous cheeses with a 3-5% brine only and have had the most incredible orange-red/orange-red rinds form, mind you this is in a 12x35 cheese cave with good air exchange and 90+% RH. There are many different kinds of B. linens varying in color from ivory to deep red and mild aroma to serious stank. The most commonly used is SR3 I believe. To answer the question old school is wash with brine and let it show up or wash a cheese that already has it going on with a clean rag/sponge/soft brush and then with the same brine wash your new cheese.
It is no secret on this forum that one great and cheap way to get rind cultures is buy a cheese you like cut the rind off, eat the cheese and get the rind culture for free. You can either use a blender with good clean milk and puree the rind for direct cheese milk inoculation, really nice if the cheese you are using has a micrococci in it, that will contribute to the flavor and texture of the paste. Or puree with a 3-5% brine and use as a surface wash for both washed rind cheese and complex rind tommes. This true for blue cheese also.
Kendall