CheeseForum.org ยป Forum
CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => ADJUNCT - Washed Rind & Smear Ripened => Topic started by: Boofer on May 29, 2013, 01:55:58 AM
-
Delicious little cheese the first time (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,10685.0.html) around. Why not do it again?
It will be washed with a 3% brine dosed with PLA & Geo13.
-Boofer-
-
Ok... those look like chocolate chips, but the logic centre of my brain warns me otherwise. Blueberries?
-
Ok... those look like chocolate chips, but the logic centre of my brain warns me otherwise. Blueberries?
My previous efforts at incorporating blueberries in cheese have been disappointing, but I thought this cheese style might be a better fit. I'm keeping this BB cheese close to the vest right now but I had to leak the photo. :P
-Boofer-
-
Very cool idea and the marbling looks awesome.
You don't have to worry, your secret is safe with me. I will not tell a soul. ;)
-
Very cool idea and the marbling looks awesome.
You don't have to worry, your secret is safe with me. I will not tell a soul. ;)
Me neither. :-X
-
Looking good. And Mum's the word here too!
- Jeff
-
Just a pic status.... :P
These wheels are nice and "giving" to the touch. The promise of good things to come. Schmiered all over and under.
-Boofer-
-
This cheese seems to be at the appropriate point to cut. Normal age for this style is 4-5 weeks. Today marks 5 weeks 4 days.
I first washed the linens off under cool running water using a light touch with my cheese brush and dried them with paper towels. Then I let then air dry a bit before cutting.
The texture, salt level, and flavor is consistently good as it was with the first effort (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,10685.0.html). Anyone wishing to make a nice little table cheese for fruit & bread or for sandwiches could do worse than this little cheese that is complete in a little over a month's time. It is mild, creamy, and tasty.
As for the blueberry wheel, well.... (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,10888.60.html) :P
-Boofer-
-
A cheese to you for a such a nice outcome. Those are two wonderful looking cheeses. What are the dimensions of the mould you use to make those? I'm thinking I might try and make something like this. I've got some containers that I have to drill holes in to make some moulds for smaller sized cheeses.
- Jeff
-
A cheese to you for a such a nice outcome. Those are two wonderful looking cheeses. What are the dimensions of the mould you use to make those? I'm thinking I might try and make something like this. I've got some containers that I have to drill holes in to make some moulds for smaller sized cheeses.
- Jeff
Thanks, Jeff. Those are Reblochon moulds. I like them a lot. I've used them for Reblochon (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9997.0.html) and the two Saint Paulin makes. Very nice. Makes about a 420 gram cheese. I haven't done it yet, but iratherfly has used them in mini-Tomme cheeses.
The attached pic is from glengarry (http://glengarrycheesemaking.on.ca/moulds.htm).
-Boofer-
-
Thanks! I'll have to measure what I've got. Might be a bit smaller in diameter, but that's ok, I can work with that.
- Jeff
-
Those look great , I'm going to have to try some of those.
Are they the same as the first make , I may use that recipe.
It doesn't bother you using raw milk for young cheeses? , I have some Brie and Cambozola made with raw , I was planning on waiting the 60 days before eating , maybe that's just being silly though , they could be overripe by then.
A cheese to you , but can I take one away for the blueberry thing? ;D , just kidding , I'm not a fan of fruit infused cheeses anyway.
A cheese to you!
-
Thanks for the cheese, Jim.
Yes, the recipe is the same. Same moulds, same cultures.
I trust that the raw milk I'm using is quality. YMMV. If you have doubts, use cream line milk.
No, you can't take one away for the blueberry failure. I'm covered because I posted it in the "Failures I Have Known" thread. :)
-Boofer-
-
The beauty of this simple cheese is demonstrated in its simplicity as a small unassuming wedge with summer fruit for breakfast.
I love being able to reach into the fridge and grab one of these small, portioned wedges of cheese. The vacuum packaging keeps them pristine and delicious.
-Boofer-
-
This post started life as a PM but I thought it was relevant enough to have more visibility, so I dropped it in here.
Hey Boof, I was wondering if you could help me out with my washed rind cheeses, I've looked at a few of your makes. I seem to have quite a bit of success getting a nice orange rind on them, so it's nice to know that I can actually do something right. Right now, I have a Port Salut and a Limburger going(both 1lb wheels). The question is, how do I know when they are ready? My book instructs washing the Port Salut for 6 weeks and it will bulge slightly, be soft in the middle and be bright orange. Well, I'm there already, after two weeks, is this because of the small size? It looks good enough to eat, but I feel I'd be jumping the gun. My understanding is that as time goes on, once you have the rind formed, you wash less and less frequently. Do you ever stop completely?
If I just keep washing and washing for, lets say 6 weeks, how will that impact the flavour? My guess is making it more pungent and stinky.
If I stop washing at 2 weeks and let it age for the remaining 4 weeks, how will that impact the flavour differently?
If I eat it now, after 2 weeks of washing... you get where I'm going.
Sorry that there are so many questions.... I'm aware that all of these could be answered with "Try it and find out!," which will most likely happen anyway. I'm enjoying these washed rinds very much. The morning washing ritual is very therapeutic. Also has a side effect of making me feel like a god to my microscopic bacterial populace.
Thanks
My meager experience has shown that my one-pound 5 inch (450g/12.7cm) cheese wheels will ripen in 4-6 weeks. I have also had washed rind 3-4 lb (1360-1814g) bricks and wheels. The larger format cheeses take a bit longer to ripen. I generally wash the cheeses with a 3-5% brine that I've dosed with PLA or SR3 + Geo13. Once I either get an orange linens going, I can either keep hitting it repeatedly with the dosed brine or switch out and begin washing with brine only. If the rind had developed a slightly gritty, white coating (Geo), then I would stop washing and begin rubbing the rind daily or every other day. The cheeses are maintained in a minicave which keeps the humidity at a comfy 90%+ which helps to maintain the rind development.
After weeks of this rind treatment, I may decide to stop further rind development by washing the rind under cool, running water...brushing the orange linens off. At that point, the cheese is dried with clean paper towels and additionally allowed to airdry before going back into the minicave or being vacuum-sealed. If the linens remain on the cheese rind and the cheese is vacuum-sealed, the result after weeks or months in the bag becomes a pasty nastiness. However, a Geo-dominant rind seems to handle the vacuum bag environment fairly well and remains dry.
It would seem that the longer and more frequent you wash a cheese, the more ripe and pungent it would get. The pungency never seemed to be the problem with my washed-rinds. It was the flavor of the linens in the finished cheese that had to be removed (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,8941.msg64658.html#msg64658) to enjoy the cheese. Here's another example of washing. (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9293.msg68821.html#msg68821)
You are correct with the "Try it and find out!," approach. Experience is a good teacher.
-Boofer-
-
Also, I discovered with a batch of Reblochon that one does NOT want to wash longer than recommented - I did it only once because I didn't think it was colored up enough, and ended up with very very salty cheese that was only good as a very nice batch of Mary's Lazy Version of Tartiflette. (Mary has a lazy version of everything.) Was disappointed not to be able to eat it out of hand, though.
-
Good point, george. I've had a couple that were a little too salty because of overwashing.
-Boofer-
-
Thanks Boof, I'll keep that in mind and go easy on the washing. Will give it a shot at the 4 week mark.
So, you prefer to wash the lines to offer a number of benefits. I think I'll try washing the rind as well, since I'll likely be vaccing mine up for christmas with the family. Is this a standard procedure, or something you do because you don't like strong linens? (I know you mentioned linens in vac bag is a disaster) Commercially, the cheeses I buy still look quite orange but are dry and sometimes covered with a whole bunch of other stuff. I bought one once that looked like a brown burlap sack, texture and everything.
-
Jim, one of the Saint Paulins I made was orange and dry inside its vacuum bag. I had tinted it with straight, undiluted annatto to more closely match the style.
I've made a couple of Tommes that used mycodore as well as other cultures. Yeah, the rind went pretty rustic. Turned out pretty barnyardy and needed to be removed before enjoying the cheese. It had the character of dirt. :P
-Boofer-
-
Yeah, but it was probably really good dirt. 8)
-
So nice to "see" you, Mary!!!!!
Boofer, I've had some lovely Mycodore rinds that tasted great. We'll have to wait though on the next flush of ripenings before we have enough data on Mycodore rinds......I have about 7 cheeses in a too humid chest freezer cave and the wild blue went rampant and only now is the Mycodore starting to come from behind. I hope it can out compete the mustiness of the wild blue rug-style rinds.