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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 December 16, 2012, 05:14:32 PM

Title: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Boofer on December 16, 2012, 05:14:32 PM
I wanted to get one last cheese into the cave network before the end of the year. I had previously made a Horseradish Cheddar (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,10450.0.html) but still wanted to make a cheese with garlic. I've tasted some garlic Gouda recently and it was very nice.

Yesterday, following Pav's Gouda missive, I made my garlic cheese. There were a few hiccups along the way but overall I think it went well.

You may notice a distinct color enhancement to this particular cheese. Do not attempt to adjust the lighting in your room or your computer display. If I had occasion to travel with this cheese, it could serve extra duty as a traffic caution signal. ::)

You see, I had been using this one small bottle of annatto but it ran out during this make so I opened my backup bottle. With the previous bottle I had to use quite a bit to achieve any color at all. This bottle brought a whole new meaning to annatto coloring. :o  Clearly, I could have used less coloring.

I had contemplated using the fresh, crushed garlic in the jar in this cheese, but that would have meant neutralizing the citric acid with which the garlic was preserved. In the end, choosing the dry, granulated garlic was the better decision. Towards the end of the make, my ExStik decided to quit working. When the cheese was pressing I had no idea what the pH was. Normally I try to press to a certain pH target (5.3-5.4) and then put the cheese into the brine. I winged it and pressed for 5 hours and then decided to brine. I didn't want to over-acidify in the press. Pressing overnight or without monitoring pH seems like throwing your chances of success to the wind.

Initial pH: 6.63
Rennet pH: 6.54
Cutting pH: 6.35
Moulding pH: NA meter died
Brining pH: NA meter died
 
3 gallons of Twin Brook Creamery whole creamline milk
1/8 tsp MM100
1/8 tsp Aroma B
1/16 tsp Holdbac
1/32 tsp PLA
1 tsp CACL2
1 tsp annatto :P
1/32 tsp dry calf rennet

I used a 3.5 floc factor. Flocculation took 25 minutes. With the creamline winter milk I could have used a little more.

I pressed initially using the 11 pounds of the lever & piston, flipped/redressed after 15 minutes, and repressed the same, under warm whey.

I then pressed using around 2.7 psi under whey. I flipped/redressed and repressed without the whey in the pot to keep the curds warm.

Finally, I flipped/redressed and pressed with around 5 psi in the pot. After four hours, I flipped and removed the plastic cloth, pressing again in the pot with around 5 psi.

When I took the PLA out of the freezer and took the portion I needed for the make, I also took some to make a brine wash for this cheese. I then vacuum-sealed all the cultures and returned them to the freezer.

The cheese was in the whey-brine for 11 hours. I had intended for 9 hours but the alarm failed so I got up at 2AM instead of midnight. Some of the cheeses have been a little shy of salt so maybe this is a good thing.

Edited to include a copy of Pav's Gouda treatise since his website was taken down.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: H-K-J on December 16, 2012, 07:45:39 PM
Boofer;
at what point did you put the garlic in :-\
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: bbracken677 on December 16, 2012, 08:30:32 PM
That's yaller, fer shure!   Nice looking cheese!

Wondering if a larger grain garlic would work?
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Mighty Mouse on December 16, 2012, 11:22:24 PM
The brightness of that nice piece of cheese reminded me that my lady asked me to make her some purple colored cheese.... and she did not mean soaked in wine, she meant McCormick's food dye.

Garlic gouda huh? That sounds really good...
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Boofer on December 17, 2012, 12:04:26 AM
Boofer;
at what point did you put the garlic in :-\
-Boofer-
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Mighty Mouse on December 17, 2012, 12:47:43 AM
  • drain the curds
  • mix in the garlic
  • curds to the mould
  • mould to the press.... :)
-Boofer-
5. ...set it and FORGET IT!!
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: vtweaselcheeser on December 17, 2012, 01:31:27 AM
That my friend, is a beautiful cheese! Let us know how it tastes. How long will you age it? I'm new to cheese making. So far 5 cheeses. A gouda, cheddar, two Queso Fresco, and a Camembert. Gouda is 2 months old, as was the cheddar. Yes, was is correct. It was quite good for a first attempt. Btw, this site is wonderful. I just found you all today.
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Tiarella on December 17, 2012, 02:47:30 AM
I can't look at that without sunglasses!  WooHoo!
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: H-K-J on December 17, 2012, 02:24:50 PM
with gloomy skys blowin snow and wind at 35 to 60 mph your cheese is the bright spot in my day ;D
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Boofer on December 17, 2012, 02:28:36 PM
I can't look at that without sunglasses!  WooHoo!
Quite scintillating, huh? 8)

Most illuminating....

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: JeffHamm on December 17, 2012, 02:40:02 PM
Very nice!  It brings the sunshine, or at least looks like it.  ;)

- Jeff
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Al Lewis on December 18, 2012, 03:12:53 PM
Beautiful cheese Boofer.  Two noob questions. How much of the garlic and garlic powder did you add?  Is there any possibility that the grated garlic will go bad?  Need to wax to prevent that?
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: bbracken677 on December 18, 2012, 05:27:04 PM
He didnt use the fresh garlic...just the granulated.
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Al Lewis on December 18, 2012, 05:34:43 PM
Thanks, I went back and found it.  Hope it tastes as good as it looks!!
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Boofer on January 06, 2013, 03:11:52 PM
Just checking the state of the rind at this time. Looks good with some Geo poking through.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: JeffHamm on January 06, 2013, 06:25:17 PM
A very nice looking cheese there boofer.  The rind is developing well, and has a dignified look to it.  (Just tossing some bait there ... :)  )

- Jeff
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Boofer on January 12, 2013, 06:24:11 PM
Seemed like the right thing to do so I coated the cheese. Layered on three coats.

My cutting target time frame is June. Now we wait.... 8) 

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Tiarella on January 18, 2013, 12:36:15 PM
Hi Boofer!! :). Hey, do you ever try aging something lime this out without coating??  It looks SO lovely and I bet it would age out with a very nice natural rind.  You've got some nice stuff going on there.  VERY nice looking cheese!!!
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Boofer on January 20, 2013, 02:35:12 PM
Thanks, guys. This is a nice little cheese so far.
Yes, I have aged out some of my cheeses with a natural rind (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,5820.15.html).

What exactly is a natural rind? I aged out my Beaufort #4 (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9862.0.html) and then protected it with a cream coating. This one was done with that same strategy in mind. When the coating is removed at cutting time, the cheese appears just as it did when coated...au naturel (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDsQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.merriam-webster.com%2Fdictionary%2Fau%2520naturel&ei=Qv37UJKDFqTziwKMz4HICQ&usg=AFQjCNEVE0XvKdpq2N5BKq_Jek3V8_ax_w&sig2=zsPQVKVhGl2GOUoQIAyZsQ&bvm=bv.41248874,d.cGE).

Now, let's talk about unnatural rinds.... :o

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Tiarella on January 21, 2013, 12:32:19 AM

Now, let's talk about unnatural rinds.... :o

-Boofer-

Okay,  I can talk about unnatural rinds!  :o I did my pink Valentine's Day Brie and I can now answer my question about whether the PC would grow in colored pink from the beet pigment or it's normal white.  White is the answer!  No more sleepless nights necessary!   ;D
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Boofer on March 27, 2013, 05:44:35 AM
I had been wanting to cut into this cheese for a couple weeks now. I knew the color would be significant, but...wow!!

The cheese slices well. The texture is good. The cream coating peels off easily. The rind is dry and fairly hard indicating the cream coating has allowed moisture loss. :(  I think my next cream coating will proceed for a couple weeks and then I'll vacuum seal it.

There is a light taste of garlic, but the aroma of garlic really came out when I first cut this cheese. If I were to repeat this make, I would bump up the garlic load to make more of an impact. But for the first effort, this is in the ballpark. Very edible cheese. Would be good in sandwiches and out-of-hand with fruit.

I sectioned and vacuum-sealed the rest of the cheese.

I think the overall color scheme is more orange than yellow.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: JeffHamm on March 27, 2013, 06:37:27 AM
Looks good Boofer.  I thought the cream coating was supposed to allow moisture loss, that it was more to slow it down rather than prevent it?  Natural is for maximum moisture loss, wax is for prevention, and cream is more for the undecided.  :) Or perhaps I misunderstood?  Anyway, a cheese to you for your on target garlic gouda. 

- Jeff
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Boofer on March 27, 2013, 02:16:34 PM
Thanks, Jeff.

Undecided, huh? I think, except for that, you've gone a long ways to characterizing rind preservation methods. You left out vacuum sealing. My intent was to develop a natural rind, which would have some drying and moisture loss, but then protect the cheese so that it goes no further. I achieved that to a point, but I perhaps should have waxed it or vacuum-sealed it a month ago to limit moisture loss and equalize the moisture in the paste and rind.

Utilizing the cream coating gets the natamycin working to also protect the rind. According to linuxboy that loses potency after several weeks. That's where the additional seal would benefit the cheese.

Overall, the rind isn't that dry and hard. Vacuum-sealing the wedges may soften it further as the existing moisture equalizes between rind and paste. Perhaps after a couple weeks the cheese wedges will be just right. :)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: CWREBEL on March 27, 2013, 03:39:48 PM
Sounds like the garlic was more mellow than the yellow!  ;)
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: H-K-J on March 27, 2013, 03:48:51 PM
Again, another great looking cheese, I am salivating all over the front of myself :P
Another well deserved cheese to you ;D
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Boofer on March 28, 2013, 01:09:04 PM
I am salivating all over the front of myself :P
Aw gosh, H-K-J... get a bib! :)

Thanks for the cheese, bud.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Hande on March 29, 2013, 04:04:07 PM
Good looking Gouda Boofer, it's like spring sun  :) cheese for you nice efforts.

I've have been used cream coat 2-3 layers and ripen couple mont's and then vacuum bagged.
I just open over 2 years old Parmesan, and it's good texture. That one goes one year naked, then half year with cream coat. Rest of time with cream coat with vacuum bag.

Hande
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Tiarella on March 29, 2013, 06:39:04 PM
Good looking Gouda Boofer, it's like spring sun  :) cheese for you nice efforts.

I've have been used cream coat 2-3 layers and ripen couple mont's and then vacuum bagged.
I just open over 2 years old Parmesan, and it's good texture. That one goes one year naked, then half year with cream coat. Rest of time with cream coat with vacuum bag.

Hande

How was the flavor of your 2 year Parmesan?  I imagine it must be lovely!   :D
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Hande on March 30, 2013, 04:45:10 AM
Quote
How was the flavor of your 2 year Parmesan?  I imagine it must be lovely

Flavor was quite strong. I use mild lipase that one.
I think it would have been better without any lipase because long aging time.
But it is good for cooking anyway  :)

Hande
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Boofer on March 30, 2013, 01:43:14 PM
Thanks Hande. We've missed you. :)

Sounds like that's a pretty good strategy: natural...cream-coat...vacuum-bag. It's worked well for me on other makes.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Tiarella on March 30, 2013, 02:29:10 PM
Quote
How was the flavor of your 2 year Parmesan?  I imagine it must be lovely

Flavor was quite strong. I use mild lipase that one.
I think it would have been better without any lipase because long aging time.
But it is good for cooking anyway  :)

Hande

I have a cheese that wasn't aged quite that long but it's flavor is very strong too.  I can't get it off my hands after handling the cheese.  Even soap and water doesn't work.  But it has lovely flavor for grating over food.  -Kathrin
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: JeffHamm on March 30, 2013, 05:57:34 PM
Hmmm, I have a 2 year old Romano that I've not opened yet.  I've been using a montasio for my grating cheese and it's great, so this one has just been getting older.  It's a 10 litre make, with 1/4 tsp of calf lipase, so it will be interesting to see how strong this is when it finally gets cracked.  An event which is not in the near future, and this may make it to age 3 or 4 before that happens. 

- Jeff
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: High Altitude on May 09, 2013, 11:08:20 PM
Wow Boof...sure glad I found this thread!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE garlic...in most anything...and will make this cheese!  I made a good Gouda (will post soon in separate thread) recently and in the next make will add GARLIC.

Cannot see from the photo whether you added 1 tsp or 1 Tbsp powdered garlic in this make.  You are saying "granulated" garlic, but the bottle says garlic "powder"...both are offered on grocery shelves, but will go with the powdered according to your picture.

Now, what's your thought on using fresh garlic bulbs, crushed/diced?  When I used fresh chopped (and then blanched) habanero & jalepeno peppers in a cheese, it was barely hot!  I think the blanching killed the "hotness".  Next time, I will blanch the whole fresh peppers and then chop and add to the curd.  I've also read that you can add the blanching water to the whey early on to permeate the curd with spiciness.  I'm guessing that with blanching the whole pepper, you'll not get much spice in the blanching water however.  Anyway, that is another cheese..... 

So back to the viability of adding fresh chopped garlic to Gouda (maybe in addition to the powdered for extra oomph)....what do you think?
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Boofer on May 10, 2013, 06:34:47 AM
So back to the viability of adding fresh chopped garlic to Gouda (maybe in addition to the powdered for extra oomph)....what do you think?
I'd like to do either a Gouda or Tomme (a semi-hard to hard cheese) with fresh garlic. I think a quick blanch of the cloves would reduce the incidence of baddies in the curd, then minced & crushed on a sanitized cutting board, and added to the curds just before moulding. That should work fine. I would be aiming for the smallest size pieces I could make. No big chunks of garlic. :D

The big question is how much to add to what volume milk? I used a tablespoon of the garlic powder in 3 gallons milk. The container states that 1/4 tsp = 1 clove garlic. Roughly extrapolated that means I added about 12 cloves of fresh garlic. But how big is a garlic clove? I've seen quite a difference in clove size. It's difficult to envision that tablespoon being the equivalent of 12 garlic cloves. Yes, I realize a lot is lost in dehydration, but still....

My next effort will use fresh garlic, weighed out to a certain number of grams. That should narrow this down a bit. ;)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: george on May 10, 2013, 09:52:27 AM
I always used about a tablespoon of fresh garlic per gallon of milk - more is for serious garlic fiends, and less is for people that just want a hint.  Easy to measure that way, since I would just grab a bunch of heads of garlic, peel the cloves, and whizz 'em up in the food processor.  Freeze them in 1 tbsp lumps, and pull out as needed for cheese (or anything else, for that matter).  No fuss, no muss - except the eye-burning if the garlic variety was a strong one ;).

That will probably get you to a good happy medium and you can adjust on your futures.  At one time I'd gone up almost 6 heaped tablespoons in a 3-gallon make, and that was too much even for me, by the time the cheese finished aging - you couldn't taste anything BUT the garlic.   :o

(I should note that these were all cheddars - so I was taking the 8-12 month aging time into consideration, having heard that garlic - fresh or otherwise - can get bitter over time.  So maybe you could pile on more that a tbsp per gallon after all, in a short aging cheese.  Although if you added roughly 12 cloves of garlic, that seems to be less to me than my 1 tbsp smooshed.  Ah, 'tis a puzzlement.) 
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Boofer on May 10, 2013, 01:43:10 PM
so I was taking the 8-12 month aging time into consideration, having heard that garlic - fresh or otherwise - can get bitter over time.
True? Is this documented anywhere or realized in the real world?

Thanks, george. How very kind of you.  :P

This whizzing :-[ and freezing...do you make a lot with garlic?

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Tomer1 on May 10, 2013, 06:18:21 PM
Some slow baked garlic could be amazing.  mushing the melted garlic with the curds.
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: bbracken677 on May 10, 2013, 07:12:13 PM
Oo  roasted garlic mashed/mixed in with the curds just prior to molding? 

Wow, that sounds amazing...
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: george on May 11, 2013, 10:34:01 AM
Boofer, the garlic/bitterness was a few anecdotes from somewhere early on in the forum - someone mentioned it and a few others chimes in.  I don't remember the participants or anything, I just hooked onto the comment early in my cheesing adventures because my first intent was making garlic herb cheddars.  Sorry I can't be more specific.

Garlic is not a flavoring.  It's a vegetable in my house.   8)
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: Boofer on June 08, 2013, 07:35:57 PM
so I was taking the 8-12 month aging time into consideration, having heard that garlic - fresh or otherwise - can get bitter over time.
True? Is this documented anywhere or realized in the real world?
Yes, apparently it is true. Just googling bitter garlic brought a number of articles. I have extracted and attached one here.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: jwalker on June 09, 2013, 02:24:28 PM
so I was taking the 8-12 month aging time into consideration, having heard that garlic - fresh or otherwise - can get bitter over time.
True? Is this documented anywhere or realized in the real world?
Yes, apparently it is true. Just googling bitter garlic brought a number of articles. I have extracted and attached one here.

-Boofer-

I used to buy a two year old Gouda with Garlic from the Cariboo Cheese Company here in BC.

There was no bitterness at all , it was one of the best cheeses I have ever had , they used fresh Garlic.

A lot of TV chefs say that garlic gets bitter when browned as well , we roast garlic til it is golden brown all the time , and I don't notice any bitterness at all , so it may be in the preparation , or in the consumers mind , or the type of garlic , or just an old wives tale , who knows ?

I guess it's a matter of taste.

Cheers , Jim.
Title: Re: Mellow Yellow Garlic Gouda
Post by: BobE102330 on June 09, 2013, 03:23:30 PM
I've had garlic go bitter when sautéed to just befor burned. Seems to be a fine line between browned and bitter. Roasting is a whole different story.  I've noticed bitterness in fresh garlic that has been around long enough to begin to sprout.

My guess is fresh garlic in cheese doesn't get bitter because ther isn't much oxygen available.