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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => RENNET COAGULATED - Semi-Hard "Sweet" Washed Curd => Topic started by: DeejayDebi on November 13, 2009, 06:38:29 AM
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Here's another recipe I've been playing with and finally got around to making.
It's supposed to be part sheep and part cows milk but I made it with just raw cows milk. I also used the edam molds again so I could see if they drained any better with the extra holes - they did. Still a bit akward to press being so round but they worked. I had more curd than room it the two molds so the extra got put into my square muenster mold.
I took a picture of some of the red saffron thread floating in the curds. They made a very yellow whey and one of the cheeses after pressing. They are brining now.
Caciotta del Filetto Rosso - Italy - ( caciotta of red thread)
Sheep's (70%) and cows' (30%) whole milk cheese, with semi-cooked curds, cylindrical in shape with a low base and with rounded sides.
Ingredients:
milk
Danlac Probat 222 or Mesophilic Type B or Flora Danica
rennet
A pinch Red Saffron threads
Procedure:
Geographical area: the entire territory of the province of Pesaro and Urbino.
The cheese is historically made in the area defined, as confirmed by the many mentions dating back to the Renaissance. In particular, the name "Casciotta" traditionally refers to the product obtained by specific techniques maintained according to local established practices.
The milk, obtained from whole sheep's and cows'milk with the addition of saffron is brought to a temperature of 95°F (35°C) with gentle stirring.
Add starter culture and mix well. Let milk sour for 30 minutes
Add sufficient rennet to coagulate milk in 35 to 45 minutes while keeping tempature steady.
Cut curds to 1/2 inch and rest curds for 5 minutes.
Raise temperature to 95°F over 20 minutes stirring gently.
Remove heat stiiring for 20 minutes more to prevent matting.
Let curds rest for 10 minutes.
Drain curd in cloth then place in a cloth lined mold. Allow to drain for 15 minutes pressing lightly with follower.
Flip cheese and drain for another 10 minutes pressing with 10 pounds weight.
Flip cheese again and press over night with 25 pound weight.
Brine cheese in saturted brine for 6 to 8 hours.
Let cheese are dry for 24 to 48 hours until dry to the touch.
Age at 50°F and 80 to 90% humidity for 30 to 60 days
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Looks great from here, your balls are getting better ;D!
Too many recipes, not enough time!
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:D yes it helps to be able to drain. Very akward shape for the sink though. They always want to tumble over. They dent very easy too ... :(
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That looks interesting. The saffron would also be an alternative to Annato too?
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Tea it did add yellow color to the cheese but annatto is much cheaper! ;)
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it seems very similar to "Piacintinu Ennisi".....a cheese from Enna,Sicilia,sometimes made with just black pepper,and sometimes with black pepper and saffron threads.When I make this cheese,I take a small amount of the milk I'm using and heat it in a pot on the stove,adding the saffron to this milk.The idea is to warm the saffron,then crush some of the strands so they can impart a deeper color to the cheese,also making the saffron flavor within the cheese more intense.I then add this milk to the cheese vat.
http://www.terramadre.it/shop/scheda_vino.php?pid=211 (http://www.terramadre.it/shop/scheda_vino.php?pid=211)
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Why thank you that is a good idea. Saffron is so expensive this will get the most from it. I try to duplicate many Italian cheeses as that is my hertitage. My grand parents were from Italy.
I would greatly appreciate any instruction you are willing to share.
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Deb,there isn't anything else I can add.What you have is just about right on.The use of sheep milk only is more typical in Sicilia,where it is also much easier to find saffron at a lower cost than in the States...the saffron is also one of the original ingredients in "arancini"....the Sicilian rice balls that were made with saffron,turning the rice orange.
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Thank you aceddu. I sometimes have to use my best guess on these cheeses based on the area of production as to what bacteria to use. SO far I have been very lucky ad they've all worked out very well.
I have only found sheeps milk available in one spot close by and it's WAYYYYYYYYYYY out of my price range. Cows milk is much cheaper here.
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Where I am,the sheep milk costs $12/gallon... I get 2lbs +/- of cheese from 1 gallon of sheep milk,I get 1lb +/- of cheese per gallon of cow milk...so in the end it's the same cost as cow's milk...I pay $5/gallon for raw cow's milk. Either one works out to about $6 lb for cheese.
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Ah I guess heeps milk is ver popular out there. I only pay $6/gallon for cows milk and it $6.50/quart for sheeps milk when available
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This looks interesting, I would like to give it a go!
The aging cought my attention: It seems to be very low temp (so the development would be slow, yet it's only 30-60 days. Moreover, with such high humidity - wouldn't it be very moldy and have a soft rind? Should this be wiped, brushed or smeared then?
Debi, I took noted of your recipe and I am missing the following:
- How much milk do you start with to get what type of mold/quantity to press 25Lbs at the end?
- What is the temp of the milk before you raise to 95F? (Seems like you start at 95F and then instruct to raise to 95F; is this just to make up for the natural drop during the 1.5 hours of inoculation and rennetting?)
- Do you add the saffron at the very beginning? What's the saffron-to-milk ratio? (looks like about 1/2 tsp per gallon, is that about right?)
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This looks interesting, I would like to give it a go!
The aging cought my attention: It seems to be very low temp (so the development would be slow, yet it's only 30-60 days. Moreover, with such high humidity - wouldn't it be very moldy and have a soft rind? Should this be wiped, brushed or smeared then?
It is a very mild cheese at 60 days. I didn't try it at 30. The texture is soft like a havarti or edam but not rubbery. I wash my cheses every other day with 1 quart of water to 3 tablespoons of salt and a few drops of vinegar for about a month. After a month I vacuum seal them and they are on their own. I can not tolerate mold makes me sneeze and itch.
Debi, I took noted of your recipe and I am missing the following:
- How much milk do you start with to get what type of mold/quantity to press 25Lbs at the end?
I always do 7 gallon batches. These were two 4 pound cheeses pressed in my edam molds. I had just gotten thwm and wanted to practice using them. They are a PITA!
As for pressing - that has always been a be of contention here. I press relatively lightly for all cheeses but for extended periods of time. I generally start with 2 to 6 pounds and I think the most I have ever used was about 40 pounds of weight. I normally use 6.5 pound cans of tomatoes as pressing weights or empty milk jugs.
My theory is that to much weight to soon traps whey and air between the curds forming pockets or mechanical holes. By pressing lightly at first and increasing slowly I rarely (except from the darned edam molds I haven't quite mastered the use of yet - they are very akward and tippy) get mechanical holes. I press for 12, 24 and as long as 36 hours depending on the cheese.
- What is the temp of the milk before you raise to 95F? (Seems like you start at 95F and then instruct to raise to 95F; is this just to make up for the natural drop during the 1.5 hours of inoculation and rennetting?)
Hmmm good question I would have to research the original Italian translation again but I believe that should have been 86 degrres to start and raise to 95 degrees. I have it written down that way so it may have been 95 and 95 in the original translation too. I would have assumed 86 and 95 based on the cultures used.
- Do you add the saffron at the very beginning? What's the saffron-to-milk ratio? (looks like about 1/2 tsp per gallon, is that about right?)
The saffron was added at the same time as the cultures.
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Fantastic! Thanks for the detailed notes. I will probably try a 2-4 gallon batch after my planned Morbier and Comte experiments
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Your welcome.