"Walnut Surprise" Gouda

[Schnecken Slayer]

I was harassed asked to make a walnut cheese by my wife. However after lots of searching I could only find processed ones.
After delaying for a month or so I came upon a method which should give the desired results.
I basically followed the recipe I used for my green peppercorn gouda https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,10738.0.html which worked well except I didn't wash long enough evidently as this came in about 1.4 kg instead of the typical 1.1 kg.

Anyway, enough chatting, here are the pics (including the small tub of ricotta I got from the whey).

[shotski]

Nice looking cheese  Schnecken Slayer. Did you find any problem with the knitting of the curd? How many gallons of milk did you start with and how many g of walnuts did you use?

Thanks  John

[Schnecken Slayer]

The milk was 12 litres (~3 gal) in total and a 50/50 blend of 2% and 3.5% store bought premium.

Not having done one before I started with about a cup of walnuts which I steamed in a wire basket for 25 minutes.
I then sterilised my blender and ground them up to about 2 - 4 mm pieces (aprox 1/8") before adding them along with the rennet.
The first press wasn't very inspiring but it came together nicely in the end.

[Schnecken Slayer]

Here is the pic of it out of the brine. It knitted quite well.

[Boofer]

Good-looking cheese.

My wife and I tried walnut Gouda once upon a time a year or so ago. It was okay, but not something I yearned for time and again.

Here's a link for it.

-Boofer-

[Schnecken Slayer]

Good-looking cheese.

My wife and I tried walnut Gouda once upon a time a year or so ago. It was okay, but not something I yearned for time and again.

Here's a link for it.

-Boofer-

[TongueInCheek#ON] That is surprising as their website says "Rouveen's Walnut Gouda turns plain old boring Gouda into something fantastic and exciting. A cheese you will crave endlessly" [TongueInCheek#OFF]  >:D

I will let you know my opinion at the end of the month when it should be just ready to cut.  :)

[Boofer]

[TongueInCheek#ON] That is surprising as their website says "Rouveen's Walnut Gouda turns plain old boring Gouda into something fantastic and exciting. A cheese you will crave endlessly" [TongueInCheek#OFF]  >:D

Yeah, I love marketing too.  Hey Honey, let me borrow your lipstick again...the pig keeps licking it off! ;D

Some of the cheese I like, my wife can't stomach. Same thing with my dad. We all have different tastes. Good thing there are so many choices for cheese. :)

-Boofer-

[Schnecken Slayer]

I cut this and, although I cannot really taste the walnuts, the cheese itself is smooth with a nice not-overly-firm texture and pleasant taste.

[JeffHamm]

Interesting result, looks like a centre with lots of nuts wrapped with an outter coating with very few.  Did you do that by design or was that just how it turned out?

- Jeff

[Schnecken Slayer]

Yes, that was intended to be the walnut surprise. However some flecks escaped during the frantic making of two batches simultaneously.
I made the inner walnut gouda in a 5" mold and the outer layer in my 6.5" mold with a half hour between them so I could press them together.

This is not something I will try again........

[Boofer]

Kudos, Bill, for stepping into the void. Here's a cheese for being so adventurous. 8)

-Boofer-

[JeffHamm]

And a cheese from me for an interesting idea.  It certainly seems to have worked, even if you're not going to do it agian.  You never know though.

- Jeff

[Schnecken Slayer]

Thanks for the cheese Boofer and Jeff.
Maybe if I worked out the time better so the inner cheese was pressing under whey, while working the final stages of the outside layer, it may be less stressful. (Or maybe have an assistant)

[Boofer]

(Or maybe have an assistant)

Ah yes, an assistant.... Come here, Igor, I have a task for you. The mind reels....  >:D

-Boofer-