Robiola

[Andrew Marshallsay]

I haven't had time to make any cheese in the last few months but I've finally broken the drought. I wanted something which would be ready fairly soon and while I considered the old standby, Caerphilly, and one or two others, I finally decided to try a Robiola. This is not a cheese I have ever eaten, or even heard of.
The recipe came from cheesemaking.com. The make went as follows:

   • 4 Litres of milk: 2L Fleurieu Full Cream (P 3.3%, F3.8%) and 2L Fleurieu Jersey (P 3.3%, F4.8%).Total P 3.3%, F4.3%, P:F = 0.77:1
   • 1/10 tsp (slightly rounded dash) of Flora Danica
   • 4 drops of 140 ICU animal rennet
   • 1ml CaCl2 in 20ml water

Heated the milk to 21C.
Stirred in the culture.
Left for 4 hours
Stirred in the CaCl2 and left 5 minutes.
Stirred in the rennet and left overnight (~ 14 hours).
Cut vertically to 3-4 cm and rest for 5 min.
Cut horizontally.
Stirred gently for 10 min and then allowed the curds to settle.
Removed whey to the level of the curds.
Transferred the curds to lined moulds on racks with a quantity of whey.
Folded the cloth over the cheese, left 10 min and turned the cheese on a rack. (the curs were still very soft at this stage.)
After 10 min turned back. Turned the cheese over and back at 10 minute intervals for 1 hour.
Stacked moulds 2 high and left for 1 1/2 hours, turning every 15 min.
Left for 4 1/2 hrs. then removed the cloth and returned the cheese to the moulds. (The cheese had firmed up but was still a little fragile.)
Left 14 hours, then brined for 50-60 min.
Air dried 9 hours.
The four cheeses that I got from this are currently in an aging container at ~ 85% humidity and 13C

I do have some reservations about this one. It did not form a 'nice compact surface' as described in the recipe. It was also slow to firm up and some of the cheese, particularly the larger, square ones, acquired some major cracks. Still, all I can do is wait and see what happens.

[John@PC]

I do have some reservations about this one. It did not form a 'nice compact surface' as described in the recipe. It was also slow to firm up and some of the cheese, particularly the larger, square ones, acquired some major cracks. Still, all I can do is wait and see what happens.

Waiting is hard but for cheese it's always worth the wait ;).  A cheese for the result and to help while you're waiting.

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Thanks for the encouragement and the cheese, John.
They have firmed up and look OK. I will find out in about a week. It's the taste that really counts.

[Andrew Marshallsay]

I needed cheese today, so I decided it was time.
The result is a very nice fresh tasting cheese; creamy but tangy.
Certainly worth considering again for a fairly quick cheese.
I have been washing with 6% brine to head off mould but they have developed a pink tinge and slimy feel suggestive of Linens.
I think I might take one of them and switch to a lighter brine to actively encourage the BL and see what I get.

[CarlB]

How'd this turn out?  My Robiola is 10 days old and started linens at 7 days.  Blues popped up on day 9 and opted for a dry salting.  See what happens.

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Hi Carl.
I had to go back to see if i had made any notes on this one and found, surprisingly, that I had. It reads as follows:
"10/4/16 Opened the washed rind cheese. This had been washed 2-3 times weekly with 3% brine. It had started to ooze in one corner. The result is soft creamy and complex, but still with a tang. Only liquid in the one corner."
I seem to remember that i enjoyed this one and thought it likely that I would make it again. It hasn't happened yet: so many cheeses, so little time.
Good luck with yours. I will be interested to hear how it goes.

[CarlB]

Thanks for the update.  Decided to let the blue grow and is actually quite nice.  Tastes pretty tangy, hope it mellows out with time.  Can't have enough blue.

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Good to hear that it turned out well and that your blue was, apparently, one of the good ones