Last fall my first attempt at making cheese (other than soft, fresh cheeses) was basically using Ricki Carroll's farmhouse cheddar recipe. I followed it to the letter, then put it in a glass cheese preserver in an ice cooler to age for 4 weeks (natural rind, cleaning it every day with brine).
It came out quite well, with a sharp flavor and flaky texture not too unlike a nice sharp cheddar cheese! Better yet, its melting qualities were superb, making the best grilled cheese sandwiches I've ever had. And to top it all off, my husband said it was the best cheese he had ever tasted. I made a "fig cake" with my cheese press and paired the two together which was quite tasty as well.
Well, it turned out to be beginner's luck. I immediately set out to make a second cheese (same recipe) and it turned out quite differently. The only two things that I can think of that were different were pressing weight (maybe less the second time) and aging temperature (50 degrees the second time compared to 55 degrees the first time). The second one was moist, melted great but had almost no flavor at all.
So I was off to try other recipes...gouda, colby, jack. I started learning about over-acidification (sour crumbly cheese) and other not-so-great discoveries. While thus far all the cheeses have been edible, they have mostly been used grated in combination with other cheeses in various recipes.
Meanwhile, I'm so glad my first cheese turned out so well, otherwise I might not have continued on with this cheese quest! But it's too late to quit now, so I will persevere!
