Toma Valmonte Cheese Making Recipe - Update

[DeejayDebi]

Toma Valmonte - Deejays recipe

This is an interesting cheeese. I have chosen to make a low fat variety but it can be made as well wth whole milk, 2%, goat or sheeps milk or a combination or cow and goat, goat and sheep or sheep and cow and still be a wonderful cheese.

This is considered a table cheese when young 15 to 90 days and a grating cheese when aged over 6 months.

One thing I find interesting is it does not require a cheese cave. It ages best in temperatures around 40 degrees which is pretty normal for most refrigerators - so anyone can make it anytime.

It is best when made in the summer when the green grasses are eatten because it really influences the flavor of the cheese and gives it a clean natural flavor. This is also a semi hard cheese so it id good with sandwiches or salads.

Ingredients:
4 gallons 1% milk
3 gallons raw milk
1/2 teaspoon mesophilic Type B culture
1/4 teaspoon TA81
calves Rennet

Heat milk to 86° to 97°F.
Add cultures (not allowed by Italian law). The grasses in the area of Piedmont develop bacteria strains naturally in the cheese.
Add rennet Rest for 30 to 40 minutes.
Cut the curds into 1/2 inch pieces - rest 5 minutes. Stir frequently
Stir while cutting the curds to the size of corn while heating the curds to 111 to 118°F.
The curds should begin to become elastic and clear.
Rest the curds to the bottom.
Place curds in a cheese cloth lined mold if 7 inches in diamter and press lightly at first.
Flip cheese then then using a large rock.
Age at 40 to 50 °F 85% humidity for 60 days at 6 kg or 15 days if less than 6 kg.

As I mentioned this was a low fat cheese so the yield was slighlty lower than normal but still will yield about 6.5 pounds of cheese. THis shot was after about 15 minutes of pressing with about 6.5 pounds of weight.

[FRANCOIS]

I'll be interested to see if it works at 40 degrees.  Microbial activity with most commercial starters is significantly reduced below 50.  The concern is always the slow development of acidity to kill off bad-bugs.

While it's possible that's how it's traditionally done (they may have some local strains that work under those conditions) I would suspect someone is covnerting temperatures wrong (C to F).  Where did the recipe come from?

[DeejayDebi]

Well being that I have 10 cheeses in my fridge right calling for an average of 50 degrees it's now actually running at 50.5 degrees and 89% humidity.

I think 40 is a bit cold regardless of the recipe instructions. The temperatures range came from an Italian transation of a toma DOP registration for protection form. I use them as a guide. I downloaded about 50 of them from all over Europe.

I just started my second mini fridge last night in the basement. It's about twice the size. It will be for my long term aging. The new cheeses will stay in the kitchen where I can watch them closely.

[DeejayDebi]

Cut my Toma Valmonte tonight. Very irregular holes all in the center but a very nice swiss flavor.

[Tea]

Despite the irregular holes it looks a beautiful cheese.

[DeejayDebi]

I wonder if I vaccuumed it to tight. More expansion in the middle and almost none on the sides.

[DeejayDebi]

Thank goodness I posted this here. I really enjoyed this cheese and lost my recipe last week. I am wondering though -  it's description is:

Curd: Semi-soft structure with regularly distributed fine holes. White colour. Moderate taste.

Kind if tastes like a mild swiss.  Maybe a tiny bit of P. Shemani?

[Missy Greene]

Hi Debi,
Man you are prolific!! what fun. what is TA81????
I gather this is an Italian version of tomme, wondering how it compared to your other tomme??? thanks, Missy

[DeejayDebi]

Thanks Missy! TA 81 = Streptococcus salivarius, subsp. thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus.

CHOOZIT™ TM 81 LYO 50 DCU is an highly concentrated blend of single strain acidifying thermophilic lactic cultures. Rapid acidification for cheese with high dry matter (>50 %).

Toma and Tomme are not the same thing. Toma in Italian simlpy means "volume." So this is a volume of cheese from the Valmonte region of Italy. As the location is in the Italian alps it has a raher nutty, swissy like flavor but not as strong. Kind of a combination between a swiss and a slightly aged provalone. I rather enjoyed this cheese and will definatly make it again. It also smokes well.

[Gürkan Yeniçeri]

Hi Debi,
Given the flora of TM81, can it be substituted with yogurt?

And also, did you add any P. Shermanii? How did those wholes in the middle appeared?

[DeejayDebi]

I don't see  why not many cheeses are made successfull with it.

The holes were produced by a combination of warm ripening temperatures and the Streptococcus Thermophilus. I would probably gotten bigger hole with the p. shermani but only little holes are indicated by the cheese description.

[Gürkan Yeniçeri]

How long is your ripening after adding the starter cultures? I guess you are using DVS as they are measured by tsp, am I right?

[DeejayDebi]

I beleive I ripened the milk for about 40 minutes but the ripening I was talking about was the aging sorry. This was air dried for about 4 days on the counter at about 72F degrees then about 3 weeks at 60F degrees then vac packed. As it happned the plug was pulled from the mini cave for about 5 days so temperatures were quite high.

[Gürkan Yeniçeri]

Thanks Debi,

One more question, Did you age it in the refrigerator (40F) after vac packed it?

[DeejayDebi]

I thought I did but it was unpluged ... I ugh ... used the outlet to powering my jig saw to cut some followers and forgot to plug it back in. It was at least 5 days before I found it. After that Iplugged it in and I set my temps for 45F degrees. I like slightly warmer temperatures.