Our Cheeses for 2021

[rsterne]

A New Year, and lots more cheeses to make!.... We started this year with a Fontina....



The make used 8 litres of 2% P/H Milk plus 950 ml of 18% Coffee Cream, for a total of 9 litres of 3.7% BF.... We used 1/4 tsp. of MM 100 culture and 1/8 tsp. of Lipase, plus 9 drops of Annatto, and based our make on the recipe from Debra's 200 Cheese book, using a 3.5X Floc. multiple.... The yield was 2 lbs, so right at 10%.... All of our washed curd cheeses using this culture have lots of small eyes, and that is the result we are aiming for, with a pale yellow colour....

PS.... We tasted the Fontina today at 2 months.... The aroma was distinctly Cheddary?.... There were a few small eyes, and one large crack across the middle.... It had a fairly strong Lipase taste, even though we only used 1/8 tsp. in the make.... 



PPS.... At 4 months the Fontina is maturing nicely, although the Lipase is still the dominant flavour.... We ate most of the quarter fresh, and some of it went into our first Fondue, along with some Emmental and smoked Edam.... It was an awesome combination.... 

PPPS.... We ate the last of our Fontina, aged a total of 8 months.... It melts very nicely, and makes a good grilled cheese sandwich, but the Lipase flavour definitely comes through.... As a table cheese, it is very strong tasting, a bit more than either the wife or I find enticing.... We plan to do another, but omit the Lipase....

Next up was a Wensleydale....



We used the same milk/cream combo, but only 1/8 tsp. of MM 100 and 90 min. of ripening as the recipe in Debra's book calls for less than usual, for slower acidification (as per Jim Wallace's online recipe).... We used a Floc. multiplier of 3.5X, the scalding temp. is rather low at only 95*F, and just 1 hour of cheddaring time, so we hope for a nice moist result.... The yield was 2 lbs. 2 oz., so just under 11%.... If this works out, we plan to do another in a couple of months with dried Cranberries.... 

PS.... We sampled the Wensleydale today at 1 month.... It was quite mild, but developed a nice cheddar taste when allowed to melt on the tongue.... Only the center was crumbly....
At 2 months, it was smoother, more creamy, and the center was less crumbly.... It is maturing nicely.... 



PPS.... At 3 months, this cheese was wonderful, most of the crumbly texture was gone, and it sliced quite well, except for one area which was cracked.... The Cheddar taste is still developing.... We will definitely be making a Cranberry Wensleydale soon....

PPPS....At 5 months, the Cheddar taste is dominant, in fact you would be hard pressed to recognize it as a Wensleydale any more.... It's lovely, just very different.... 

Bob

[rsterne]

Here are our next two cheeses for this year.... First up is a Derby, based on the recipe in Ricki's Book.... We used 8 litres of P/H milk (3.25% BF) plus 500 ml of 18% coffee cream, for a total of 8.5 litres with 4.0% BF.... plus 9 drops of Annatto.... We used the NEC Meso culture and 1/2 tab. of her Rennet, with a Floc. multiple of 4.0.... aiming for a moist, full fat cheese.... It came out at 2 lbs. 2 oz.... Here is a photo after waxing....



PS.... We sampled the Derby today, at 1 month of age.... It sliced well, was moist and had a lovely flavour, with just a hint of cheddar.... Our technique is greatly improved....
At 2 months, it is aging nicely, a bit more cheddary, balanced moisture and fairly pliable.... 



Yesterday we made Romano, again based on Ricki's recipe, except we lengthened the ripening time from 10 min. to 30 because the NEC online recipe used 60 min, so we split the difference (both recipes called for 1/2 pkt. of their Thermo culture).... We used 8 litres of 1% P/H milk plus 600 ml of 18% cream, for a total of 8.6 litres with 2.2% BF.... and 1/8 tsp. of Lipase.... We used a Floc, multiplier of 2.5, and whisked the curds down to rice sized after scalding.... The cheese pressed up with a tight rind at only 15 lbs.... It was 1 lb. 12 oz before brining.... Here is a photo right after brining for 8 hrs....



PS.... We opened the Romano at 6 months, and discovered it had developed some pretty serious eyes.... 



It tasted great, definitely Italian, but quite pliable rather than a hard grating cheese like we expected.... Regardless, we grated some to sprinkle on Pasta, and it was wonderful....

PPS.... At a year, the Romano has developed a nice bite and is aging nicely.... It is a bit firmer, but still rather soft as a grating cheese.... However, it is a standout, flavour-wise, on pasta.... 

Our technique continues to improve the more experience we get.... We are really enjoying making Cheese....

Bob

[rsterne]

The last weekend of January we made a Caerphilly.... We basically used the recipe from Debra's "200 Cheeses" book, using the MA 4002 culture.... The milk was 8 litres of 2% P/H and a litre of 18% coffee cream, for a total of 9 litres of 3.8% BF.... We used a Floc. multiple of 3.5X, and it weighed 2 lbs. 11 oz. out of the mold (and was VERY soft), but after brining and drying for a week, that dropped to 2 lbs. 4 oz. and it was reasonably firm.... Here is a photo after waxing....



We will be aging it 1, 2 and 4 months....

PS.... We tasted the Caerphilly today at 1 month.... It was a very mild cheese, slightly crumbly.... Good but not spectacular....

PPS.... As it ages, it becomes a bit less crumbly and a bit easier to slice.... It peaks at about 3 months....  



Last Sunday we made a Montasio, based on the recipe in Ricki's book.... We used 8 litres of 2% P/H milk and 1/2 litre of 18% coffee cream, for 8.5 litres of 2.8% BF.... We used 1/2 pkt. of Meso and 1 pkt. of Thermo cultures from NEC, 9 drops of Annatto, and a Floc. multiple of 2.5X.... After cooking the curds to 102*F, we drained off the whey (5 litres to the curds!) and added 125*F water back to the original volume, raising the temperature to 111*F.... It only took 20 lbs. to knit the rind, and the cheese weighed 1 lb. 11 oz. out of the mold and 1 lb. 9 oz. after brining and drying for 2 days, a yield of 8.7%.... It is very firm, and we vacuum bagged it to age it for 3, 6, 9 and 12 months.... Our cheese cave is now full, so we are dropping back to only making a cheese every other week, as that is about all we can reasonably consume, averaged out over a year.... Here is a photo of the Montasio after brining....



PS.... We tried the Montasio after 3 months of aging.... It is quite a soft cheese, very pliable and slices beautifully.... It is quite mild, with a slight nutty taste which I think will develop more as it ages further.... Surprisingly, it has significant eye development.... 



PPS.... At 6 months, the Montasio is a lot stronger flavour, with a bit of a bitter aftertaste.... a big change in flavour since we first tried it....

PPPS.... At 12 months, we threw it out!.... It had dried up a lot, sliced well, but the bitterness was more than we could take....  .... However, we are pretty sure that was the incorrect rennet, and lack of Holdbac, so we will eventually give it one more chance, maybe in 2023.... 

So, our initial push is over, we made 26 different cheeses in that many weeks.... Now it's time to repeat a few favourites and do some experimenting with added flavours.... 

Bob

[rsterne]

We have reduced our cheesemaking to once every 2 weeks.... The cheese cave is nearly full, and we are limiting our consumption to about a 1 oz. serving each per night, plus a bit for cooking, so that works out to 2 lbs. every 2 weeks, so no point in producing more than that.... We have made most of the different cheeses that we want to try, and for the next little while we will be making our favourites over again, some with added herbs.... Last Sunday we made a Dill Harvari, based on Ricki Carroll's recipe from her "Home Cheesemaking" book.... We used 8 litres of 2% P/H milk, plus 1/2 litres of 18% coffee cream, for a total of 8.5 litres of 2.9% BF.... We used the MM 100 culture, and 2 tsp. of finely ground Dill which we sterilized for 1 min. on high in our microwave....

The make went well, and for the first time we used my newly made Horizontal Curd Cutter.... http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,19308.0.html
Here is a photo of it just out of the brine....



The yield after brining and 3 days of drying at 55*F was 1 lb. 12 oz, which is 9.4%.... The plan is to age it for 4 months, with sampling at 1, 2 and 3 months to find out when it is at its prime....  .... The cheese is waxed with a yellow wax, but we will vacuum bag the remaining pieces each time we sample.... This has become our standard practice.... We place the cut edge of the cheese on the grooved side of the bag so that it can drain easily, which also avoids getting wrinkles on the cut edge from the bag drawing in under vacuum.... 

PS.... We sampled the Dill Havarti today, at 1 month.... It was delicious, we are REALLY pleased with the result....



PPS.... As it ages, it becomes smoother and easier to slice.... The flavour was well developed at 3 months, with no noticable improvement at 4 months.... 

Bob

[rsterne]

After making and tasting our first Manchego-style cheese, we liked it so much we decided to purchase a Manchego mold and do another.... We used a mixture of 8 litres of P/H whole milk plus 1 litre of 18% coffee cream, for a total of 9 litres of 4.9% BF.... That gives a P/F ratio of 0.64, which is about the same as Sheep's milk.... We cut down on the Lipase to just 1/16th tsp. and used 1/4 tsp. of MA 11 plus 1/8 tsp. of Su Casu....



We followed the recipe in Ricki Carroll's "Home Cheesemaking" book for the most part, using a Floc. multiple of 2.5X.... Before brining it weighed 2 lbs. 11 oz.... After brining in 21% brine for 8 hours at 55*F we dried it a couple of days at 55*F, and then covered it with EVOO and Smoked Paprika.... It is sitting for a day at 55*F, and then we will Vacuum Bag it, to sample at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months.... The weight after brining and drying a couple of days is 2 lbs. 6 oz. for a yield of 12%.... 

PS.... We sampled this Manchego at 3 months, and it was delightful.... It was moist, creamy and rich, with a nutty notes, and just a hint of Lipase (far better with only 1/16 tsp.).... The remaining 3 quarters are back in the vacuum bag to be tasted again at 6 months....



PPS.... This cheese is maturing beautifully....  .... At 6 months, it is incredibly complex, and the oiled Paprika rind has mellowed and spread throughout the paste, adding to that complexity without in the least overpowering the other flavours.... It could be slightly drier, and we may omit the Lipase completely next time, depending on how it tastes when it ages further.... So far, this is a screaming success, so very different to any other cheese we have made.... YUM !!!!

Bob

[oliverhenry]

All of these look awesome!

[rsterne]

Last Sunday we made our second Asiago Pressato.... We used a mix of 8 litres of 2% P/H Milk plus 1 litre of 18% Coffee Cream, for a total of 9 litres of 3.8% BF.... We basically followed the recipe in Ricki Carroll's book, "Home Cheese Making", but used 1/8 tsp. of Su Casu culture.... We used a Floc. multiplier of 3.0, and before brining the cheese weighed 2 lbs. 4 oz.... Here is a photo after waxing....



We will be aging it for 8 months, sampling at 2, 4 and 6 months along the way.... In a few months time we plan to alter the recipe just slightly, cutting the curds smaller and pressing more, to produce an Asiago capable of being aged up to a year....

PS.... We cut into this Asiago today, and like its predecessor, it has a large crack running through the middle....



It tastes wonderful, a bit nutty, and exactly like the first one, but I wish I could avoid that crack.... I am wondering if the unusual step of pressing the cheese (rather lightly) and then putting it back in the mould without weight for 36 hrs. has anything to do with it.... and if there is a solution to try without changing the taste?....

PPS.... This Asiago improved with age until 6 months, but at 8 months had developed a somewhat bitter flavour.... Not sure what could have caused that (NOTE: research indicates it could be from using Vegetable Rennet in a long aging cheese).... 

Bob

[rsterne]

This fortnight's make was a Cantal.... We basically followed Ricki Carrol's recipe, with mods by Jim Wallace on their website, but smaller.... We used 8 litres of 2% P/H milk plus a litre of 18% coffee cream, for a total of 9 litres of 3.8% BF.... The culture was MA 4002, and a Floc. multiple of 3.5X, with the curds cut to 3/8".... The ripening, coagulation and stirring are all done at 89* F, you don't raise the temperature during this make.... It was cheddared with increasing weight on it, ending up at 50 lbs. after 2.5 hrs, and then sat overnight, unpressed.... The next morning it was milled and salted, and then pressed for a total of 57 hrs. starting at 25 lbs. and ending up at 170 lbs.... which is 7 psi in the NEC medium sized hard cheese mould.... It ended up at 2 lbs. 1 oz. for a yield of 10.4%....



Now to wax it and put it in the cave for a year, with sampling at 3, 6 and 9 months.... It sure is a different way to make a cheese!.... 

PS.... We cracked open this Cantal today, at just about 3 months.... It is quite dense, although a bit more open texture than I expected, probably because of the diacetylactis bacteria in the 4002 culture we chose.... It had one crack, but that was not associated with a cavity of any kind.... It slices well, has a nice cheddar aroma, and a mild cheddar taste, but still seems quite young....



It has a creamy texture, quite rich, and a lovely flavour.... I can't wait to see how the rest of it ages as we sample a quarter every 3 months until the last piece is a year old.... 

PPS.... Once again, the older it gets, the more bitter it becomes.... By the time it was a year, eating it on a salted cracker was required, as the salt eliminates the bitter taste!....

Bob

[rsterne]

Last Sunday we made our second Gouda, which is the first one using our new mold from Fromagex.... We basically used Ricki's recipe, using 8 litres of 2% P/H milk and 650 ml of 18% cream, for a total of 8.6 litres of 3.2% BF.... We used MM 100 culture, and a Floc. multiple of 3.5, and then cut the curd into 3/8" cubes.... After washing with warm water, to cook the curds per the recipe, we pressed it in the mold, under the diluted whey, using a 4L jug of warm water (9 lbs.) for 10 min. and then once we took the mold out of the whey, flipped, redressed and pressed at 10 lbs. for 15 min., 20 lbs. for 30 min. and then 40 lbs. for an hour (1.6 psi) by which time the rind was closed.... We then pressed it overnight at 80 lbs. and then soaked it in 21% brine for 8 hours.... then dried it a day before waxing....



We are going to age this one for up to 2 yrs., sampling it each 6 months.... It weighed 1 lb. 13 oz. before brining, for a yield of 9.6%, just about perfect for a Gouda.... I really think paying attention to the recommended Protein/Fat ratios from the uGuelph eBook helps get the cheese you intend to make....

https://www.uoguelph.ca/foodscience/book-page/standardization-milk-cheese-making

We try to "standardize" our milk to the appropriate P/F ratio, by adjusting the BF content by how much cream we add, and it really seems to help.... Once we finish up the bit of Gouda from our first one in a month, we will be making another to age for just 8 months, but we really wanted to try one that we will leave to age longer....

PS.... At about 4 months, this cheese swelled up and split the wax.... We vacuum bagged it immediately, and at 6 months cut it open to sample it.... There was a large crack in the middle, and quite a few medium sized eyes.... It did not smell off, so we rebagged 3/4 of it and ate the other quarter.... It is a typical Gouda, pliable, moist, slices well, and has a creamy, buttery flavour.... It does, however, have a slightly bitter aftertaste.... We will sample it again at a year!.... 

PPS.... At a year, this Gouda had also developed a bitter taste.... We now really regret having used Vegatable rennet in cheeses aged longer than 5 months, particularly if they are brined.... The bitterness starts in the center, and spreads outwards as the cheese ages.... We have decided to smoke the remaining half of this Gouda, both to gain more experience in smoking cheese, and to see if we can "save" it.... 

PPPS.... We smoked it for 3 hrs., which is a bit too long.... Even after sitting for several months, the smoke flavour is still too strong.... The bitterness from using the wrong rennet is still increasing, but it makes a wicked grilled cheese sandwich if you cut the outer, smokey layer off....

Bob

 

[MacGruff]

I just tried a Gouda recently that I aged for six months. it was wonderful! Aging really helps this cheese. I have one quarter of it left which I am letting go for another three months to try at the nine month stage.

I have another wheel made using the same recipe, two months later, which is aging away as well. I think I will quarter it at the six month stage to see how it is coming along and probable start another wheel just about that time.

Gouda is what got me loving cheese in the first place. I still remember the first time a cheesemonger gave me a taste of a five-year old Gouda and I got a taste of caramel and crystal crunch and just went crazy over it!

Ah... memories...

[rsterne]

I haven't had a crunchy Gouda, but I am hoping that by 2 years that may be the case.... I tasted some commercial year+ old Manchego a couple of months ago, and it had some crystals in it....

Bob

[rsterne]

Last weekend we did our second Colby.... The first one was tasty, but too moist and sticky, but we now know more about cooking the curds to the proper consistency, so we're confident this one would be better.... It certainly is a LOT firmer, and the yield is much closer to what it is supposed to be, at 10%.... We basically used the recipe from Caldwell's Artisan book, with 8 litres of 2% P/H milk plus 700 ml of 18% cream, for a total of 8.7 litres of 3.3% BF.... We used MA 11 for the culture, and 18 drops of Annatto, and a Floc. multiple of 3.0X.... We cooked the curds at 102*F for a full 90 min. after achieving that temperature, before the cold wash to drop the temperature back down to 86*F.... We direct salted instead of brining, and after a day of drying the cheese weighed 1 lb. 15 oz....



The plan is to age this cheese 4 months, with sampling each month along the way.... I am confident this will be a much better Colby than our first attempt....

PS.... We sampled this Colby at 1 month, and it was hugely different to our first attempt, last year.... Whereas that one was so moist it stuck to the knife, this one, if anything, is a bit on the dry side.... It has a nice mild Cheddary flavour, and I think will only improve with age....



PPS.... This Colby improves with age.... It becomes less crumbly and easier to slice.... It also becomes moister as it ages, although I have no idea how that is possible.... It is also developing a stronger Cheddar taste, and by 4 months it had a creamy, medium-sharp Cheddar flavour.... Definitely a nice cheese, worthy of making again, but concentrating on reducing the acid buildup in the make....

Bob

[bansidhe]

That's a lot of cheese!  I want to try a dill Havarti.  Yours looks great!..

[rsterne]

Last Sunday we made our first Jarlsberg.... We used the basic recipe in Debra's book "200 Easy Cheeses", using 8 litres of 2% P/H milk and 650 ml of 18% cream, for a total of 8.7 litres of 3.2% BF.... During my research I found six recipes, 3 of which used a Meso culture, and the other 3 a Thermo culture.... Since I plan on doing a Baby Swiss (which uses a Meso) at a later date, I chose the Thermo for this make, using Su Casu culture....



It weighed 2 lbs. before we waxed it, for a yield of 10.4%, and is currently in the first stage of ripening in our Cheese Cave.... In 2 weeks it will start 4-6 weeks in the "warm phase" to allow the Propionii Shermanii to create eyes.... We will sample it after that, and then again at 4, 6 and 8 months....

PS.... We cracked this Jarlsberg today at 8 weeks.... It swelled nicely in 3 weeks during the warm phase, and then collapsed back to its original shape, just like our Emmental did.... When we sliced into this cheese, we found a huge crack, running about 1/2" from the top, virtually all the way across the cheese....



The intersting thing about this crack is that when you open it up, the inside surfaces are shiny, just like eyes are supposed to be.... rather than dull the way mechanical holes are....  .... The cheese tastes awesome, definitely a "Swiss" flavour, as it should be when using P. Shermanii.... The paste is moist and pliable, and slices perfectly, and is full of small eyes.... Other than the crack, it is a 100% success....

PPS.... We sampled another quarter at 4 months, and it is lovely.... and it makes GREAT grilled cheese sandwiches, melts beautifully.... 

Bob

[bansidhe]

Nice! I just ordered some P Sherman in hopes of making a baby Swiss.  So, this is considered an "easy cheese"?  What pray tell. are hard cheeses? (Don't tell me parmesan)