Our Cheeses for 2021

[rsterne]

Last Sunday we made our 3rd Gouda.... As usual, we basically used Ricki's recipe, using 8 litres of 2% P/H milk and 650 ml of 18% cream, for a total of 8.7 litres of 3.2% BF.... We used 1/4 tsp. of MM 100 culture, plus 1/8 tsp. of LH 100, hoping for a nutty flavour to develop when aging.... We used 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 lightly in the mold under the diluted whey.... 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 2 days before waxing....



We are going to age this one for up to 8 months, sampling it every 2 months.... I wonder how much difference adding the LH 100 will make, and how long it will take for the nutty taste to develop.... It weighed 1 lb. 14 oz. before brining, for a yield of 9.8%, just about perfect for a Gouda....

PS.... We cracked this one at 2 months, and though Gouda is one of my favourite cheeses, they never fail to please....



It had nice eye development, small but lots of them, and one medium sized crack.... It sliced beautifully, and the taste and aroma were classic Gouda, but with just a hint of nuttiness from the LH 100.... I am hoping that will continue to develop as it ages....

PPS.... At 4 months, is it maturing nicely and becoming more complex.... A really excellent cheese....

PPPS.... At 6 months it improved significantly, I think this will become our "go-to" make and aging time for a Gouda.... At 8 months it was just starting to get a bitter aftertaste, so we definitely will be trying Chy-Max rennet next time, as from what I have read, the Vegetable (Mucor) Rennet we have been using can cause that after 6 months of aging.... 

Bob

[bansidhe]

What's the biggest cheese in terms of weight you've made?

[rsterne]

We did a Colby last year that was WAY too moist, and it was just over 2.5 lbs.... but the heaviest "proper" make we have done was this year's Manchego-style at 2 lbs. 6 oz.... We use between 8.5-9 litres of a milk/cream mix, and basically the higher the BF content the higher the yield....

Bob

[rsterne]

Last Sunday we made our second Monterey Jack.... The last one was sour, cracked and crumbly from pressing it too hard initially (and inexperience), things we hoped to fix this time around.... We used the recipe in Caldwell's book "Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking" as the basis for this make.... We used 8 litres of 2% P/H milk plus 650 ml of 18% cream, for a total of 8.7 litres of 3.2% BF.... We used MA 11 for the culture, ripened at 86*F, a Floc. multiple of 3.5X, cut the curds to 3/8", cooked slowly to 102*F, and then held them there for 45 min., removed 4.5 litres of whey, and then washed with 3 litres of cold water (60*F) to bring the temperature down to 81*F.... The curds were direct salted before pressing....



According to Peter Dixon, the lower the temperature after adding the cold water, (in the range of 80-86*F) the moister the cheese.... We recently did a Colby from the same basic recipe, and stopped the cold wash at 86*F and it was just a bit dry for our tastes.... The other difference on the Colby is that after raising the temperature of the curds to 102*F, we cooked them for an additional 90 minutes, instead of the 45 this time.... This cheese weighed 2 lbs. 4 oz. after drying and before waxing (the Colby only weighed 1 lb. 15 oz).... That works out to a yield of 11.8%, which is only 1 oz. more than expected, so we think this make went pretty well.... This recipe was a cold washed curd type, the previous one we used was not.... The plan is to age this cheese for 4 months maximum, sampling it every month along the way.... We are hoping it will melt well, as the last one did not....

PS.... We sampled this Monterey Jack at 2 months, and again at 3.... It was slighty sour, and a bit crumbly, both indications of too much acidity being developed.... In addition, it did not melt well.... I am thinking of reducing the cooking time for the curds next time, or possibly eliminating the post draining 20 minute ripening of the curds to try and raise the pH before salting.... Any suggestions?....

Bob

[rsterne]

Our latest cheese was our second Cheddar, based on Ricki Carroll's recipe in "Home Cheese Making".... We used 8 litres of 2% P/H milk plus a litre of 18% cream, for a total of 9 litres of 3.8% BF.... We used MA 4002 culture, and 3 drops per litre of Annatto to get a deep yellow-orange colour.... and a Rectangular mold to make it easy to slice for grilled cheese sandwiches.... We cheddared it for a total of 2.5 hrs. and it was difficult to get the curds to knit, but by installing the second set of springs in my press, which allows me to reach 170 lbs. (7 psi), it tightened up 98% overnight, and after an additional 12 hrs. back in the press it looks great....



Judging by the difficulty in pressing the curds, this cheese may be on the verge of being over-cheddared.... I don't think that should hurt it (since I managed to get it to knit).... and perhaps the slightly greater acidity will make it melt easily.... The cheese weighed 1 lb. 15 oz., for a yield of 9.8%, about right for a Cheddar.... We waxed it in orange wax, and plan to age this cheese 2 years, sampling each 6 months along the way....

PS.... At 6 months, this was very nice.... It had a cheddary aroma, balanced moisture content, and was relatively hard.... It sliced OK, only slightly crumbly, and had a medium sharp taste.... We look forward to seeing how it ages....

PPS.... At a year, it was starting to get a bitter note from the vegetable rennet.... By the time it was 18 months, it was so bitter we discarded the last half....   

Bob

[bansidhe]

Wow.  That looks fantastic!  You should have a cheese party 2 years from now and invite me!  I'd love to taste that.   

[rsterne]

Last Sunday we made a Cotswold, which is a Double Gloucester with Onions and Chives.... We basically used the recipe in Debra's book "200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes".... We used 8 litres of 3.25% P/H milk plus 700 ml of 18% cream, for a total of 8.7 litres of 4.4% BF.... We used MA 11 culture and 18 drops of Annatto colouring, 1/2 tbsp. Dehydrated Onions (rehydrated in 1/4 cup boiling water) and blanched some fresh Chives from our garden, chopped them fine and used 1 tbsp. of those also.... They were added along with the salt after milling, following 1 hr. of cheddaring.... Here is the result, after pressing and drying for a day, but before waxing....



The yield was 2 lbs. 3 oz. which works out to 11.4%.... It smells heavenly and we can't wait to try it.... We will sample a quarter at 1 month, and then another quarter each month until it is 4 months old.... The Double Gloucester we made with this same recipe was delicious, I have no doubt that with the added Herbs this will be even better....

PS.... we sampled this Cotswold at 1 month, and it exceeded all our expectations....



It slices well, only a hint of being crumbly, and the aroma predicts the taste.... The chives and onions are dominant, but do not overpower the subtle cheddar undertones.... I expect this will only continue to improve with age....  This was the #1 hit on our recent family cheese plate!.... 

PPS.... We consumed another quarter of the Cotswold each month, the last at 4 months of age.... We did not notice any change in flavour during this period, it was great all the way from 1 to 4 months....  Definitely a repeat for this one, in fact we plan to make one every 4 months, so that we can have some every month of the year.... 

Bob

[bansidhe]

It looks nice!  I have thought about making this...  So many cheeses, it's so hard to decide.  How long before this baby is done?

[rsterne]

We aged our Double Gloucester up to 8 months, but I understand that cheeses with herbs or fruit added, or wine or beer soaked, are better eaten young, as the flavours become overwhelmed or fade rather quickly.... We will eat a quarter of this each month, so it will be gone at 4 months.... The recipes say to age 1 to 3 months....

Bob

[rsterne]

Last Sunday we made a Wine-Infused Gouda style cheese that we are dubbing the "Drunken Dutchman".... 



We basically followed Jim Wallace's Online recipe from the NEC Website, using 8 litres of 2% P/H milk and 1 litre of 18% cream, for a total of 9 litres of 3.8% BF.... We used an MM 100 culture, cut the curds to 3/4" and were very gentle with them, they were Hazelnut sized when we removed the whey and washed them with hot water, as per the recipe.... A half hour later, after the 140*F water had been slowly added, they had shrunk considerably, and it took another 30 min. of stirring to get to the "Grip Test" described in the recipe.... So far, it looked like we had a Gouda.... 

The next step is to drain the whey and put the curds back in a warm pot and "ripen" them for an hour, breaking them up gently with your fingers to keep them from matting.... The curds continued to shrink, and after the hour we drained them again and soaked them in my own very dark red wine for an hour, again as per the recipe.... When we drained them they were quite small, and once put in the medium cylinder mold and carefully pressed (just drops of whey running out, never a stream) at 20 lbs. for a hour they were still almost falling apart, some falling off when we flipped the cheese and rewrapped it.... The next pressing was 2 hrs. at 40 lbs., and it still was not knit, so we did the overnight (16 hr.) pressing at 85 lbs. instead of the 60 that the recipe called for.... The rind was still not completely closed, so we rewrapped it, added another set of springs to my press, and pressed it for another 16 hrs. at 170 lbs (7 psi).... The result is what you see above, not a very good knit, and an undersized cheese with a much lower than expected yield of only 1 lb. 11 oz., which is only 8.5%.... Considering you get about 10% with a Gouda, with a lower fat content, I think for some reason this cheese dried out MUCH more than it should have.... 

I suspect that the hour of ripening is partly to blame.... and perhaps the wine soak dried the cheese as well?.... We have waxed it and put it away to be tasted in a month, the plan is to consume a quarter each month until it is 4 months old (assuming it is tasty).... I assume it will be dry and probably crumbly.... Does anyone have any suggestions, such as omit the hour of ripening, and/or shortening the wine soak next time?....

PS.... We opened this cheese at 1 month, and were quite surprised at how good it was....



It was only slightly crumbly, sliced OK, and smelled and tasted like wine!.... The paste was a bit dry, but neither the cheese or the wine dominated, but complimented each other very nicely.... Depending on how it develops when aged more, we will probably repeat it, but try and make sure it does not dry out as much during the make....

PPS.... This cheese never really impressed us.... It was dry, and rather bland, and the added wine never really made it "pop".... Not to our taste.... 

Bob

[bansidhe]

I made the wine infused cheese for CHeeemaking.com 10 days ago.  My cheese wasn't too dry but my curds were and they got really small..way too small.  Not sure if I should let it age super long or not.  Which wine did you use?  I used a Petite Syrah but it wasn't as velvety as I wanted so the next time I think I'll use a Merlot. I dont like drinking merlot so it wont feel like too much of a waste. :-)
When do you plan to open your cheese?

[rsterne]

I make my own wine, from my own grapes.... We call it "Bearly Whine" - made from the grapes the bear didn't get.... because the first year he raided our vines just before we picked, and we only got enough for one gallon!....



It is a very dark red because the Valiant grapes are bluish purple.... They are the only variety that will survive our winters.... Last year we got 53 lbs....



I steam extract the juice before starting the wine....



I make it to have an alcohol content of about 10%....



We make it in September/October and bottle it about Christmas.... then put it away until the January over a year later.... The wine I used for this cheese we made in 2019.... 



Last year we got 30 bottles, plus enough to make a bottle of Port (Grape Jack) by freeze distilling a gallon down to one bottle.... Powerful stuff, and almost black in colour!.... 

Bob

[bansidhe]

Wow.. that is so cool!

[rsterne]

This is our 2nd Emmental.... It is a repeat of the one we made last year, except instead of the Su Casu culture, we used 1/16 tsp. of TA 061 and 1/32 tsp. of LH 100.... It was our typical blend of 2% P/H milk and 18% cream, a total of 8.5 litres of 2.9% BF....



The yield was 1 lb. 12 oz., which works out to 9.4%.... We decided to wax it, and it's in our Cheese Cave at 55*F for the initial ripening.... In a couple of weeks it will sit at room temperature to let the P. Shermanii do it's magic.... We will be aging it up to 10 months, using a quarter for French Onion Soup or Fondue each 2 months, starting at 4 months....

Here is a photo after 11 days in the warm phase....



It has swollen up nicely.... Unfortunately, 3 days later it had deflated and looked just like it did after we waxed it.... There were a couple of cracks in the wax, although when we removed the cracked portions the rind underneath showed no cracking.... We rewaxed it, and it is now aging at 46*F for another 3 months....

PS.... We made a fondue the other day with the first quarter of this and some of our Gruyere.... It was superb.... This cheese is also great in French Onion Soup, or as a table cheese, and also melts well on grilled cheese... a typical Swiss.... 

PPS.... The third quarter of this cheese was again combined with our Gruyere in a Fondue.... We also ate some as a table cheese, and it is quite a strong Swiss flavour now, with just a hint of bitterness creeping in.... Cursing that Mucor-base rennet, the next time we will use Chy-Max....    

[rsterne]

Last Sunday we made our second Kefalotyri.... I posted the recipe and photos of the make in this thread....

http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,19573.0.html

After drying for 4 days it now weighs 2 lbs. 7 oz., a yield of 12.3%....  It is now waxed and in the Cheese Cave at 55*F for 6 weeks, after which it will go into our Beverage Fridge to continue aging at 46*F until 3 months old....



At that time we will cut off a couple of 1/2" thick slices for Saganaki, and give you a report in both threads.... The plan is to use it every couple of months so that we use it up within a year....  We should get 10 servings (5 each, assuming no company) with each slice just over 1/2" thick.... This is the reason for using a rectangular mould....

PS.... The Saganaki was perfect.... golden brown on the outside and soft in the middle.... A huge success, just like the first one we did.... The rectangular shape works great for cutting off slices.... Here is a photo of the Saganaki made from it....



It browns nicely on the outside, and the inside is soft but not fully melted....

PPS.... This cheese changes very little as it ages, just getting a bit more flavourful.... We just love it as Saganaki....  

Bob