Our Cheeses for 2021

[rsterne]

As we continue to experiment, last Sunday we made an Havarti with our own Dehydrated Tomatoes.... We dehydrate them for use on Pizza or in Pizza Bread (yum), and store them in the freezer until required.... We removed them from the freezer, chopped them while partially frozen into small pieces (pea sized or smaller) and put 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) into a glass dish and microwaved them on high for 30 seconds, stirred them, and then another 30 seconds.... This was to sterilize them completely....

We used the same Havarti recipe we have in the past, both for a plain Havarti and a Dill Havarti, adding them after draining but before pressing....We used 8 litres of 2 P/H milk plus 473 ml (1 pt) of 18% cream, for a total of 8.5 litres at 2.9% BF, and we used MM 100 culture.... We broke up the mat of curds in the cheesecloth lined colander to the consistency of scrambled eggs, and then thoroughly mixed in the chopped dehydrated tomatoes.... After pressing, and drying for 3 days, here is what it looked like....



After drying but before waxing it weighed 1 lb. 13 oz., which is a yield of 9.7%.... There is just a hint of white starting, we wiped it with vinegar to remove that, and then waxed it with orange wax.... The plan is to sample a quarter of it each month, consuming the last of it at 4 months of age....

PS.... We sampled this Havarti today, at 1 month old, and it is a delightful Havarti, but with no aroma, and no tomato taste!.... Otherwise, very nice.... 

PPS.... This melts well, and makes a great grilled cheese sandwich, especially on Diane's homemade Pizza Bread....   

Bob

[rsterne]

Last Sunday we made an Alpine Tomme.... It was based primarily on the recipe from the NEC Website at Cheesemaking.com.... We used 8 litres of 2% P/H milk plus 1 litre of 18% cream, for a total of 9 litres of 3.8% butterfat, and we used a Su Casu culture.... This cheese takes about 15 hours from the start to the end of the brining, so we started before breakfast!.... It is a washed curd cheese, with the temperature raised to 109*F during the process.... After pressing, the last stage of which we did in our heating cabinet (made from an old fridge with an aquarium heater), it sits for an additional 3 hours at 86*F before brining (to complete acidification).... Here is what it looks like after 3 days of drying and waxing....



The yield was 2 lbs. 1 oz., which works out to 10.4%.... It will be aged for up to 8 months, and we will consume a quarter of the wheel each 2 months along the way....

PS.... At 2 months, this cheese was delicious, but I wish we had the Holdbac when we made it.... It swelled up and split the wax at 6 weeks (we vacuum bagged it immediately), and it was full of nice large eyes.... 

PPS.... As it ages, once again it gets more and more bitter.... Dang that Mucor (vegetable) rennet.... We are now using it primarily in Grilled Cheese sandwiches, a pinch of salt gets rid of the bitterness....  It sticks to the knife when cutting as well, definitely needs a better make....

Bob

[mikekchar]

AC4U!  Alpine tomme is another one I'd really like to do (well, basically Italian Toma specifically).  I'll be interested to hear how the Su Casu turns out.

[rsterne]

Thanks, Mike.... I have used it before in other cheeses with good results....

Bob

[rsterne]

Last Sunday we made our first Baby Swiss.... We basically used the recipe in Ricki Carroll's book "Home Cheese Making".... We used 8 litres of 2% P/H milk and 650 ml. of 18% cream, for a total of 8.7 litres at 3.8% BF.... We used 3/16 tsp. of MM 100, and 1/16 tsp. of P. Shermanii.... We followed the pressing instructions in the recipe, but had to increase the pressure to get a proper knit.... I think we should have used more weight sooner, because at the 2 hour mark it was still not knit properly, and because of that it took 4 hours to close the rind, even though we increased the weight beyond what the recipe called for.... I think next time we will press at 5 lbs. under the whey for 15 minutes, then for only 30 minutes at 10 lbs. and then an hour at 20 lbs. to try and achieve a better knit by the 2 hour mark.... Here is the finished result, which weighed 1 lb. 14 oz. after brining and drying, but before waxing....



That works out to a yield of 9.8%, about what we expected.... It is in the Cave for 2 weeks at 55*F, and we will then move it to room temperature for a few weeks to let the PS do its magic and create the eyes.... After that it will go into our beverage cooler at 46*F for a further 1 to 4 months, sampling a quarter each month.... 

PS.... 2 weeks in the Cheese Cave at 55*F, then 2 weeks at 70*F.... The wax split once it started to grow, so we vacuum bagged it....



It continued to swell for another week, and then flattened out to a larger diameter and back to about its original thickness....

PPS.... We sampled this at 2 and at 3 months, and it is awesome!.... mild swiss flavour, lovely as a table cheese, and melts great on a grilled cheese sandwich.... We will definitely be making this one again.... 

Bob

[rsterne]

Our latest cheese was our attempt at a Sbrinz-style "extra hard, washed curd" cheese.... We found 3 recipes, 2 of which did not wash the curd, the other, which we basically followed, was in Caldwell's book "Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking".... We used 8 litres of 2% P/H milk and a litre of 18% cream, for a total of 9 litres of 3.8% BF.... We used Su Casu culture, and added 1/4 tsp of Holdbac to prevent late blowing, which we have had a lot of in our brined cheeses.... They have all smelled and tasted fine, but often had large cracks and irregular holes.... The Holdbac is supposed to avoid this.... We used a Floc. multiple of 2.5X, and cut the curd to 1/4" and then whisked them down to about 1/8", and then raised the temperature to 129*F over a hour, at which point the curds were rice sized.... We then removed 1.5 litres of whey, and poured back 500 ml of cold water to reduce the temperature to 122*F, stirred 5 minutes, and then allowed to sit for 20 minutes before molding and pressing.... The rind was tight at 1.5 psi after 2 hours (the cheese was still warm to the touch), and the next morning (after pressing overnight) we brined the cheese for 12 hours, and then dried it for 3 days before waxing it....



After brining and drying but before waxing it weighed 2 lbs. 1 oz., for a yield of 10.4%.... Caldwell says to age this cheese 8 to 18 months, and we plan to start sampling at 8 months, consuming a quarter periodically until it is 2 years old.... This cheese is basically a Swiss Parmesan, and it is supposed to be great for grating, and when mature have a "butterscotch" flavour, so I guess in a couple of years we'll find out!....

PS.... At 8 months, this Sbrinz was lovely!.... It had a large split in the middle, but was semi-moist and sliced well.... The aroma was distinctly Cheddary, and yet there was not a hint of Cheddar in the flavour!.... It was very flavourful, creamy, with a slight Caramel taste....



I thought I detected just a hint of bitter from the vegetable (Mucor) rennet, as we didn't have Chy-Max at the time, but my wife didn't notice it.... There were no holes, indicative of late blowing, so I think the Holdbac LC did it's job well.... In one spot the crack came up to a corner, and I guess it cracked the wax there, as there was a small patch of mold just under the wax, which we cut out.... It didn't seem to bother the cheese, though.... 

Bob

[rsterne]

Last Sunday we made our second Cranberry Wensleydale.... The recipe was based on Debra's book "200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes", with the addition of 3/4 cup dried Cranberries.... We sterilized them for 30 minutes at 170*F and then coated them with a teaspoon of sterilized Cinnamon before adding them at the salting stage.... 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, and we used MM 100 culture and it was Cheddared for 1 hour.... The last time we made this cheese we coated one side in Cinnamon after pressing, and we really liked the flavour, but wanted it throughout the cheese, so this time we mixed it in with the Cranberries.... Here is the result....



It weighed 2 lbs. 6 oz. after 5 days of drying, a yield of 12%, at which time we vacuum bagged it.... Based on the last one, this should be ready at 6 weeks, and we plan to consume this very festive looking cheese over the Christmas season, and it will help us bring in the New Year!....

PS.... We tried this Cranberry Cinnamon Wensleydale this evening at 6 weeks.... It was awesome!.... The amount of Cinammon was perfect, slightly sweet, balancing the tart of the Cranberries.... We plan to eat an eighth of this cheese each week over the Christmas season and into the New Year.... The bag keeps going "loose" on this cheese, I suggest storing it in the fridge once you cut into it....

PPS.... This cheese remains a Christmas favourite, the only problem is consuming it in a short enough time period!.... Even storing it in the fridge, the bag keeps going loose, and as it ages it tends to get a white powder on the cranberries, likely a yeast?.... We give it a vinegar wipe when removing each quarter from the bag, and don't notice any off flavour as it ages, but I suspect the residual sugar in the cranberries is fermenting.... 

Bob

[rsterne]

We made our second Double Gloucester yesterday (third if you count the Cotswold in between).... In keeping with the "Double" cream concept, we used 8 litres of Whole P/H Milk plus 700 ml. of 18% cream, for a total of 8.7 litres with a BF content of 4.4%.... We more or less followed the recipe in Debra's "200 Cheese" book, but doubled the Annatto to 2 drops per liter (18 drops total) because I wanted a nice bright yellow, common to this cheese.... We used MA 11 culture, and completed our pressing at 3.5 psi overnight in our new "warming cabinet", made from an old bar fridge and an aquarium heater.... http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,19576.0.html



The rind was closed beautifully, with the final pressing starting at 86*F and cooling overnight to 72*F with the cabinet heater turned off.... The weight before waxing was 2 lbs. 4 oz.... which is a yield of 11.7%....  .... We plan to age this 10 months, sampling a quarter each 2 months starting at 4 months.... The first one we made we started tasting at 2 months (until 8 months), and there was a big change between 2 months and 4 months, so we'll age this one a bit longer....

PS.... We tried the first quarter of this cheese today, at 4 months.... The consistency was great, it sliced well, and the aroma was that of a nice Cheddar....



The taste was fabulous.... a nice Cheddar flavour, especially for only 4 months of aging, and it was rich and creamy like it should be.... I think it will only improve further as it ages.... 

PPS.... at 6 months it is even nicer.... now a Medium-sharp Cheddar, firmer, and still rich and creamy.... YUM !!!! .... It makes me wonder if 6 months is the minimum?.... 

PPPS... At 8 months, this cheese continues to improve.... It is a bit sharper, slightly drier, and definitely more complex.... Definitely one of our favourite cheeses....  

Bob

[rsterne]

Last Sunday we did our second Derby.... We roughly followed the recipe in Ricki's book, using 8 litres of 3.25% P/H milk plus 500 ml of 18% cream, for a total of 8.5 litres of 4.0% BF.... We used her Mesophilic culture and rennet (with a Floc, multiple of 4.0), and 9 drops of Annatto.... The total Cheddaring time (including draining) was 1.5 hrs.... The yield was 2 lbs. 5 oz., which works out to 12.3%....



The plan is to age it 2 to 8 months, eating a quarter each month along the way.... We may have a forced break in our Cheesemaking next weekend, as there was a big flood and our local grocery store is completely out of milk!.... Fortunately, we were fine here, although we did evacuate for 6 hours as a precaution.... 

PS.... We sampled this Derby today at 2 months, and it was a delight.... It was moist and creamy, sliced well, and had a mild cheddar aroma and taste.... Aging it 2 months before trying it, instead of just a month like we did with the first one, was the right decision....

PPS.... At 6 months this Derby is lovely.... It is a bit more Cheddary, and continues to age well....

Bob

[rsterne]

After a month without milk available due to delivery problems after the flooding in BC, we finally got enough to make another cheese!.... We made our first Maasdam (Leerdammer), which is a Goutaler style (a Gouda with eyes like an Emmentaler).... We basically used the Recipe in Debra's book "200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes".... We used 8 litres of 2% P/H milk and 700 ml of 18% cream, for a total of 8.7 litres of 3.3% BF.... We used MM 100 plus some LH 100 to add a nutty flavour, plus the Propionic Shermanii for the eyes and Holdbac to avoid late blowing, which has been an issue with a lot of our brined cheeses.... Here is a photo of it ready to go into the Cave for the initial 2 weeks at 55*F....



After 2 weeks, we will put it into a warmer environment (68*F) for 3 or 4 weeks to develop the eyes, and then age it in our beverage cooler at 46*F, like we would for any Swiss style cheese.... We plan to sample it every 2 months, consuming the last quarter after 8 months of aging.... The make went very well, our technique continues to improve.... It weighed 1 lb. 14 oz. after brining and drying a couple of days, for a yield of 9.8%....

Milk is still rationed here, so this will be our last cheese this year.... 

PS.... After 2 weeks in the Cave at 55*F, and a month at room temperature (68-70*F) for the PS to grow and create eyes, here is the result....



We had used a Gouda mold, and the follower is sitting on top to show how much this Maasdam has grown.... We were turning it every day in the warm room, so it didn't get domed, or rather the dome from one day got flattened the next when on the bottom.... It is nearly as thick as it started, and about 1.5" larger in diameter.... and best of all, it didn't collapse like all our other "Swiss" types have done.... This gives us hope that we will have larger eyes than before....

PPS.... We sampled this Maasdam today at 2 months, and it was a delight.... It was full of eyes, with a pliable texture and sliced easily....



The taste was most definitely that of a mild "Swiss".... We will sample it each 2 months until the last of it reaches 8 months of age....

PPPS.... At 6 months, the "Swiss" flavour is quite strong, and it is picking up a bit of bitterness from the Mucor rennet as it ages.... Next time we will be using Chy-Max....  

Bob