I started out with cheesemaking about two months ago.
My fist 3 cheeses were camemberts, made with some different takes on the classical Camembert recipe.
All were made with raw unpasteurized cows milk.
- the first cam (right one on the pic below) I made contained 30% butter milk. I also brined it for 3 hours on day 3. It resulted in a harder cheese and a delayed formation of the fluffy penicillium candidum, which eventually did cover the whole cheese nicely.
After 3 weeks in a large box in the cheese fridge, I decided to wrap it in 2 ply butchers paper. At week 6 I opened the package and saw that the fluff had all but dissapeared into a now slightly moist rind with an orange-y tint
The cheese remained firm and the flavor is highly complex and has a nice tang to it. More like a Munster cheese.
- cams 2 and 3 were both made at the same time with nothing but raw milk and a starter culture (different one than my first cam). They were salted by hand and also resulted in a softer cheese. Nr 2 was ripened 2 weeks in a box and then wrapped for another 2 weeks. It resulted in a creamy, not yet runny, layer under the rind, and a firmer center (see pic of the wedges) number 3 was never wrapped but left to mature one extra week. After 5 weeks, it stated to give af a bit of ammonia smell, so I cut into it. The taste is great, but it’s still firmer than the wrapped one, which was in all respects made identical.
There you go, it shows that tasty surprises happen, and that small twists can make a difference in texture and taste.
Also the raw milk and the cultures you start with have quite some influence, I think. Lots to learn to find that sweet spot that is to the max of your liking.
Pictures below.
Right: brined and wrapped with 30%butter milk, 6 weeks old
Left: just raw milk and starter culture, unwrapped 5 weeks old
Raw milk and same starter culture as left one above, 4 weeks old, but wrapped after week 2
