Ok, it seemed like that worked. I would prefer to be able to insert text in between images, to tell a sequential story, so if anyone can explain how to that, it would be great!
But anyway...
This is my second attempt at a Gouda. My make followed Mary Karlin pretty closely. After pressing, I brined a "medium-heavy brine" (~20% salinity, according to Karlin, ~55˚F) for ~12 hours, then air-dried at room temp for two days until dry to to the touch. Then I let it ripen for a week in my cave (wince fridge, ~55˚F but very low RH ~ 40%). Then I waxed it and put it back in the cave.
The figure shows after about 7 weeks in the cave.
My thoughts at ~7 weeks:
- Flavor is mild but tastes like a mild Gouda, but the paste has exactly the right semi-hard supple texture that it should.
- I would like it to be a bit sharper, and probably more salty. Consider using a more concentrated brine next time.
- I will re-wax half, and age for another few months.
So, I'm fairly pleased with this, but I'm anxious to see what the same cheese will taste like after another few months.
I like the paste texture very much, but I would like the flavor to be a bit more definite. Therefore:
- Should I just age longer and realize that aging is the whole secret?
- In my next make, is there anything I could do to deepen the flavor, but still have it be a Gouda (besides smoking)? e.g., a) can I ripen with mesophilic longer to increase acidity before adding rennet? b) can I only do one wash with warm water instead of two, to reduce how much acidity I remove during washing? c) am I just barking up the wrong tree by thinking that the ultimate "deepness" of flavor is related to acidity during the make? d) would I be making a mistake to use a stronger brine (e.g., a saturated brine) to get stronger flavor by adding a bit more saltiness?
Any advice appreciated.
Thanks,
Matt
PS: Anyone know how to get goat milk in the Madison, WI area that is NOT ultra-pasteurized? It's ok if it's pasteurized, but the three stores here that sell goat milk (Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Woodman's) all only sell ultra-pasteurized, which just does not make a proper curd even after 24 hours and a large amount of rennet + CaCl2. Please see a following post for how I attempted to rescue these failures.