Hi everyone
I have a technical question on rind development on aged chèvre.
I regularly make a generic aged chèvre (crottin-style) with a geo rind. 100% goats milk - sometimes raw, sometimes pasteurised. I've recently started taking pH measurements during the process to check acidification and have incorporated a longer drying stage (after salting + yeast stage) for the moulded cheese prior to ripening / affinage. These process adjustments have resulted in incredible improvements in paste characteristics - both flavour profile and texture - which is fantastic.
However, with the new process I am really struggling with the rind formation. I've lost the lovely wavy / 'brainy' geo rinds that I used to achieve, with the rind being much less consistent (see attached images) and patchy. No problems with moisture or slip skin though, admittedly the issues are more aesthetic than anything else. The results have been similar with GEO 17, GEO 13, and a blend of both. I use the same quantity of starter culture (MM100) and Geo. I presume the blue mould growth is the result of the longer drying stage with the cheeses open to the air in my kitchen. I would love some advice on improving rind outcomes, if anyone has any tips!
Thanks
