Spring "Stilton"

[T-Bird]

Started this cheese 2-20-2012,molded on 2-21-2012, smoothed and caved on 2-26-2012. Then a pic from1 week post caving at 50 deg. P roqueforti source was a Tuxford and Tebbert creamery Stilton.

[T-Bird]

Looks like I can finally post pics. Thanks Boofer!

[Jen R]

HI T-Bird, your stilton looks great. I made one yesterday but the recipe didn't mention anything about smoothing the rind. Can you elaborate please.

[T-Bird]

I got the procedure from this board and from a series of  Stilton cheese making videos that someone posted here a couple of years ago. Basically what I do is when I unmold the cheese after flipping 2 times a day for 5 days at room temp I take a very clean knife and scrape the curds to smear them over each other to form a skin when they dry more in the cave. This helps to seal the cheese and make a pretty rind. Another thing counter to my recipe is I don't pierce initially, I wait 5 weeks and I only pierce once. I also don't periodically scrape the mold off the rind like my recipe called for. All procedures I learned here.

[H-K-J]

when I smoothed mine over I just rubbed it by hand until there were no cracks or holes, just kind of rubbed and sealed the outside

[anarch]

Looks lovely!

I can't wait to try one of these one day soon .

[Jen R]

Thanks for those tips, I'll try them and report back.

[Boofer]

Looks like I can finally post pics. Thanks Boofer!

It's great to have a good Support Staff, huh? Hurray for your daughter!

Great looking cheese, T-Bird. Will watch this one with curiosity. How long will you age it?

-Boofer-

[T-Bird]

I plan to age it 9 weeks. That has worked well for the last 3 that I have made. When I started (2008), I was aging for 12 wks because that is the time that I read that was proper, but as soon as I was able to get a method that would give me a good blue penetration into the paste, 12 wks was too long- too much "eating of the cheese" by the mold for my cheese size . I was however, using generic mold powder then. I began using Stilton harvested mold at the same time I decided to shorten my ageing time. I have read that blues "just get better with time" but I don't know if that includes the small "home owner" style cheeses that I make.Maybe with this more cheese specific molds, I could age longer and get a better result? My Christmas Stilton posted here was typical of my last 3 that I made and didn't know how to post. I think that is about the best that I can hope for given my skill level and equipment ect. So, after all that-9wks.

[T-Bird]

Pierced today at 5 weeks, smells good. I can feel some voids with the skewer , hopefully it will turn out! At least now I can send pics.

[DeejayDebi]

Is it my laptop or did it turn purple?

[T-Bird]

Ha! it does look a little purple!-it a'int purple in person. I'm still getting this whole lighting, picture taking thing together.

[DeejayDebi]

Mine always looks yellow. Maybe the lights alot of butterfat too.

I does look kind of neat in purple though. 

[T-Bird]

Opened this rascal today! Tastes as good as it looks. This is such a cool hobby!

[Threelittlepiggiescheese]

wow! That looks fantastic!