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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => ADJUNCT - Lactic Surface White Mold (Penicillium candidum) Ripened => Topic started by: Al Lewis on November 26, 2016, 10:50:29 PM
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For those newcomers to the forum, a while back I attempted to hack the recipe for Vacherin Mont D'Or. Not sure if I achieved what I set out to do but what I finished with was delicious. A couple of the cheese supply sites apparently picked up on it. If any of you would like to try it, here's the recipe. Enjoy!!
Vacherin Mont D'Or (according to Al Lewis) LOL
4 gal Whole Milk (raw is best)
½ tspn Mesophilic Culture (Flora Danica)
3/8 tspn of Penicillium Candidum
1/32 tspn of Geotrichum Candidum
¾ tspn Calcium Chloride (diluted in ¼ cup cool water)
¾ Vegetable Rennet Tablet (dissolved in ¼ cup cool water)
.44 lbs non-iodized salt mixed with 1 gal water for brine
Place milk in stainless steel pot and add the calcium chloride solution stirring in top to bottom for 1 minute. Sprinkle cultures on the top and stir in gently, using a top to bottom motion, for 1 minute. Heat the milk to 86° F. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Add in the rennet solution, agin stirring from top to bottom for 1 minute. Allow to sit, undisturbed, for 50 minutes while maintaining temperature.
Check for a clean break. If necessary let sit for a further 5 to 10 minutes.
Cut the curd into pea sized pieces and let stand for 10 minutes.
Slowly warm the curd over 35 minutes to 100°F while stirring slowly.
Let curds settle and rest for 10 minutes. Maintain temperature.
Pour contents of pot into a muslin lined colander and allow to drain for 10 minutes.
Divide the curd and place into prepared molds. Press at 20 pounds for 30 minutes. Flip and press at 20 pounds overnight.
Remove from molds wrap with spruce bark soaked in steeping hot water. Tie around bark with butcher's twine, using a butchers knot, and soak in brine for 12 hours.
Remove from brine and pat dry with paper towels and allow to sit on a mat at room temperature for 24 hours, flipping after 12 hours.
Place in cheese cave/container at 54°F, 85% RH for one week flipping, and drying, daily.
Once the PC has developed, wash the top side of the cheese with the brine and flip allowing the PC to grow on the other side. Repeat this process every two days for 5-6 weeks. Remove the string and box.
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The molds I used allowed me to slice each cheese into two to get them to the correct thickness. I would recommend you use a 5" diameter mold and slice the cheeses to the height of your bark. It will get thicker when you brine it. It actually "puffs" up! LOL Also, do not use rubber bands unless it's absolutely necessary. The cheeses will turn out egg shaped. Butchers twine is better. As I said earlier, not sure if this is the real thing but it sure is worth the effort to make. When done open the tops, put in a tablespoon full of white wine, heat in the oven, stir and enjoy!!
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One of my absolute favorites... Delicious!
AC4U!
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Yeah, these are back in my immediate future. Need to fill that new cave and 6 or 8 of these will go a long ways towards that. They are delicious!!! :P
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I hope that your new cave works great. Where do you get the bark from?
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I got it from the Artisangeek. Should be available everywhere over there though. It becomes part of the cheese so there's no re-using it.
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Thanks! :)
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Wow wow wow!
I am sorry but I am stealing your recipe. I have the spruce bark for sometime now and this post has inspired me to make vacherin too, thank you Al!
What the the diameter of the mold? Do 4 gals of milk only make 5?
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If you use 5" diameter molds you should be able to squeeze 6 out Ann.
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Is the spruce bark long enough for 5?
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The ones I got from Artisangeek were. ;D
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Very tantalizing, Al. Seems like a refreshing change of pace and a worthwhile challenge for me. Thanks for that.
This link (http://www.davidlebovitz.com/vacherin-mont-dor-cheese-fromage/) further whets my appetite for this style.
-Boofer-
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I baked mine as described in the article you linked to, see the second pic I posted. It was delicious my friend!!! ;D Here's a little motivation for you guys to make your own. LOL
http://www.murrayscheese.com/vacherin-mont-dor (http://www.murrayscheese.com/vacherin-mont-dor)
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I have had it and can verify that it is very good.
It was on my list of cheeses for my wife to bring back from Switzerland when she went a few years back
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Did you sanitize the bark somehow?
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You place it in near boiling water for about 30-60 minutes prior to use. That makes it very limber so you can wrap it around the cheeses.
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It must be safe then... :-)
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Be careful - if you boil it too much and it becomes too limber, you might wind up with ...
... wait for it ...
limberger cheese!
Okay, okay - I need to spruce up my puns a bit ... :)
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Be careful - if you boil it too much and it becomes too limber, you might wind up with ...
... wait for it ...
limberger cheese!
Okay, okay - I need to spruce up my puns a bit ... :)
You always have a creative mind, Andy ;D
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Creative is one of the nicest ways that anyone has ever put it. Usually the words used are ... less complimentary. :)
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Just couldn't resist the temptation and had to buy a Mont D'or today... :P
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That's cheating!! LOL >:D The site I referenced over here that sells them is on the east coast so I can't even get one unless I want to chance flying it out here overnight. Way too pricey!!
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I'm blessed with a very nice cheese store close to where I live: https://goo.gl/maps/MC7YNgja3b52
:-) Danbo
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Apparently! LOL Lucky dog!!! ;)
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i currently have some on to go but my recipe is alot different that your . didnt cook the curds or press plus a few other things
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It must be safe then... :-)
i soak my bark in a 6% brine for 12 hrs . keeps the mold grow away.
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Thanks for the tip. Your cheese babies look good! I look forward to following their progress. :-)
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Sounds like the recipe found here. https://www.cheesemaking.com/montdor.html (https://www.cheesemaking.com/montdor.html) Interested to see how they turn out without pressing. Why don't you want the mold on the spruce strips?
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Sounds like the recipe found here. https://www.cheesemaking.com/montdor.html (https://www.cheesemaking.com/montdor.html) Interested to see how they turn out without pressing. Why don't you want the mold on the spruce strips?
its a high multiple cheese x5 so to me it doesnt make sense to press and the wrong type of mold can ruin your cheese. anything can grow on your spruce plus its how a well known cheesemaker makes it.seems like you wrap then brine so its the same thing . i brine then wrap so it doesnt dont appear to swell because i apply the spruce after
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Yeah, I based my "hacked" recipe on videos of folks in France and Switzerland making the cheese so it's going to be different, and perhaps wrong, but they show them lightly pressing the curds and PC growth on the bark so that was the basis for my questions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEywOmR6Ca0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEywOmR6Ca0)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrqjEFdWdeM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrqjEFdWdeM)
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Yeah, I based my "hacked" recipe on videos of folks in France and Switzerland making the cheese so it's going to be different, and perhaps wrong, but they show them lightly pressing the curds and PC growth on the bark so that was the basis for my questions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEywOmR6Ca0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEywOmR6Ca0)
pc is super dominant when it has been growing in the same place for 50 years plus but not when its a small wine fridge with multiple types of mold around .
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Okay Danbo, I couldn't resist any longer. In 3-4 weeks I'm having a cheese party with me and the wife. LOL
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looks just like my cheese lol . cheddar in the red ?
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Al, you've been busy... :)
It looks awsome... I really envy those Mont D'ors.
:) Danbo
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looks just like my cheese lol . cheddar in the red ?
Yep, the red wax is a 4 pound cheddar. I did a 5 pound Tomme with mycodore in it and a 4.5 pound muenster. Just finished the Mont d'Or today so I'll have to find something else to fill the cave. Thinking about putting the waxed cheeses in the door. ;D
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Al, you've been busy... :)
It looks awsome... I really envy those Mont D'ors.
:) Danbo
I'm going to really enjoy those! :P
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Wait...let me send you my shipping address. ;)
Wow, you're a busy little cheese maker, Al.
-Boofer-
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Boofer I actually tried to ship some cheese to Alp back when he showed me how to make the Mutschli but it went sour before it got to him and cost me a fortune to ship. LOL
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I actually bought in to his creamery project way back in time. It has been a while now since then, but I think I may actually see some of the fruits of his Swiss canton labors soon. Either that, or I got hoodwinked. ::)
-Boofer-
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looks just like my cheese lol . cheddar in the red ?
Yep, the red wax is a 4 pound cheddar. I did a 5 pound Tomme with mycodore in it and a 4.5 pound muenster. Just finished the Mont d'Or today so I'll have to find something else to fill the cave. Thinking about putting the waxed cheeses in the door. ;D
my vacherins are coming aging nicely
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Looking good! :)
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Started to see the first signs of PC growth on these this morning while flipping. Not enough to photograph but there should be plenty there tomorrow, hopefully. :o
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my vacherins are coming aging nicely
I find it interesting that when making these the Mont d'Or in Switzerland is made with pasteurized, actually it's thermized (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermization), milk and the only difference with the French is the name and the use of raw milk. They are all known as Vacherin in the local area they are made. They pick up the Mont d'Or and du Haut-Doubs based on the area they were made.
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I actually bought in to his creamery project way back in time. It has been a while now since then, but I think I may actually see some of the fruits of his Swiss canton labors soon. Either that, or I got hoodwinked. ::)
-Boofer-
Yeah, I passed on that offer. Haven't seen much of him lately. That's a shame as he brought so much knowledge to the forum. I wonder if he ever finished and sold the video he was making?
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my vacherins are coming aging nicely
Looking great!
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Well the little devils got their first washing yesterday and will get another tomorrow. Figured as long as i had bloomies in the cave I might as well do some cambozolas for the wife. She loves them. The tricky part is getting the blue line in the middle. :o Cave's starting to fill up nicely. ;D
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Thumbs up! :)
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Really sweet-looking cave, Al. Nice!
-Boofer-
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Question, how do you not get the transfer of cultures/molds to your other cheeses when they are all in the same cave ?
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I clean and flip my cheeses regularly. The cutting boards I had made do a great job of isolating the cheeses as do the ripening boxes on the bottom as they nearly reach to the sides of the cave. The cheeses with PC are together and the Cambozolas do not normally have blue on the exterior. Blue is the most difficult to contain. I'm waiting for these to develop a lot more before I do another blue. When I do I normally wrap them in two layers of butter muslin to help contain the blue and stop it's spread. That works fairly well but not 100%.
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Well the second washing today and I pierced the cambozolas. Note that I replaced the original string I tied these with with rubber bands. I would suggest that you use the rubber bands as the cheeses tend to shrink a little but the string is almost impossible to tighten. The rubber bands do it for you. ;D
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Question, how do you not get the transfer of cultures/molds to your other cheeses when they are all in the same cave ?
depends of your setup but washing your hands in between touching different cheeses,temp and humidity inhabits certain molds ,regular maintenance by washing of unwanted molds when the show up and i use mirco caves
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When i have a multitude of different cheeses ageing in the cave I always handle them in the order least likely to contaminate the next one .
It goes with out saying that blues are always last.
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my vacherins are coming aging nicely
Any updates on these? How are they coming along? :D
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Just a quick update. Doing great!!
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Oh those look great Al. Glad to see you are back on a cheese binge and a AC4U to break the 150 mark!
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Thank you for the cheese! Yeah it's fun to be back. ;D
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Hi all,
I feel like knowing you because I read your recipes and your exploits for 1 month. I have just registered ...
I started my first cheeses type Gorgonzola since last Monday. By browsing the forum I came across the Mont d'or, one of the cheeses that I would like to make.
I get a thesis from a veterinary student who is on the Mont d'Or cheese. The student came from the region so she spent a lot of time in a cheese factory that produces the Mont d'Or to write her thesis.
Unfortunately for you, the thesis is in French .... but Google translation is our best friend.
The thesis becomes very interesting on page 37 and the following pages.
Among other things, you can read reads: "The most suitable yeasts for the manufacture of Mont d'Or are thermophilic leavening: they produce less acid than the mesophilic leaven for the temperatures used in the manufacture, Order of 30 ° C .... ".
I enclose the document that you will be able to translate and apologize if my English is not perfect because I am francophone.
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Way cool thanks ,
And here is your first cheese
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Hi all,
I feel like knowing you because I read your recipes and your exploits for 1 month. I have just registered ...
I started my first cheeses type Gorgonzola since last Monday. By browsing the forum I came across the Mont d'or, one of the cheeses that I would like to make.
I get a thesis from a veterinary student who is on the Mont d'Or cheese. The student came from the region so she spent a lot of time in a cheese factory that produces the Mont d'Or to write her thesis.
Unfortunately for you, the thesis is in French .... but Google translation is our best friend.
The thesis becomes very interesting on page 37 and the following pages.
Among other things, you can read reads: "The most suitable yeasts for the manufacture of Mont d'Or are thermophilic leavening: they produce less acid than the mesophilic leaven for the temperatures used in the manufacture, Order of 30 ° C .... ".
I enclose the document that you will be able to translate and apologize if my English is not perfect because I am francophone.
Thank you very much! I could have used this when I first tried hacking this recipe. Now the recipe seems to be everywhere. LOL I will certainly read it with interest and, once again, thank you for the input. I really want to make the real thing! :P
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I put that hope this could help ! (Page 62-63 explain also the how to)
I starting for vacation 2 weeks next Friday so I can't start the recipe but will start when I'll be back.
During my vacation I will made a document short and sweet extract from the thesis.
I went to Canada 26 years ago but born near the area/state of Doux where is made the Mont d'or so I used to eat this cheese and know very well the taste of it.
I will start the production when I'm back.
Stay tune and my best cheese to all ^-^
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Just as a follow up, I heated one of mine this morning with a tablespoon of white wine. Not as creamy as I would like, may have gotten it too hot, but delicious. Made for a great breakfast treat!
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Seems very good .... and without doubgt tasty ..
The next one you will eat, can you take a pict when you cut a portion ?
Just curious to see what it's look like inside before heated.
Thx.
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Baked Vacherin mont d'Or for breakfast....I think only a cheese maker will have that menu. ;D
A cheese for your Al, that looks delicious. I have to rummage through my stash and microwave some caerphilly + caciotta to satisfy my craving.
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Ah, life style for the rich and famous! You don't need anymore cheeses but I will give you one anyway. Nice job Al! :P