Phoenix

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Camemberts have been pretty reliable for me up until now.
I started my latest batch early in November so that they would be ready for Christmas. After eight days, with no sign of PC growth, I decided to do something so I sprayed with more PC. Two days later and wild moulds were starting to appear.
I decided the only way to salvage something was to change tack and start washing the rind. After four days of washing, a few small patches of PC put in a belated appearance, only to be wiped out by the wash.
The result, about seven or eight weeks after I started, are some very nice washed rind cheeses which I think of as the Phoenixes.
I still don't know why the PC didn't grow. That has never happened to me before and the only thing I did differently was to double the size of the batch. Still, what I ended up with is pretty satisfying.

[GortKlaatu]

A cheese for you for ingenuity and for a super cool name (and reference.)

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Thanks, Gort.

[Boofer]

Wow, nice save experiment effort, Andrew. Have a cheese.

Looks like you've transitioned this cheese into something similar to a Pont-l'Évêque.

-Boofer-

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Thanks for the cheese Boofer.
It is some time since I have had Pont l'Eveque but, yes, I think it is somewhat similar.
Looking at your notes, the make appears similar. I included a little brandy in the wash, as in making Eppoises.

[LandyDaff]

Wow, nice save experiment effort, Andrew. Have a cheese.

Looks like you've transitioned this cheese into something similar to a Pont-l'Évêque.

-Boofer-

or Red Hawk - all the way down to a bloomy that (accidentally) ended up being a successful washed rind.

[AnnDee]

Wow! Amazing looking cheese Andrew!
AC4U!

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Thanks, Ann. I was pretty pleased with it.
What I learned from it is not to give up on cheese too quickly if things go wrong.
I still do not know why the PC did not grow. I started a new batch of Cams the other day. Same process and ingredients but these seem to be doing what they are meant to.