My first attempt at blue cheese

[ophiuchus_99]

I have set up a small cheese operation in my home and decided to try making some blue cheese.  It is only 30 days old but I decided to cut the small block to take a look at it and give it a tase.  It needs a little more time to age but it tastes great.

[panamamike]

Your cheese really looks nice. Keep up the good work.

[Gürkan Yeniçeri]

Unreal. Nice openings and good coverage of PR.

[Curdlessness]

I'm utterly amazed! How did you get the even spread of pockets of blue in the internal body of the cheese? I get a rather creamy, almost spreadably-soft cheese, and the only place I get blue on the inside is the holes I poke in it at the beginning. That is absolutely beautiful on the interior. I'd love to know  how you did it.

[thwaps]

Lovey. I am working up courage to try a blue at some point.

Have a cheese...

[Boofer]

Amazing blue cheese. Have a cheese.

The wheel looks like you've included blueberries! 

The paste is so white...is this goat milk? When was this cheese made? 

Final questions: what recipe did you use and what variant of PR was used?

-Boofer-

[H-K-J]

Amazing blue cheese. Have a cheese.

The wheel looks like you've included blueberries! 

The paste is so white...is this goat milk? When was this cheese Imade? 

Final questions: what recipe did you use and what variant of PR was used?

-Boofer-

Yah, what Boofer said.

[GortKlaatu]

Amazing blue cheese. Have a cheese.

The wheel looks like you've included blueberries! 

The paste is so white...is this goat milk? When was this cheese Imade? 

Final questions: what recipe did you use and what variant of PR was used?

-Boofer-

Yah, what Boofer said.

Yeah, what  H-K-J said about what Boofer said!

[Boofer]

   LOL

-Boofer-

[Curdlessness]

I'm still hoping to get an answer on how the "pockets" of blue were created. All the blue I've ever gotten has been in the holes I poked in the cheese, and no pockets at all. In fact, the body of the cheese has been creamy enough to almost spread on a cracker. No pockets. How do I get the pockets??

[aghIV]

Amazing looking, AC4U! Please do share the details.

[GortKlaatu]

Curd..
The "pockets" depend on the kind of blue cheese you're making....basically they are mechanical holes (from a drier starting curd and no pressing) that then become condos, apartments, and townhouses for the ever increasing populations of P. roqueforti


So some blues that are more consolidated will only have the "tracks" --of the subway tubes that you create with your piercings. 
So to speak,  in urban metaphors.

[Curdlessness]

Oh... Well, if that's what it is, then...

The thing I don't get is, how does one do this? All the cheeses I've ever made (and I know it's only been four) have all had a smooth body, with no mechanical holes.

More to learn!

Thank you...

[Boofer]

If you were to follow Jim Wallace's Fourme d'Ambert recipe you'd see how he dries the curds prior to packing them in the mould.

-Boofer-

[Curdlessness]

Well, heck! That's fantastic!

I'm at the point now in my cheesemaking career where I want to try new things, but I am also exceedingly aware of how limited my knowledge base is. And while all these recipes are fantastic, and are excellent for giving information, tips, and procedures to follow, I am also afraid somewhat that I won't "get it" when I need to.

Argh!

Thank you, ever so much for passing this along! The information is great, and I appreciate it more than you can know!