"First Cheese" Camembert #1

[rgreenberg2000]

Awake:

Thanks for the comments/feedback.  I've actually got two makes going, and used MA4200 in one and MM100 in the other, so it will be interesting to see what differences I perceive.  I've got in my notes a reduction in the amount of PC, and also need to pick up some Geo for the next make.

My first batch is just about fully covered in nice white mold at this point, so should be wrapping soon.  The other looks like it will need 2-4 days or so.

Welcome back, and I will surely post up final results here once these get eaten. 

R

[awakephd]

Looking forward to your results, and hearing what if any difference you encounter between using MA vs. MM! After you wrap it, will you finish ripening in your cave, or in the refrigerator? I do the latter - takes a bit longer to ripen (around 7 weeks for the size I make), but I think gives a better result. However, any way you do it, I predict you will find your cams to be much superior to anything you can buy in the store!

[pastpawn]

The big thing for me, when making PC cheeses, is to wrap and refrigerate as soon as it has fur.  I let it go too long before and ended up with cream and ammonia.  Still edible, but you  have to cut and wait for the ammonia to fade. 

[rgreenberg2000]

Andy-

I will be wrapping the smaller one today, and plan to store in the regular refrigerator.  I figured the colder temp would slow things down, but I've got other cheese in the "cave" that needs to stay around 55F.  I'll try to do a side by side taste test of the two makes to see if I can determine any significant difference from the cultures I used.  Will check back in with results!

R

[rgreenberg2000]

The big thing for me, when making PC cheeses, is to wrap and refrigerate as soon as it has fur.  I let it go too long before and ended up with cream and ammonia.  Still edible, but you  have to cut and wait for the ammonia to fade.

Interesting, Andrew.  Not surprisingly, recommendations for when to wrap are pretty much all over the map in various recipes.  The first one is getting wrapped today at 10 days post make, with nice mold coverage.  The other one still has a day or two more of mold to grow before I think it will be ready to be wrapped.  We'll see how it goes.....

R

[rgreenberg2000]

For those watching at home, here's where we are at today.....

Make: 1/5/19
Wrap: 1/15/19
Open: 2/28-3/3/19 (will check firmness around 2/14 just to see how it's going)



Going to need to make some more soon so I don't run out!

R

[awakephd]

Testing firmness to see if it is ready - I generally find that when it starts feeling like there is some "give" in the middle, it is still a week or two from being completely gooey all the way to the center. (That's with the cheese in the refrigerator rather than the cave.) That said ... I have often eaten them at that stage. Typically at that point the center is still firm and crumbly, but it is surrounded by gooey goodness. Very little ammonia, but a wonderfully tasty balance between the gooey and the crumbly parts. Yum! If I start on one that is at this stage, then by the time I get to the last one, it is gooey all the way through. But if I wait until the first one is gooey all the way through, then by the time I open the last one it has gotten rather strong (ammonia).

[rgreenberg2000]

Well, I opened my first cheese today, and was definitely disappointed.  I kind of knew it was going in a bad direction due to the separation of the paste and rind on the sides.  I tried a small slice, and while there were hints of Camembert trying to shine through, it was very bitter and quite ammoniated.  Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that my second batch is suffering the same issue.  I plan to try to leave more whey in the pot, drain more thoroughly, and dry better before caving it the next time around.

Live and learn!

Unwrapped:



Cut open:



Thanks for looking!

R

[cheesehead94]

That's still a good first effort! Looks like you got most of the steps perfect, just gotta make some tweaks and you'll have some great cheese

[mikekchar]

How does the centre bit taste?  I have no experience, but one thing that Caldwell says in her book (which I'm starting to treat as a bible ;-) ) is that a high pH when you are salting will leave more calcium phosphate in the paste.  This in turn buffers the cheese and so it paradoxically doesn't rise in pH as it ages and doesn't get soft.  IIRC, the symptoms are having the ammonia not make it all the way through the paste and you end up like you have it: solid in the centre and liquid on the outside.  If that's correct, then the centre should not have an ammonia taste.  The fix (I guess) would be to allow it to acidify longer before salting (I think you're supposed to let it get all the way down to 4.9).

[rgreenberg2000]

Thanks, guys.  I'll try it again with my tweaks!

Mike, I didn't taste just the paste on it's own, so I can't answer how it was.  Interesting information on the pH, though.  I didn't have a pH meter when I made this batch, so no option to measure where the cheese was at.  I'll pay attention to that on the next make.

R

[pastpawn]

If you cut it and let it sit for a few minutes, the ammonia dissapates.   

[PacoSEDG]

I think you probably did most things well, but the devil is in the details. I am sure the next will be better, keep on trying! 

[awakephd]

Yes, you are very close. Will be interested in the taste test of the middle. I let the cheese "bottom out" in pH - probably more like 4.5-4.6 - before salting. Basically, I assume that the pH can't get too low, so I just let it go for a long time. Of course, my sorry store-bought milk does NOT buffer much at all, so reaching the low pH happens relatively quickly ...