Mort Malut 6week Update

[bansidhe]

So, I am dip into may Mort Malut this weekend.  It has aged well I think. The color is beautiful. However, after pressing my cheee was a little wider on the top than the bottom. It was pressed in a basket mold.  I should have removed the weight earlier and left it in the form with no weight so that the top and bottom would even out.  Anyway, it did not see so bad initially but here we are 6 weeks later and the end that was slightly large is now much larger.  The cheese in that area feel soft and in the other side not quite as much.  I still think it will be a nice cheese but why would one side "Moosh" out like that? 

[Aris]

Aging it 2 weeks at 68 f will do that. It made the B. Linens and Geo very active.

[bansidhe]

 The recipe specifically called for holding it at 65-68 & 85-90%humidity for 2 weeks. Then hold at 40F for 3-6 weeks.  At the end of the 2weeks it didn't have that crazy foot. I'm going to try it out this weekend.  Fingers crossed it tastes ok.. and better yet tastes like a Port Salut.

[Aris]

Maybe the pH of the cheese also got something to do with the softening. For example an Epoisses is a lactic cheese and very acidic. It becomes really gooey when B. Linens and Geo work on it while Port Salut doesn't because its pH probably doesn't go below 5.1. I still believe you made B. Linens too active and grow quickly because of the high temperature. When it comes to aging cheese, low and slow apply as well not just in barbecue. I made washed rind cheeses/smear ripened cheeses that even after a month or two they still don't have a dominant growth of B. Linens. Then again, the B. Linens culture that I have is over a decade old and its slow like a turtle. It used to be aggressive several years ago.

[bansidhe]

Yeah, you could definitely be right.  I am going to try it soon and see what the inside looks like and how it tastes.  I even bought a portsalut so I could taste them side by side.  :-)

If I take the pH of the cheese as it is today will that tell me something useful? 

[bansidhe]

OK I broke into it this evening.  I think it needed it ripen a few more weeks at least.  There is a nice layer of well ripened cheese, then the paste which is much firmer and very  slightly tart.  When I first tasted the soft part I was very excited because it tasted what I remembered Port salut to taste like.  However, I compare it to a port Salut I just bought and they dont really taste the same at all.

the one I bought is much creamier and has a very, very sight sourness to it. 

I think the soft part of mine tasted ok,.. the inside was a bit firm.  I used pH strips for both cheeses .. and they both gave me a pH of 5.  Does this sound right?  I just pressed the pH strip on the soft cheese.  Is that how it's done?

Anyway pics are below, the first is of my port salt with the store bought.  The store bough is on top.. mine is below.
The other pics are to show the difference in consistency of the paste.

Do you think this is simply because it needed further aging?  Or is there something more sinister at work here?

As always, thank you for your comments

[Aris]

It looks over acidified and the pH of 5 might be right. Try cooking it if it melts. Port Salut is a melting cheese. The problem with some recipes is they don't have pH markers. Even if they do, it is not guaranteed that you'll get the pH right if you follow their directions. Aging that cheese further will soften it more. Best advice I can give you is reserve some curds when making a particular melting cheese and test it by heating it in a small pan with or without water. If it doesn't stretch wait 30 minutes to an hour and try again. If it stretches 2-3 times it size, start dry salting/brining the cheese and put it in a cool environment to make sure pH does not drop anymore. With this method, I never ever have acidic, dry and crumbly cheeses. I've made 9 cheeses this past few months and all of them melts. I have yet to make a cheese that does not melt. This is without using a pH meter or strips. I do have those but they are inaccurate and my senses are better. If I want an acidic cheese (Blue cheeses), I simply let it acidify at room temperature for over 20 hours. Its smell and taste of the whey will be the deciding factor to start dry salting.

[bansidhe]

AC4U Aris!   You say to reserve some curds for the heat/melt test.  Do you press those curds? Or nice a bit off the freshly pressed cheese?
What do you think the proper pH would be before brining?  Today I am making a cheese and with my new acquisition of pH strips, I will be taking pH at several points.  Fingers crossed!  And I'll try the Port Salut next week perhaps...   See if I can get something closer to Port Salut!

And, I will try your test!  Thanks!

[Aris]

Just take some curds before you put all the curds in the mold. Put it in a bowl and cover it so it wont dry. If you take a bit off from a freshly pressed cheese it would ruin its shape and make it deformed. Checking for pH at several points can helpful. I used to do it but I just got better at timing acidity I no longer have to use them. Remember that ambient temperature matters when pressing cheese. Don't press too long or it will over acidify. When brining/dry salting the cheese, putting it in a cool environment ensures the pH won't drop any further.

[MacGruff]

banishde - Looking at your closeup picture reminds me of several cheeses I made that had the same issues. It's mostly acidity and time related. Let it go longer. As you noted, the paste is forming beautifully from the outside in. You said the outside - the softer / gooier part - tasted like the commercial one? That tells you that you are on the right track. You need to give your cheese more time to develop, that's all.

[bansidhe]

That would be nice!  I am letting it continue (even though I did tap into it.). I will also pay closer attention to time and acidity but that's where a lack of experience hinders.  Thanks for the encouragement!

[bansidhe]

I served this slightly over acidified cheese tonight and one person loved it., She said it reminded her of Muenster!  Ha!  So, I think it is on the right track.  I'll try it again but will not leave it out for two weeks.  Maybe I will get it right next time