DeejayDebi's FIRST Goats Cheese and Soft Cheese Crottin de Chavignol

[Missy Greene]

hi folks, how did your crottin come out, idratherfly???  I have my first tomme, an ste maure going. think I will try the crottin now. How long did you  age that cheese?? if you did the 2 weeks you should have tried  it maybe for new years??? I have  alpine goats, ready to try some new stuff
Missy from Maine

[iratherfly]

Hey Debi!
I was out of town for a week and since Crottin is such young cheese, I figured I must make it at a time when I am around daily to watch it. I am still waiting for the PLA culture and tiny crottin molds to arrive.

While I was away, I experimented with a successful Chevre, and matured an experimental semi-soft goat's cheese that turned out rather interesting by error. (started as Camembert and added lipase. Accidentally overheated the curd and added ash. Brined it after 2 weeks and got some delicious tangy cheese reminiscent of blue cheese).

I will report back when I finally do it. Probably next weekend.

[DeejayDebi]

Now that's creative thinking ... camember to blue cheese! I was not actually expecting to head out of town when I did I thought I'd have a few weeks but it was the only time we could all arrive to surprise my adopted Mom in Wisconsin at the same time so I was off - cheese be damed!

[iratherfly]

Sorry to hear that Debi. At least you went to Wisconsin, I am sure you got some cheese out of it

The only reason my goat's experiment ended up tasting as sharp as blue cheese was because I used Lipase. There was no blue mold on it, only ash and white bloom.

This makes me think that I can actually come up with a consistently good cheese based on this. Make it larger, cheddar the drained curds a bit with salt and light ash, age for 30 days. Can't wait.

[DeejayDebi]

Oh yes I brought home $90 worth of wonderful Wisconsin cheeses! It would have cost be several hundred here for the same stuff. I tried all kind of stuff I never tried so I could figure out if I wanted to make it. I can't even imagine picking up a 1/2 pound block of anything here for $1.50. Of course I had to get some for frineds and family too.

I think one of the tricks I learned years ago whether it's making cheese or other foods is don't panic. Taste it tweek it make it your own but you can always find something to do with it if you don't panic.

[Cheddarhead]

Debbi,
I apologize, I knew i should have kept reading through these posts, you had previously posted this recipe.. guess it's hard to come across an old hand at cheese
Alynxia
Modify: I read all day long I may miss something but on my next scan through I find and correct

[DeejayDebi]

I just got tickled! Of all the lovely cheeses I have made and posted the one that will not die is the only cheese I've ever made in 30+ years that failed miserably! 

[iratherfly]

Getting ready to make Crottins this weekend or next, I went ahead and purchased a few examples at Whole Foods Market. Tasting them in different stages and styles in the next two days. So yummy. Can't wait to make it. This is one cheese that I must perfect because you can make it in such small batches, give to people, ripen within less than 3 weeks and eat at any time during the ripening process.

[DeejayDebi]

Make sure you drain the curds! Tim Smiths book did not say to drain the curds and as you have seen the first batch following his recipe did not work well. Francous posted a recipe in this thread somewhere I'd try that one.

[iratherfly]

Drain the curds - in what way? Ladle to a mold ike a Camembert? Or in a cheesecloth for an hour over a sink?

I have Tim Smith's book but I am going to try and use Francois' recipe. He seems to know his stuff and I can't wait to try that magic PLA culture. However Tim Smith's recipe seems more traditional as it requires the 18-20 hour wait time to make a true semi-lactic cheese. Did you have success with Smith's recipe?

[DeejayDebi]

This was Smith recipe for the coutins that were really soggy. Scooped into the molds which are tiny and took days to drain. Pre drain the curds in a cloth then put them in the molds and it worked great. I also used Fracouses recipe the second time not Smiths.

[iratherfly]

Drain for how long you think? 1 hour over sink?

[FRANCOIS]

1 hour is sufficient.  You generally predrain until major whey expulsion stops.

[Alex]

A few weeks ago I've made some Crottin style cheeses. After incubation of 36 hours @ 22 deg C, I ladled the curds into self made moulds. I made them from empty chocolate spread and buttermilk cups. Made holes with a hot iron/nail, put them in a special made stand and that's it.
The following pics show the content of the molds at different stages of draining and the final results after 3 to 5 weeks of ageing. The taste is superb, sharp, tangy, firm and creamy at the same time and perfectly salted. In all, great success.

[Alex]

The unmoulded and rippened cheeses