Wannabe-lactic cheese fail (Updated: Success!!)

[kookookachoo]

Thank you!  I'm making Chaource again tonight.  There's a lot of empty space in my cheese cave that's begging to be filled.   I'm going to use your recipe & suggestions, too.  I have a feeling it's something I will like more.  I've been so busy at work & orders (my little home business) for a week or so, I've not been able to make any cheese at all.  I'm antsy to get started tonight!

[iratherfly]

Good luck!

By the way, I think that that C201 which I couldn't make up last week what it was, is a starter bacteria for Feta type cheese.

[kookookachoo]

Oh, Yoav!  I'm a little apprehensive & worried (and a little heartbroken, too).  I made my cheese last night.  I only used one gallon of milk, as only my hubby & I like to eat this cheese (the kids can't be talked into it, my 2nd child tasted it, pronounced it yummy but decided he'd like to stick to the fetas & mont jacks).  Anyway, I wrote down the recipe, cos my daughter had the laptop & I didn't feel like running back & forth to the desktop comp.  I wasn't using my 200 Easy Cheeses book this time.  Anyway, for some reason, I had written down 1/2 tsp rennet.  Everything else is accurate, based on the 2 gal recipe (but adapted for the lesser gallon make).  I honestly have no idea how I got 1/2 tsp!  I even had my glasses on.  Needless to say, there was a quicker set time to the curds than the last time I made it.  In fact, while I was stirring it, it started curdling!     I have a bad feeling there will be an undesireable bitterness to this. 

Will this make be salvageable at all or should I just chuck the whole thing?  I just checked, it's in a big mass, fully separated from the sides of the pot, in the middle of the pot, so it's probably ready to be ladled off soon.  I was thinking of maybe chancing it...unless it's totally pointless & I shouldn't even waste my time & cave space for it. 

The bad thing is, I even rechecked a couple of times, but somehow, my mind had a block or something & didn't realize the discrepancy of that!  Pooh..I could totally kick myself! 

[iratherfly]

Well, this is turning into an accidental Camembert!
It's only one gallon, don't be so bothered.  It is really important that you run cheesemaking like a pilot's chacklist and NEVER make cheese without your list.

Don't look at this like a Chaource because it's strictly a rennet-coagulated cheese now (and a very acidic one at that!) so I suggest you mold and age it like a brie (wide low disc form factor) and age it the same way.  Bitterness may occur but it may also come out delicious and you would have accidentally have discovered a new cheese... My feeling is that most of that bitterness will take place once the cheese is over-aged anyway.  Age it 24 days (+/-3) af 55F or 30-35 days at 50F I think this may give you ...cheese

[kookookachoo]

LOL Funny that you say that, I was searching for "added too much rennet" & trying to see if I can even do something with it.  Sigh. 

I'll follow your advice & think of this as...mystery cheese.   I won't age it as long then, to (hopefully) escape too much bitterness.  Keep my fingers & toes crossed & hope for the best!   

I agree with you about the checklist, too.  I'm usually so obsessive about this, don't know where I dropped the ball on this.  Crud! 

[iratherfly]

Well, that's how some of the best cheese and techniques get discovered. The history of cheese is nothing more than a collection of "and they ate it anyway"s.

By not aging long, I meant, avoid getting it too soft or out there at the 6 week mark. Give it at least 3 weeks though, you don't want to age it too little.

[kookookachoo]

Oh, right!  That's what I meant, too.  I would like to age it 14 days, at the very least.  I actually did more than that the first time, only cos we didn't get back from vacation.  I have to note that I did eat a bit of the rind of that last make..don't know if I posted that part...and it was kind of...different.  Not entirely unpleasant, but not good, either.  Curiousity just got the better of me.   

[iratherfly]

You need more than 14 days for a rennet coagulated cheese like that. In my opinion, minimum 21 days. My opinion though...

[kookookachoo]

Hey, your opinion is valuable to me, so I'm adding that to the note I've got on the fridge door.  Poor thing will probably be all sorts of crazy/funky acting, too.  I'm going to chronicle a daily photo log for my own records, too.  Should be interesting!