Morbier

[Tea]

I decided that I wanted to give a morbier a go, so I have used the recipe below for this cheese.  I added pc as I am not going to do a smear, (not appreciated in my house at all) and then I though maybe a wash with wine/spirits to arrest the mould grow.  Not sure yet what course of action I will take.  My apologies to the purest's of this cheese, but I decided that I wanted to have a play and try something different.

https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,1146.0.html

Any help or advice on how to proceed would be much appreciated.

The pics show the cheese after brining, just before going into the fridge.  It is now in a seperate container, and I am hoping that the mould will start growing.

Was surprised me, considering this is my first attempt, that I didn't get more ash everywhere.  So please with that, although I did get a thin line all around the cheese.

[darius]

Man, that looks wonderful!

[Gürkan Yeniçeri]

Good one Tea,

My problem is washing it with B. Linens. And also the low WAF if it smells like... well you know. I will be attempting this recipe next week.

Do you think the B. Linens can be added to milk rather than spraying it? Would there be any difference to aroma?

[dttorun]

Gürkan is right. You need to spay lighly salted b.linen a couple of times 2-3 days apart.
Tan

[Helen]

Tea,

Your cheese looks gorgeous. However, I am a bit surprise to hear of a Morbier without b.linens rind

Looking forward to more pictures!

[Tea]

Ok update on my faux morbier.  The white mould has started to grow and I almost have a complete coverage.  I was thinking that I would let this grow for a week, give or take, then wash with a brine/wine solution.  But for how long?

Yes Helen I realise that this isn't traditional which is why I apologised to the purest.  I though am interested in having my family try different cheeses, but I know that the b linens isn't appreciated, so trying to find a balance.  I may completely fail yet, but I thought it was worth the try.

[Helen]

Oh Tea! I was not being a purist. Just wanted to say that it is a new idea and I can't wait to see the outcome. For one, I am not imaginative enough to try new things.

Maybe when I will have as much experience as you do, I will be as daring

Please post pictures!

- Helen

[Boofer]

Ok update on my faux morbier.  The white mould has started to grow and I almost have a complete coverage.  I was thinking that I would let this grow for a week, give or take, then wash with a brine/wine solution.  But for how long?

Pictures?

I have this image of folks on the forum gathered around, looking over your shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of your Morbier. Very nice, by the way.

-Boofer-

[Tea]

Ok here are the update pics.  Have been turning this every day for the last 5-6 days.

[stoneyridge]

This sounds like it should end up similar to a Humbolt Fog.  Yum!

[Tea]

Update on the faux morbier.  I decided to do an 18% brine using Irish whisky, so finally got around to doing that this morning.  Pic before and after.  The cheese at the moment feels spongy, but not soft, if that makes sense.

[Tea]

Well really disappointed this morning, went to wash and turn again, this is what I found.  Is there any way to heal this now that I have starting washing, or what?  Any help would be much appreciated.

[Boofer]

Wow, I'm sorry that happened to your gorgeous cheese. It's almost like the rind was so tight that it cracked like an egg shell, like Humpty-Dumpty. The paste looks to be quite creamy inside that crack.

Unfortunately, I don't have the experience to know what to tell you. If it were an alpine or something like that I would suggest vacuum-sealing it to try to pull it back together, but you need to keep up the wash regimen so that technique is out.

What was the temp/humidity where you were keeping it?

-Boofer-

[JeffHamm]

Hi Tea,

That's such a shame.  It was looking so promising.  Could you try wrapping a strip of cheesecloth around it like a belt?  That might pull it together and encourage it to heal.  Humidity might require an increase as well perhaps, but I'm not familiar with wash techniques like this, so it may be that it cracked for reasons other than drying out.

- Jeff

[Tea]

Boofer, it does look like a cracked egg, and I have to wonder with such a large crack and a smaller one starting on the other side, whether there is gas building up inside?  I am really hoping not, otherwise what would cause this?  The paste looks very interesting at this stage, so if I can get it to age longer, it will be interesting to see what it ends up as.

Jeff, your two suggestions were my exact thoughts too so I have done just that.  I will replace the wrap with something that doesn't stretch tomorrow, but for now, I soaked it in the whisky brine and wrapped tightly around the cheese.  It was in a humidity box until I started the wash, and I am wondering whether I should have let the rind develop more before removing it from the box.  The strange thing is to touch the cheese feels like it is springy with lots of give.  I can almost close this crack if I exert enough pressure on the cheese.

Surgery pic attached.