My first Gorgonzola...(and first mold ripened cheese for that matter)

[iamgouda]

So....I finally got some milk, and was able to make my very first Gorgonzola. 

I started with some Jersey milk a farmer supplies me with every week. 


~4:30pm... I heated one gallon of that to 86F, adding 3 oz of my frozen Meso mother culture when it was at 64F.  That way it was melted by
                    the time the milk reached 86.  According to my seemingly somewhat accurate pH meter, the pH of the milk was 6.9 before adding
                    the culture.

5:03pm... Added rennet.  This is vegetable rennet, and the reccomended amounts on the container cause a flocculation time of usually less 
                than 6 minutes.  I added only 10 drops of rennet, mixed with 2 Tbsp of water, and the milk flocculated at 11 minutes.  I used a
                multiplier of 4, so let the milk set up for 45 minutes, which happened to be exactly what the recipe I was following suggested.
                The pH appeared to be around 6.6 now.

6:00pm... Cut curds.  Some of my numbers aren't lining up properly...so I'm not exactly sure about these times.  There is the possibility I let
                 the curds set longer than 45 minutes, but there is also always a little lag time between steps.  I need to work on that!
                  Anyway, I cut the curds into about 1/2 in cubes, and let them rest 10 minutes.  pH about 6.64...



6:17pm...Drained curds.  pH 6.62.  I then hung them up to drain overnight at a temperature of about 70F.  Unfortunately, the night was rather
               cold, and the room ended up getting down to around 60F by morning.


~8:50am...Added starter to second gallon of milk at 50F and warmed to 86.  Let set 30 minutes.

9:33am...Added rennet.  This time flocculation was 10 minutes.  Let set 40 minutes.  pH 6.62

10:25am...Cut curds.  pH was at 6.61.  Let set 10 minutes.

10:40am...Drained.  Let drain for one hour.  pH 6.64.



I mixed up a slurry using 1 tsp of the moldiest part of the Gorgonzola in the fridge with 1/4 cup cool water.  It didn't get completely smooth, but still had some small lumps of cheese in the bottom.



I then cut up the two bags of cheese into ~1 inch cubes.  The morning curd basically crumbled into small pieces, but the evening curd held its shape.



I divided the slurry between the two bowls of curd, and mixed in 2 Tbsp of coarse Kosher salt. 
Then I put the morning curd on the bottom and sides of the mold, and the evening curd mostly in the center.  The top layer of morning curd ended up pretty thin, but it was a complete layer   

My cheese mold doesn't have holes in the sides, so hopefully that doesn't hinder the draining too much.  Yesterday I got the cheese mats, so I was very glad of that!



Now I have to go put the draining cheese into a cool area to drain for 3 days....

If any of this looks wrong, please let me know...I have never done one of these kind of cheeses before.  I am getting a buffer solution for my pH meter, so I'll be able to take care of it properly as soon as it shows up...

I'll post updates as they come along....

[iamgouda]

Well, I pulled the cheese out of the mold today, after 3 days at 55 - 60* draining.
As soon as the mold came off, the whey ran from the pockets you can see all around the cheese.



I salted it, and put it downstairs in the basement, and will be trying to keep it around 55*F for 30 days.  I'm also going to salt it for  the next four days.

Are the huge holes in the sides a debilitating defect or can this still become Gorgonzola?

Oh, and the cheese weighed 3 3/4 lbs.

[Gürkan Yeniçeri]

Hi Goudacheese, it is looking nice. Don't worry about the holes, they will fill with P. Roqueforti in no time.

Why did you add the blue culture and salt after the draining?

[zenith1]

Hi Gouda-looks like a nice effort. I think somewhere in your post you mentioned getting buffer or calibrating solution. I would double check the cal on your meter as a first step just to remove that from the equation. Are you shooting for a rindless Blue? If so you will need to salt the rind pretty heavily, somewhere ~ 10% or a little higher to inhibit the mold growth more heavily on the first day and then as you suggest following up with smaller amounts over the next two to three days. The initial salting of the milled curd has to do with the mold growth. Just a little helps spur it'd growth-too much retards it. Hey Gurkan- they mentioned they were trying to make a Gorgonzola so I think adding the P.R. to the curd as opposed to in the milk with the starter is the proper procedure. The open texture of the wheel might present some issues for you again if you are trying to keep a clean rind. Maybe you could have smoothed the rind like they do with Stilton after you took it out of your hoop. Trial and error baby... No matter how it looks I am betting you will enjoy the flavor!

[iamgouda]

Hi Goudacheese, it is looking nice. Don't worry about the holes, they will fill with P. Roqueforti in no time.

Why did you add the blue culture and salt after the draining?

Thanks! 

I added the salt after draining because that is what the recipe instructed, and I added the blue culture after draining because someone advised me to do that when I asked about making my own inoculate in another thread...
I had gotten a few different suggestions, and decided to go with that one. 

[iamgouda]

Hi Gouda-looks like a nice effort. I think somewhere in your post you mentioned getting buffer or calibrating solution. I would double check the cal on your meter as a first step just to remove that from the equation. Are you shooting for a rindless Blue? If so you will need to salt the rind pretty heavily, somewhere ~ 10% or a little higher to inhibit the mold growth more heavily on the first day and then as you suggest following up with smaller amounts over the next two to three days. The initial salting of the milled curd has to do with the mold growth. Just a little helps spur it'd growth-too much retards it. Hey Gurkan- they mentioned they were trying to make a Gorgonzola so I think adding the P.R. to the curd as opposed to in the milk with the starter is the proper procedure. The open texture of the wheel might present some issues for you again if you are trying to keep a clean rind. Maybe you could have smoothed the rind like they do with Stilton after you took it out of your hoop. Trial and error baby... No matter how it looks I am betting you will enjoy the flavor!

I think it is supposed to be a rindless cheese...the instructions say to scrape the mold off a few times during aging.  One other problem I had that helped the holes form is I didn't do a very good job of keeping the morning curd on the outside of the evening curd.  Some of the tougher evening curd was at the edge, hindering knitting.

Would a Gorgonzola with a moldy rind be stronger than a rindless one?

[zenith1]

Yeah-I think it is supposed to have a clean rind. When it comes to such things it is all about tradition. If you let it mould over on the exterior it would have a stronger flavor for sure and one that is favored by real blue lovers-Sailor and myself included. Sailor I think would have have  new DOC issued here in the US(if we had them). Lots of people feel it is the best part of the cheese. Each to his own....So go with what your preferences are and let it be your guide unless you are trying to duplicate a specific type.

[iamgouda]

I poked the holes today....as the recipe told me to.
I didn't have a skewer 1/16 inch across, but used one twice as wide.
The texture of the cheese was dense and creamy.  I'm looking forward to it!!

[zenith1]

Gouda-don't angst over the size of the holes you made-it will work out fine.

[iamgouda]

Ok, good...

Today the first mold showed up!! 

Am I to turn it every day?  I have been, and when it comes time to turn it, in the morning, the bottom is soaking wet with whey...even dripping.
Will turning it daily allow the mold to grow uniformly?

[iamgouda]

Here's the cheese...the mold just starting to grow...

[zenith1]

Looks like you are on your moldy way. Remember that PR really likes it cool and moist-congratulations on you work. How long are you going to age this one?

[iamgouda]

I was planning on doing this one 90 days.....just following the recipe this time....

[zenith1]

90 days would be a nice target. Looking forward to following your aging into the tasting. Keep us updated...

[iamgouda]

The cheese has been developing very interestingly. 
The variety of organisms that decide to grow on the surface of the cheese are fascinating!
I just scraped it for the first time, since it seemed to have far too much yellow-orange-colored smeary stuff.  It was out-competing the blue.


The edges are also becoming very soft...and I am assuming that is a result of the bacterial growth. (Am I right?  )

I got quite the amount of stuff off the surface, not removing any cheese....



After scraping, it looked like the blue mold had been just somewhat smothered by the other organisms.  I'm hoping it will take over again, after having a second chance....



I broke off a small piece from the side of the cheese and tasted it...just to make sure, since it smells repulsive. 
The piece tasted perfect!  It was creamy, with a fine, but not strong, blue mold flavor.

Just another two months!!