Camembert - John's Batch #12

[Cheese Head]

Twelfth Camembert batch based on Wiki: Brie/Camembert Cheese Making Recipe.

Versus previous batches, used some of recommendations from Francoise: This make used MM100 as no MA4001, waited full 90 min between adding starter culture and rennet to better allow pH to drop, added Geo (forgot to leave out), cut curd at shorter 45 min vs previous 60 min, stirred cut curds longer for 45 min before hooping to expel more whey, to get better rind bloom still dry salted as too lazy to brine but also dry salted circumference not just ends.

MAKING

• Apr 15, 2012:


• 11:50AM: Poured 3 fresh 1 US gallon jugs of Kroger cheapo brand store bought pasteurized homogenized whole cow's milk into new Cuisinart Brand ~3 US gallon stainless steel stockpot on cooker. Found did not all fit in, reasonably max is -2 cups, ie 2+7/8 US gallons, milk at 50°F, turned gas heat on low. Tricked and stirred in 3/4 teaspoon diluted CaCl2. Measured and sprinkled ~0.6 grams Danisco's Choozit Brand Mesophilic Starter Culture MM100, 4-5 puffs of Choozit Penicillium candidum VS strain spores, and 2 puffs of Choozit Geotrichum candidum Geo 13 strain spores onto milk and stirred in with perforated ladle.
• 12:10PM: Milk at 86F/30C, turned gas off, covered and set aside for pH to drop.
• 1:30PM: Melted ~0.8 grams powdered rennet crystals in 1 cup room temperature filtered & reverse osmosis tap water, trickled into milk and stirring in 1 min, removed stirring ladle and covered while waiting for curd to set.
• 2:15PM: Checked curd set, good, cut curds into ~1 cm/0.5 inch diamonds, set aside for 30 minutes for cut curds to heal and start expelling whey, stirred cut curds gently very 5 minutes to minimize clumping, help expel whey, and to break up any large pieces.
• 3:00PM: Found draining board (huge polyethylene cutting board) warped as stored incorrectly horizontally, raised far end away from sink with 1/4" lift (set of scissors) to aid draining. Set draining tray on top and then six cut mats then six Camembert hoops on top.
• 3:20PM: Ladled cut curds with new sieve ladle into 6 hoops, all curds used and 1" / 2 cm left at top of hoops.
• 3:30PM: Poked 3 fingers four times around perimeter and twice into middle of curd to try and reduce amount of pockets of whey and resultant pockets in sides of cheeses. Additionally used electric vibrating toothbrush to try and vibrate pockets out but it didn't do anything.
• 4:20PM: Turned cheeses.
• 6:00PM: Turned cheeses in hoops, no sticking.
• 9:00PM: Turned hoops, poured just under 1/2 teaspoon dry salt on tops while still in hoops.
• Apr 16, 2012:


• 6:00AM: Turned poured just under 1/2 teaspoon dry salt on tops.
• 5:00PM: Removed from hoops and placed in humidity ripening container in fridge cheese cave to bloom.
• At this point following text is just copied from previous make.

BLOOMING

• Apr 17, 2012 Age 2 Days: Moved cheeses into large ripening box and placed in high temp cheese cave fridge to bloom.
• Mar 17, 2012 Age 7 Days: Small PC bloom started.
• Mar 18, 2012 Age 8 Days: Starting patting down small PC bloom and moved to cold kitchen fridge, still in large ripening box but without lid to reduce humidity.

RIPENING

• Mar 22, 2012 Age 12 Days: Medium PC bloom, still patting down, replaced lid cracked to reduce drying of cheeses.
• Mar 24, 2012 Age 14 Days: Medium PC bloom, patted down, replaced lid cracked to reduce drying of cheeses.
• Apr 1, 2012 Age 22 Days: Medium PC bloom, patted down, replaced lid cracked to reduce drying of cheeses.

NOTES

• Next batch insert fingers before first turn and vibrate with electric toothbrush and observe if any bubbles rise to surface and once hoops removed see if less holes around sides.

[Cheese Head]

Pictures to go here.

[luiscaraubas]

Hey John, Did you take any pics after these camemberts are done?