In the Camembert recipe in Artisan Cheesemaking at Home, Mary Karlin says to stir 5 tablespoons of salt into the curds and whey before the curds are removed. This is a 3 quart recipe. That sounds like a LOT of salt. I realize that a lot of this salt will be removed with the whey.
Can I get a reality check on this please? I already made the cheese (!), but now I'm having night sweats. I doubled the recipe and was shocked to see how much salt, 10 tbsp, I was adding.
BTW, they look perfect so far, 2 days in.
That does sound like a lot... it's not on her list of corrections, so I don't know. :-\
Ooooh ! that is a lot - have a look at the amount I use.
Now that said.... if you are adding salt to the Curds before you drain them will have a couple of effects. First, it will make the cheese too salty and second, I think it is being added at the wrong time as adding salt will halt the pH development. The salting of Camembert happens after the cheese has ripened, I do that overnight, the pH of the cheese needs to be about 4.6-4.8 before you hand salt or brine salt them.
Try this recipe
https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,13412.0.html (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,13412.0.html)
Don't give up !! 8)
-- Mal
Quote from: Stinky on December 02, 2014, 01:37:12 AM
That does sound like a lot... it's not on her list of corrections, so I don't know. :-\
Right. I downloaded the errata when I got the book, but it appears that my book is a second edition because all the changes are already in the book.
Quote from: OzzieCheese on December 02, 2014, 01:48:18 AM
Ooooh ! that is a lot - have a look at the amount I use.
Now that said.... if you are adding salt to the Curds before you drain them will have a couple of effects. First, it will make the cheese too salty and second, I think it is being added at the wrong time as adding salt will halt the pH development. The salting of Camembert happens after the cheese has ripened, I do that overnight, the pH of the cheese needs to be about 4.6-4.8 before you hand salt or brine salt them.
Try this recipe
https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,13412.0.html (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,13412.0.html)
Don't give up !! 8)
-- Mal
The pH was at 5.84 when I added the salt. That was 3 days ago.
This morning, when I flipped them, I measured the whey pH: 4.58. They seem perfect. I could eat them right now :)
Here's a pic of them just before they went into the cave.
(http://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/images/3/7/1/8/3/_mg_9253-64305.jpg)
They do look good . . . and I supposed the proof is in the eating - try a small scrap of the cheese on the tray and see what the salt is like, you might be ok as you mentioned before a lot of the salt would probably remain in the whey and hence drain away. The pH sounds about right. There are many roads to the same destination. Just a little point, make sure when you get a slight fuzzy covering, about the 7-8 day mark, get them into a colder fridge. I move them into my household fridge (4degC) for the remainder of the ripening.
A Cheese for perseverance.
-- Mal
Quote from: OzzieCheese on December 02, 2014, 02:33:03 AM
They do look good . . . and I supposed the proof is in the eating - try a small scrap of the cheese on the tray and see what the salt is like, you might be ok as you mentioned before a lot of the salt would probably remain in the whey and hence drain away. The pH sounds about right. There are many roads to the same destination. Just a little point, make sure when you get a slight fuzzy covering, about the 7-8 day mark, get them into a colder fridge. I move them into my household fridge (4degC) for the remainder of the ripening.
A Cheese for perseverance.
-- Mal
Right. I've read other's experience (warnings) here. As soon as I see a patina of PC on them, I'm moving them to the other cave (the beer lagering freezer).
Oh now there is a match made in heaven - beer and camembert. I kid you not !! everyone I know asks what wine to have with cheese and they are quite surprised when I say they are missing the better experience.
Here are a couple I've tried and recommend
Stout and Stilton
Guinness and every thing - all right I'm very partial to the black gold. A blue, a sharp cheddar
Pilsner and Camembert
Wheat beers and Emmental or Jarlsberg
Pale Ale (or a nice top fermented lager) and an old cheddar.
Lager and Blue cheese is also a wonderful combination
As I haven't ventured into the 'Stinky' world just yet, i'm sure there are beer and 'Stinky' combos just as wonderful
Experiment !!
-- Mal
Quote from: OzzieCheese on December 03, 2014, 03:37:56 AM
Oh now there is a match made in heaven - beer and camembert. I kid you not !! everyone I know asks what wine to have with cheese and they are quite surprised when I say they are missing the better experience.
Here are a couple I've tried and recommend
Stout and Stilton
Guinness and every thing - all right I'm very partial to the black gold. A blue, a sharp cheddar
Pilsner and Camembert
Wheat beers and Emmental or Jarlsberg
Pale Ale (or a nice top fermented lager) and an old cheddar.
Lager and Blue cheese is also a wonderful combination
As I haven't ventured into the 'Stinky' world just yet, i'm sure there are beer and 'Stinky' combos just as wonderful
Experiment !!
-- Mal
Haha, you don't have to tell me. You can see my camemberts sharing space with some fermenting beer. There's a couple of carboys of pale ale and also a couple of a vanilla bourbon porter. They'll be kegged in a week.
(http://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/images/3/7/1/8/3/_mg_9258-64307.jpg)
Awww ! that brings good feelings to my heart . . . .
-- Mal
Take it easy Mal. You're drooling all over the forum.
Sorry !! ;D
Closing the loop on this thread... I've been eating these camembert and the salt was not a problem.
https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,13747.msg103990.html#msg103990 (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,13747.msg103990.html#msg103990)