Hi everyone
I made a cabra al vino using the cheesemaking.com recipe. Followed it with little variation except that my poor cheese had to spend some time in a square container and is not perfectly round.
But it's being aged in a crowded cave. It's closest neighbors are a tomme with a nice, varied rind, butterkase and some bosina robiola (white coat).
The cabra al vino has been picking up some mold from it's neighbors which I brush down regularly (unless I go on vacation and then the cheese stands alone for several days). Most of it has come off, but I've got a few small black spots and I am constantly fighting it.
According to the recipe "You should see very little mold growth on the surface." So, uhh, will my cheese be ok??
Let's be honest, I'll still try eating it, but I'm wondering if there's something I should try now. Wipe it down with wine brine? Salt exfoliate it? Pray for it?
Thanks!
Yes, it will still be fine to eat. You might get some off-tasted in the areas where the spots are ... or not. If so, you can always cut those off. At this point, my experience is that you will never completely get free of the mold unless 1) you thoroughly dry out the rind (which could lead to cracking and its own invitation to deeper mold incursions), or 2) you wax or vac-bag it. :(
I ended up bagging it and just took it out today. It looks right, smells right and tastes wonderful. I ate some about an hour ago and have not yet died, so it seems safe enough.
Next time I will brine it more than once though. The red rind is so thin compared to commercial cheese (and that's what we all have to live up to when it comes to sharing with family).