Just curious if anyone has recreated this recipe.
https://cheesemaking.com/collections/recipes/products/wine-infused-cheese-recipe
I want to try something wine infused but not really sure why it calls for a buttermilk culture. I don't have that culture and don't plan on picking it up. I was thinking of using Kazu instead. Or possibly making an infused Gouda. Any opinions or personal experiences?
Buttermilk culture basically translates to mesophilic bacteria. Kazu has both meso and thermo, but that won't necessarily hurt. I'd say give it a whirl and tell us how it goes!
Well now you have me curious.... I am limited on cave space and time. If you were doing this make would you do Kazu or Meso II?
Yes :-) Either one will be good. Probably I'd go with the Meso II since I guess the extra complexity from the Kazu will be lost in the wine taste.
I checked the details on each of these - looks like Meso II is about as plain-jane as you can get, having only Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris.
Kazu definitely offers much more complexity, haviing not only LLC, but also Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis - all of these are mesophilic; the last one adds some buttery flavor and some mild gas production - not necessarily enough to cause visible holes, but can loosen up the structure a bit. I wonder if that might help the wine infusion??
Kazu also has the thermophilic Lactobacillus helveticus, which is not really an acid producer per se, but adds a nutty flavor component.
Mike's point is a good one - would the wine overwhelm the additional complexity offered by Kazu? Could be ... but if you already have Kazu on hand, I wouldn't go out and buy the Meso II just for this reason.