My first blue, the Castle Blue from Debra Amrien Boyes' 200 Easy Cheeses. I am really happy with it, it is delicious, super creamy, oozy at room temp (which is what I wanted) spreadable paste, yummy soft rind, good/sufficient veining, and a lovely full blue flavor. The picture shows it at at *three weeks*, just after slicing it open. It softened through to the center in about 20 minutes at RT. It is one of two, the other was slightly firmer in the center, I have wrapped that in foil and transferred to the cold fridge. Sorry for the crappy picture, I am terrible at photos. Happily, it tastes better than it looks :)
Wanted to caution future makers of this cheese, which I really recommend, to sample this cheese early. No later than three weeks, even earlier if your form factor is smaller. I looked at all the make posts/comments on this cheese here on the forum before I started it, and almost all of them complained about the fact that their cheeses were basically heavily ammoniated/almost melted when aged as directed in the recipe. Boofer's, the only successful make among those posted, was cold-fridged at 3 weeks.
I really think that this is a cheese that you need to core sample at 3 weeks (I just used an apple corer) or you will miss the optimal window for eating/transfer to refrigeration. Happy to post the recipe/make notes if anyone is interested, but don't want to drone on if not.
Looking great! AC4U!
I agree that these soft blues seem to age much quicker than expected!
Thank, Marco!
Looks great. You should post the process since it will keep searchable here longer than in reddit for future cheesemakers :)
AC4U!
Thank you for the cheese, Mornduk! That is a good point. I don't think this one would have turned out very well if it hadn't been for all the posts here from previous makers. Posted below.
Deborah Amrien Boyes/200 Easy Cheeses Castle Blue
Make began 11/24, caved 11/24, fully ripened and/or cold fridged 12/15. Three weeks total.
INGREDIENTS
6.5 qts whole milk
2 cups cream (35% fat). Note: use 2.5 cups since only 30% MF UHT ESL (ugh) available here). Ended up using almost three b/c only a bit left in the carton. Probably a mistake, drain well. Who knows what ESL cream will do to coag/acidification.
¼ tspn meso culture. Note: Boofer used 50/50 FD and MM 100 in second attempt, first with all FD was too slow, so followed his lead.
1/8 tspn PR (Note: Used PR-PV. Activate/hydrate first? Other posts on blues suggest.)
¼ tspn CACL
¼ tspn SS rennet . Note: Seems low for almost two gallons, but other posters complain of bitterness with this cheese, so stayed at this amt for first try.
3 cam molds - Note: Boofer used two, try this and keep a small/St. Marcellin mold ready for extra.
Salt.
MAKE
1. Sterilize all equipment. Prep draining setup with 3 cam molds. Note: Modifying - two for slightly larger form factor, with small mold for extra/tester. Went with the two cam/1 small (St. marcellin) mold, good result.
2. Milks at 90F/32C. Turn off heat. Note: hydrated PR for easier/better mixing. Mixed w/1/4 cup of milk once pasteurized milk cooled to 90F, let sit for 15 ms. When vat at 90F, sprinkled MM100/FD, poured in hydrated PR, let sit for 5 ms then stirred.
3. Sprinkle meso and PR on top of milk/cream mix, let stand 5 ms. Stir up and down gently, drawing culture and mold into milk without breaking the surface of the milk. Cover and let ripen for 90 ms, maintaining temp at 90F/32C.
4. Dilute CACL in ¼ cup cooled boiled distilled water. Add to milk with up and down stir.
5. Dilute rennet in ¼ cup cooled boiled distilled water. Add to milk with up and down stir for 1 minute. Cover pot, wrap, and leave for 60 ms or do flocc test. Note: Flocc test - generally blue = 4 multiplier, but want this to be soft,apparently the original is v soft. See footnote. Try 5.5 (6 on next make if not soft enough, 5 if too soft) or ripen 1 hr if using time.
Flocc'd quickly, a little less than 9 ms. Maybe because of the ESL cream? With quick flocc, even more unsure whether to use a 5.5 or 6 multiplier. Using a 5.5 - 6 multiplier results in 50-54 ms total. Check for CB at 50 ms and go from there. Checked at 50 ms, had a clean break, maybe a bit too clean, went ahead and cut (so end result was 5.5 multiplier.)
6. Check for clean break, cut to 1 inch cubes. Heal for 10 ms. Note: Cut overlarge rather than under, this is followed by a lot of stirring in the recipe. Tried to cut to 1 inch, messed up on the horizontals as usual. Maybe cut too small.
7. Stir curds gently with skimmer constantly for 30 ms or until curd pieces start to shrink in size and begin to mat (curds will stick together in clumps and will heap up on the skimmer.) Note: MAKE SURE THE CURDS CLUMP. DIRIGOMA POST SAID INSUFFIC. STIRRING/CLUMPING /TOO MUCH FINAL MOISTURE WAS A PROBLEM.
Stirring appeared fine, curds clumped.
Let settle.
8. Using a measuring cup dip of whey until you see the surface of the curds. Ladle curd into prepared molds, refilling until all the curd is used up. Note: Fully filled both cam molds and single st. marcellin mold perfectly after 15-30 ms of topping off.
Let drain for 2 hrs, then flip cheeses and molds together. Continue draining for several hours or overnight. Note: Ended up draining over night, draining another two hours as directed by the recipe below, then additional hour more on each side b/c curds still seemed v. moist, and most problems with this cheese seemed to come from excess moisture.
9. In the morning, flip cheeses again and let drain for another 2 hours. Remove from molds and salt tops of cheeses with ¾ tspn salt. Place salted side down on a clean cheese mat in a ripening container and salt remaining side. Note: Although unclear in recipe, Dirigoma post said ¾ tspn per side OK for 3 cam molds. These were two slightly bigger cheeses, one little one, so adjusted salt accordingly. Next time weigh before salting and salt at 2%.
10. Cover container and place in the ripening area. Let cheeses ripen at 50F/10 C and 90%RH. MAX 50F/90 RH. Turn cheeses daily for first week, removing whey at bottom of container with a paper towel. Note: Again, moisture potentially a problem here. Watch and maintain moisture no higher than 90%, also temp no higher than 50F. Better to be a little low than high on temp and RH given excessive moisture issues. Open boxes daily to oxygenate and check humidity.
11. One week after production, pierce 8-12 times from top to bottom and side to side. Return to container and continue to ripen. Note: Yoav says pierce thinner and more to get better blueing. Not enough piercing = less proteolysis because it happens along the piercings/veins.
Pierced on schedule, 7 days out/dec. 1. Pierced more and thinner as per yoav, went from both top and bottom and also sides at an angle. This is the first day blue mold evident, see slight dusting of blue on bigger cheeses, less but present on smaller one.
12. Piece again in the same manner at 2 wks. Continue to ripen for another 4 weeks, turning cheeses weekly. The rind will develop gray-green mold, and cheese will slighten softly. Wrap in parchment and store in fridge for up to 1 month.
Note: Re-pierced, 15 days out, 12/8. Little unsure of timing because recipe called for piercing "at two weeks", not sure if that meant two weeks total from make or two weeks from first piercing, went with the former. Picking up slight ammonia smells over the last couple of days. Left lid ajar in cave today, propped with a couple of paper towels. Good blue mold coverage.
Rereading posts regarding v. fast/excessive ripening. Boofer's successful after re-piercing and wrapping and removing to cold fridge at 21 days, rather than 4 wks as suggested in recipe, probably safer given over-ripening issues. Continue to wipe down moisture/monitor humidity, air daily, plan on removing to fridge at three weeks.
12. After approx. 10 days of ripening, blue mold should be visible on the outside of the cheese.
Note 12/8: 2 weeks out, lots of blue on exterior, but also beginning to see white mold, PC contamination from prior batches of cams? If so, will likely exacerbate over-ripening, watch carefully for the next week and wrap/fridge if seems slip-skin is starting.
Note 12/12: white mold does not seem to be PC, not getting fuzzy. Rind looks ok, but cheeses maybe smelling a little ammoniated? Maybe just bluish. Took them out of container, emptied it out, turned upside down, replaced paper towels, continued to age with lid ajar.
DAB says (see 12 above) cheese should be transferred to fridge when gray-green and softened slightly at one month. **This already seems to be happening at two weeks.**
Note 12/15/three weeks out: took core sample, one of the rounds was soft all the way through, one most of the way. Cut the soft one, perfect spreadable consistency, very creamy paste, great blue flavor, good/sufficient veining. More time than this in the cave would have been too much. Eating the softer cheese, wrapping the other in foil and placing in the cold fridge, should be ready within a week/two max.
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FN: From cheese blogger visiting Debra Amrien Boyes dairy/farm, given sample of Castle Blue: "My Castle Blue looks like a brie gone mad. It's actually the first cheese in 85 that has frightened me. It really is a heinous looking cheese. It's kind of reptilian in appearance-the rind is green and blue and looks wet and scaly. The interior is creamy yellow and shot through with mould. Yikes! I am repulsed, yet fascinated simultaneously. If there's no blog tomorrow, it was the Castle Blue. Here goes...
Hmmmm. Looks can be deceiving. It's just a fabulously creamy, wet almost liquid cheese. It reminds me of Vacherin Mont d'or-this one's a runner. It sticks, it runs, it clings to my teeth, it invades my tongue and my taste buds! The texture is actually the selling point here, it's a carnal and knowing little cheese, and I like that! It's actually pretty mild in taste for how heinous it looks. It's creamy and savoury and yes-there is that hint of blue-but there's no unctuous ammonia hit. It's just a sticky little foray into the fascinating world of controlled rot."
https://myblogofcheese.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/day-86-castle-blue/
Kudos for a pleasing cheese and an instructive dialogue. Others who follow your thread have been given guidance for a successful blue cheese. Have a cheese.
I can see where the possibility of slipskin was avoided. The picture is clean and clear. It offers the viewer a delicious, vicarious taste of your blue efforts. Yum! :P
-Boofer-
Boofer, as you can tell from my make notes I quite literally could not have done it without you!
Thank you so much for the cheese, that means a lot coming from you. I feel like I should write you, Pav, Yoav, Sailor, Debi DJ, Andy and a few others a check for your tutelage/the amazing information that you guys took the time to share over the years.