Yesterday was interesting.
I decided to get a few more soft cheeses going and I though that as the Malembert was the best choice. Well, that didn't workout quite as planned and that will become evident as this tale progresses.
It started out like every other ...
Cleaning
Cleaning
All the while gently warming the milk and cream.
Everything set.
Measuring Spoons akimbo
Milk and Cream prewarmed
Contents Checked
pH meter primed and calibrated.
I won't post endless images of Milk warming this time and concentrate on where it all went a little - just a little - awry.
And here it comes. The old - did you check everything? I though I did. The 'How did it go sheet' tells a different story.
The ripening stage went well based on the pH reading a .08 drop in 90 minutes was awesome. Added the rennet and there my doubts started. Usually, 8 liters will hit the flocculation point in approx. 10 minutes and this time went to 14 minutes. This is on the upper edge of acceptable. So, okay, the floc point was a bit slow and the rennet was still within the date range. My brain was going through all the possible reasons. Suspect milk, calibration error on the pH meter or batteries, old culture, temperature fluctuations all were candidates. The Floc point of 14 minutes added another 24 minutes to the cut time calculation using a floc multiplication factor of 6.
This gave me time to check all the interrogate all the suspects. I changed the pH meters batteries, refreshed the calibration fluid and recalibrated the meter. I checked both the Digital and mechanical thermometers at Boiling and freezing points and both were within tolerances. Rummaged through the recycling bin and checked the empty milk bottles and they were all from the same batch and had 11 days on the useby date. I rechecked expiry dates and there I found a sleeping agent - the best before batch date on the Flora Danica Oct 2015. Ouch! I used this same culture when I was making the Taleggio a couple of weeks ago but that was with a couple of other Messo Cultures.
The evidence was borne out at the next pH check points - after the Curd Cut, stirring for 15 minutes and resting for 15 minutes phases.
The first image is the Curd cut and the second is after 15 stirring. After I rested the curds for 15 minutes the pH was still 6.54 and not at the right target. So, after a another stirring and resting phase the pH came down to 6.51 - 6.50 was still too high but I decided to progress to the hooping stage anyway.
The curds had lost more whey than normal due to the second stirring and resting. I normally have enough to fill 6 normal 100mm cam molds and a couple of Crottin molds for test cheeses but this time there was nothing left over. it was getting late and the flipping will go into the night - to about 10pm.
The only thing to do was soldier on and see what the morning brings.
After flipping for 6 hours I had had enough and went to bed.
The story in the morning was not much more than I suspected. The internal house temp overnight dropped to 19DegC and the pH of the Cheese was on average 5.05 to 5.07. This was quite a bit away from the 4.7-4.8 that I usually aspired too. The cheeses were a little more that the required size at approx. 280gms each - so there is a little more moisture still in the cheese than normal - I'll have to watch that during the maturing phase.
The overnight Temp as well might have contributed to the pH difference. Not much to do but to complete the cheese. I know there are those out there that brine your Cams but, I honestly find the cheese is too salty at the recommended brine levels so I choose to Direct salt (hand salt) and over the years have come to a nice level of saltiness. Its a feel thing...:)
I first put a 1/4 teaspoon of salt on the top and rub it around the top on all six. I then turn them over and put another 1/4 teaspoon of cheese salt on the other side and rub the salt all over, not forgetting the sides, to about one salt crystal in depth and place two in each maturing container.
The containers are then put into the 10-12DegC fridge to wait for the PC and GC to show up.
Oh and the culprit - well me I suppose. The Flora Danica stocks should have been refreshed ages ago. It was a stark reminder to check all my culture stocks. For those who read the 'Red Hound' make you will notice that I needed to refresh my GC and b.Linens and I should have gone through the rest of them - and yes lesson learnt.
For those interested attached is the pH curve for Flora Danica and given the timing even at 6 hours @32DegC I should have been below a pH of 6.0 and even using the 22DegC curve for 13 hours would have me at pH 5.5 and overnight well below 5.0 overnight. I know this is not totally accurate as the temperature drops as soon as you hoop the curds but the end pH should have been a lot lower.
Need more Flora Danica.
This is not a failed cheese just yet as long as I can keep it from over ammoniating by getting them into the 4-6DegC fridge as soon as the molds show up. I'll post progress photos as things happen.
Thank you for this. I am not at the point of checking pH but it was really good to see how pH is used in accessing progress. As I tell my husband, making cheese is easy, making a cheese is hard. Something I learned immediately. HA!
A cheese for you for that brilliant sig :-) I love it!
HaHa! Thank you. I am on my whey now!
Only been three days now but I am already noticing the change in smell from sweet to mildly tangy. It's a weird smell sweet and vinegary(Lactic Acid) at the same time. I'll post images when the moulds show up.
No cheese makes in progress, so I'm living vicariously through your adventures, Mal. I'm on the edge of my seat.... ;)
-Boofer-
Thanks Mate, I hope I can keep it interesting.
Today is again evident of a slight change in both smell and appearance. The smell has turned more towards the slight mushrooms odour of the PC just about to make an appearance. If you squint with the sun behind the cheese, I can see just the faintest whispy tendrils of either GC or PC. Without some further training I am able to discern between the two. But, see that the pH was not as it should have been, I will need to keep a good nose on the ammonia build up.
It occurred to me that the description 'Peach Fuzz' might have been a little subjective so I donned my macro lens and tried to capture just what I meant.
The first image was from the 30th April. and while there is a hint of PC or GC - not sure which appears first - I think it's the GC. The effects are evident almost immediately where the sweet smell of the the new cheese has gone and replaced with the mushroomy smell meaning that the Lactose as almost gone from the surface of the cheese. The first image has not quite gotten to that stage just yet and there are still a few sweet 'notes'. I left them in the warmer fridge for another day.
The second image is taken a day later. and what a difference a day makes. And, this is what I refer to as 'Peach Fuzz'. as you can see by the finger print the covering is delicate at this stage but it can't be helped. The covering will establish itself in short order. I know these is not much difference but it is quite distinct up close.
Once the boxes were wiped out - just the sides and lid to stop condensation dripping on the cheese but retaining enough to keep the Humidity up - they were placed in the Colder fridge @5-6 DegC
AC4U for the great photos :-) I've often wanted to take a picture like that!
Many Thanks for the cheese. I get to enjoy two of my favorite hobbies in one go. I would like to get better Macro photos of the development of cheese and that is a goal of mine this year. A picture is worth a 1000 words but only if it's relevant to the topic. So, I hope there is utility in these photos for others.
Mal
Totally offtopic, but I recently made a Colby that was heavily influenced by one of your recipes. It seemed to work out really well. I'm looking forward to trying it :-)
superb it's malemberts, well I haven't quite understood the origin of the name, but it makes you want to see the rest :)
The name is my thumbing my nose at the stupid PDO restrictions. Camembert changed to Mal(my first name) and embert - hence Malembert. So when and if I get making a YouTube video about it the PDO won't have a leg to stand on for trademark "violation" like what happened to Gavin Webster here in Australia. Search YouTube for Grana Padano and read the whole sorry mess.
Quote from: OzzieCheese on May 02, 2021, 09:43:22 PM
The name is my thumbing my nose at the stupid PDO restrictions. Camembert changed to Mal(my first name) and embert - hence Malembert. So when and if I get making a YouTube video about it the PDO won't have a leg to stand on for trademark "violation" like what happened to Gavin Webster here in Australia. Search YouTube for Grana Padano and read the whole sorry mess.
ok i understand :), i saw the story of gavin webster and grana padano, but it is an italian PDO, not a french;) joking it is true that some are a bit stubborn with their PDO. You should register the malembert brand lol.
I give it free to world 8). I can sort of understand the whole AOC and PDO designations but really if it reads made in Australia then any one can see that it's not French made. Ah well, I'm not selling it or otherwise making money from it. I love eating Camembert and though I've been making mine for about 7-8 years I have never bought a commercial one since I got my cheese making to a consistent level. Again opinion only but, the commercial versions are rubbery and bland, even the ones made in Australia. They all started out as homemade cheeses and be it right or wrong, the homemade cheeses are more original than the store bought ones-no matter what the cheese.
A cheese for your efforts!
Bravo for the gesture, but hey the story of Grana Padano, it's a bit of empty threats, as long as it does not market its cheese, we cannot blame it for much if it is nothing . Are they full when most French restaurants sell us Grana Padano at the price of Parmesan? what would have been funny is that all the amateur cheese makers posted their video of the grana padano :)
I agree with you when you say that an artisanal cheese will always have more character than a store-bought cheese. It's normal after all.
My main complaint about adopting names is when you make a cheese that is not representative of the original. Brie is a fantastic example. Especially in the US, "Brie" cheese is *nothing* like actual Brie cheese. I suppose it's not that important since Brie cheese is illegal to sell in the US (as a short aged, raw milk cheese), but the confusion is frustrating. For some cheeses, I would argue that there is genuine harm, though. Cotija is a Mexican cheese that is made by incredibly poor people (to the point where many creameries don't even have walls). Large US producers make a cheese that is called "Cotija", but that only superficially resembles actual Cotija cheese. The downside is that the average US cheese fan would likely not even recognise actual Cotija cheese if it was available in the store. Given the popularity of the cheese's name, this is basically taking food out of poor people's mouths. They can't sell their cheeses because the name of their cheese has been appropriated.
Obviously, as home cheese makers we aren't involved in such serious issues. However, I do respect people make an effort to help people understand the difference between an homage to a famous cheese and the real thing. I was pretty pissed about how Grana Padano lawyers treated Gavin Webber. However, I was also pretty uncomfortable with his unfortunate belief that his "Grana Padano" recipe was anywhere close to the mark. To be frank, he often makes a cheese from a recipe that he's cobbled together and somehow believes that it is representative of the original. In many ways it is helpful for promoting his channel while unhelpful in educating people about cheese. I completely owe my start in this hobby to him, but I have mixed feelings about some of the things he does.
Sorry for going off topic again :-P
Just reading the past few posts of this thread. I didn't realize cheese making was so political. :-0. Kind of sad really. I am sorry to hear of Gavin Webber's battle with Grana Padano. I just do not understand why big companies feel the need to hassle the little guy for such things.
Anyway, I greatly appreciate the information you guys post. It's fascinating and very helpful
This is not necessarily a big business problem. It is above all a story of know-how and tradition, whether for a cheese or something else. I totally agree with protecting all these things so that they don't sell us anything, but when we cook, or make cheese at home, either for ourselves or for our friends, we can well call a cheese what you want, it will not do much harm to anyone. Note also that even within these PDOs, there are disagreements between the different producers. However, as mikekchar says, it is aop that is useful so that certain communities are not dispossessed of their heritage.
nb: I stop talking about aop on the post of the malemberts of Ozzie, we derive from the subject.
edit : my St-FéliBrie pleased everyone who tasted it :) Too bad I'm not even sure I know how to do it again lol.
I agree. What does aop mean?
Quote from: bansidhe on May 03, 2021, 04:38:50 PM
I agree. What does aop mean?
controlled designation of origin
Protected designation of origin (PDO) in english
Ahhh! Like Denominazione di origine controllata! thanks!
Well this make certainly created a bit of a tale. A bit more than usual. And my final words on the PDO matter... cheese is what you make of it and the activity in making it for me is therapeutic and engaging. I certainly would not call my Malembert that of a similar cheese starting with C. IMO mine tastes better and even from someone who has grown up in, and who imports his cheese from, the very same area comments that mine is very much like what his Grandmother used to make. The commercial variant is different to what was originally made in the farmsteads decades ago.
Right ... back on topic....
The cheeses are now residing in the 'cave' and the white mould is covering them nicely. There is no hit of ammoniation at this time but will need to be vigilant. I'll drop a few more photos as they progress.
Ah...! My little beauties are coming along quite nicely. Just touching three weeks just softening around the edges.
Instead of posting day by day stuff that quiet frankly would be boring as... However, one of the Malembert container was starting to exhibit an ammonia smell and decided to sacrifice one for science. The image is of the remaining quarter of the first cheese in the batch. This is at 4 and a half weeks. I think it quite nicely show the three things that I look at during the maturing phase. In a good Malembert the rind has to be thin and even and not separating from the paste. The paste has to be consistent all the way through. So, at 4.5 weeks it still has a ways to go. The taste is also affected - not badly - but different. The outside of the paste has a nice mushroomy taste that one would expect but the center hasn't softened to the same as the outside as has a sharper taste - it's still very nice. The image shows how the ripening process migrates from the outside to the inside.
The others are ripening quite nicely with no whiffs of ammonia so this time next week they should be ready to share. The threat of slipskin seems to have been avoided by moving them very early on into the colder fridge.