I finally had enough cheese to present several for a small gathering. Sadly this gathering came about because my father in law had just died.
The cheeses are as follows from front to back:
Cabra Al Vino. I have made this twice. The first time I forgot to wash the curds as well as a few other missteps. This batch I followed the recipe very well. Nonetheless, the results were quite similar. Not sure why but this cheese has always come out rather bland. It's quite firm, the paste is a bit elastic . It's not creamy or soft. I have not been a huge fan of this cheese. What might I be doing wrong? NECheesemaling recipe
Pepper Jack: It is NOT a pepper jack! But it is good in it's own right. The paste is more like feta than jack cheese. The peppers I had smoked, and that smokiness permeates the cheese. It's quite interesting even if not the cheese I intended. NECheesemaking recipe
Caerphilly, This Caerphilly was aged a bit longer than the first one I did. I prefer the first one as it had a milkiness to it that I really liked. I am not sure if the difference is due to the longer aging OR the fact I used raw milk for the second one and pasteurized for the first. This is a Gavin recipe.
Blie (second pic). This was to be the Camblu. There was in spots a small bit of blue on the inside, though not as much as I would like. On the outside the p.Candidum did not really take off. Instead there was more of a b Linens coating. This cheese is a winner. I named it Blie to indicate the BLinens Brie combination. The past was great. This was everyone's favorite. :-). NECheesemaking recipe.
I have a bunch of things in my cave now. A Gorgonzola, Tilsit with Caraway, Cheshire, Pepper Colby, Cotswold and a beer infused cheese (Pumpkin Ale) that I have been washing with a pumpkin Ale wash. Dont judge! :-).
Sorry for your loss.
Very nice looking spread!
Condolences on the loss of your father-in-law.... :'(
That looks like quite the spread you prepared.... ;)
Bob
Thank You both. It's been tough but the cheese must go on.