I've been making this one since Thursday and must say this is the strangest cheese that I have made.
Recipe came from 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes (p. 245). "It is often referred to as the French Cheddar because, of all the French cheeses, it is the only one made using a process that is similar to the one used to make cheddar."
OK.... sort of.
This is a really easy and quick cheese to make ...sort of. Heat milk to 86, add Meso, ripen 15 minutes, add rennet, set for 1 hour, cut to pea sized curds, set for 5 minutes, and drain in a cloth lined colander. NOTE - this is an uncooked cheese and because of the high moisture content, this makes a HUGE mass of curds, even after draining.
Now the fun begins. Let the curds form a spongy mass, then cut into slabs. These do NOT get cooked, stacked or "cheddared". Press at light pressure for 12 hours. (I had to use an 8" hoop because there were so many curds). Flip, redress and press lightly for ANOTHER 12 hours. NOW, you break the pressed wheel into 1 inch cubes and salt like a cheddar. I can tell you, after 24 hours, the curds definitely had developed a sharp acidic taste. After salting, it goes back into the hoop and presses under HEAVY pressure for 36 to 48 hours. Flip 3 or 4 times during the first 24 hours. After a total of 3 days in the press, the cheese lost about 75% of it's original volume. It is about 1/3 shorter than my traditional Cheddars.
Very odd, but I somehow suspect this is going to be a great tasting cheese.
Wow, I've got to try that one.
You cut up the curds 12 hours later then press? Aren't they kind of cold and hard by then?
I just check a recipe I converted from some other language andit does say to do that but this one says mill the curds to 1/4 inch. Does sound odd for sure.
That's very interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing your results.
Did the curds knit together well again after milling?
How long do you plan to age it?
Quote from: DeejayDebi on November 09, 2009, 03:47:36 AM
You cut up the curds 12 hours later then press? Aren't they kind of cold and hard by then?
Actually, it's two pressings of 1 hours each for a total of 24 hours, and then mill the curds. So, yes, they are stone cold. Needs even more pressure than cheddar to knit together well. A simple, but very interesting cheese. Calls for aging 3 to 6 months.
I would guess this would need Carters super press! I have to get around to build my press sometime soon. Just hasn't been high on my list as long as I can pile stuff on top to press my cheeses. :D
Pressing this cheese is definitely not for sissies. ::) I used 120 pounds (3 psi) for 24 hours and 160 pounds (3.9 psi) for the next 24 hours on a 7.5" tomme hoop. Based on the way the salted curds melded together, I would not use any less.
Deb - I will definitely mill the curds much smaller than 1" next time.
Is the pH in this cheese allowed to drop unabated?
Yep. That's the wild thing about this cheese - 24 hours of light pressing before salting. Like Meso bacteria and pH gone wild. The recipe goes out of it's way to say "This time is important for developing the flavor of the cheese".
The wheel is about 1/3 shorter than my cheddars. It is very dense and heavy feeling but interestingly still has a very elastic feel. The wonderful buttery aroma seems very concentrated.
Hi Sailor
I have made this cheese 4 times using the recipe from Ricki Carroll's website and approximately 13-15 litres of raw milk.
Yes, it does make a huge mass of curd!!! I put mine into cheesecloth in a perforated Gastronorm pan with another pan on top with about 4 kg of weight for several hours forming a slab (i.e. II cut the slab to facilitate draining and turned them over in the pan and replaced the weights). I then broke it up into small pieces and salted them, leaving overnight.
Next day, I pressed with about 16kg for 48 hours. The curds do knit pretty well, but the outside of the cheese retains a look as though the knit hasn't been quite perfect.
For the first cheese, I cut it about 6 weeks, but it was far too young, so re-sealed in a vacuum pack and left another two months. It is a wonderful, creamy cheese, and for some of my friends, it is a fave! I haven't been able to let it go any longer than that as it is demand.
You may recall a thread I started a few weeks back on Tomme Blanche - it is Cantal that is used for this, and it is eaten within days of making. My French neighbour thought it a bit hard (I gave it to him the day it came out of the press), so I am going to make him another one and press only for one day this time. I'll keep you informed. Here is the only photo I have of a finished cheese, my second. The third and fourth went so quickly, I didn't get a chance to take a photo!!!
B
That does look buttery. Yummy to. That's way more weight/pressure than I can generate at this point.
Saillor
What was the ambient temperature during so many hours of making the cheese?
Bella - Great photo. I was going to take one tonight, but your cut cheese looks so much nicer. Your observation on the curd knitting is helpful. Like yours, the outside of mine has an imperfect look, but I know it's fine. After drying, I coated it in Olive Oil and will age it about 30 days. Then I will vacuum bag and let it age "some more" (however much I can stand). :D
I will look at Carroll's recipe and compare it to the one I used. Right off the bat I see some major differences. I did a light pressing for a full 24 hours before salting. You only pressed for "several hours". You salted and then left them overnight WITHOUT pressing??? I started heavy pressing immediately after salting.
The really nice thing about Cantal is it is SO quick to make even on a week night. Less than 1-1/2 hours from start to finish including heating the milk up to ripening temp. Of course there's 3 days of pressing after that. :o Because it doesn't take 4 or 5 hours, like a cheddar or a Gouda, this is the perfect "demonstration" hard cheese to do for friends or a one day class.
Alex - The ambient temperature was around 68F (room temperature) during 3 days of pressing.
i am struggling with understanding how this cheese does not end up sour/bitter from the acid.
It sounds like lactic acid development is not stopped either cooking or salting.
If I miss my mark making normal cheddar and my pH drops too low, the cheese is ruined... An that is only takes like 10 minutes of distraction.
I'm with you Wayne. That's one of the reasons that I tried it. However the recipes I've looked at are pretty clear. I did test pH during the make, but nothing out of the ordinary. It's such a FAST make that the bacteria really don't have a chance to do much. I wish I had gotten a pH reading of the wheel after the initial 24 hours of light pressing but - I FORGOT. :P When you think about it, unpressed Blue cheeses are actively acidifying and can drain for several days.
In any cheese, the bacteria are pretty well done in after just a couple of weeks. It is NOT the bacteria that ripen cheese, it is enzymes and proteolysis. Everything, including the acidity level, is just a setup so that the enzymes have the right environment to do their thing. There are MANY cheeses where the pH actually goes way up during aging. I'm sure that's what's going to happen on this one.
Should be interesting. I'll let you know in 6 or 8 weeks.
Very interesting indeed. I am very curious to see how this one turns out.
Do you have a pH meter that can measure the pH of finished cheese?
I have an ExTech with a flat head probe. I am usually anal about testing pH. With all the pressing, I just forgot.
Due to your thread here, I decided to buy "200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes". I've been looking for a good cheesemaking book with some unusual cheeses in it and I have to say that I am very pleased with what I've seen so far. Now, just to start testing out the recipes for myself!
I look forward to hearing how this cheese turns out for you and am thinking of making a batch for myself after Thanksgiving.
Keep a close eye on the recipes Mrs KK I have tried to recipes so far and both had missing info. If you see something that looks odd maybe we should discuss it.
Hi all. I've been thinking about making this cheese too. Here is another variation of the recipe that I uploaded to the website I work for. You can click on the page-photos to enlarge them.
Now I don't know which recipe to use, as this one adds the salt in the beginning process, lol. :)
http://www.jonniemasters.com/cantal-cheese-recipe.html (http://www.jonniemasters.com/cantal-cheese-recipe.html)
Do you really think 2Tbsp are enough for the curd yield from 2 gallon of milk?
This is missing the rest of the recipe... What's the press and dry times/weights? Do you brine it? Wax it?
Hmmmm... I think I had this book too and forgot it at my friends' place.
To respond to: iratherfly.....
I had scanned the book into my pc...other instructions are contained within other chapters. I will look this up, although I do believe they will be the same basic info and instructions that the 'cheese masters'..(peeps here who have been doing this for years) will without equal
already have worked out.
Okay, i fixed it all up :)
Here is the original recipe page listed above: http://www.jonniemasters.com/cantal-cheese-recipe.html (http://www.jonniemasters.com/cantal-cheese-recipe.html)
And here are the techniques: http://www.jonniemasters.com/intermediate-cheese-making-techniques.html (http://www.jonniemasters.com/intermediate-cheese-making-techniques.html)
Thanks for pointing out that error, iratherfly :). I become dismayed when only 'half the info' myself :)
Book was called 'Making Artisan Cheeses'
Alynxia
Thanks Cheddarhead!
Gee, 3 to 6 month - brine daily??? Quite a commitment! Shouldn't the brining frequency be reduced after a few days?
Yep, the techniques are pretty standard (and yes, this is the book I left at my friends').
I thought I'd chime in on this old thread for those researching Cantal. I've been making these this past year because the make goes so quickly; much easier to do on week nights. I've tried it as young as six weeks, which was OK but a bit bland and ordinary. At 3 months it comes into it's own, very good. Ate the whole thing instead of wrapping half to age longer as I had intended. Got one in the cave that will be six months in July; I'll report back then. This is an odd make, and it seems counter to good advice, but the cheese is quite good.
Quote from: dthelmers on March 26, 2014, 03:00:03 PM
I've been making these this past year because the make goes so quickly; much easier to do on week nights.
Thanks for this tip dthelmers! I always plan a weekend ahead if I'm making cheese. It would be nice to make a cheese on a weeknight from time to time. How long does the process inside the vat for a Cantal take?
Bring milk to heat, ripen 15 minutes, rennet, cut 1 hour later, then drain right away. Pack it into the mold and press it at a fairly light pressure until tomorrow night, then flip and re-wrap. Press at light pressure until the next night. Take it out, mill, salt, and re-pack. Press at everything you can muster and even then make sure the room and the curds are warm. Leave it for two nights in the mold under pressure, then air dry. It tends to dry quickly from being out all this time. I vacuum pack mine to age.