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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => ADJUNCT - Washed Rind & Smear Ripened => Topic started by: Illiterate on February 16, 2011, 07:06:46 PM

Title: Converting Store Bought
Post by: Illiterate on February 16, 2011, 07:06:46 PM
Is it possible to convert a store bought Brick cheese into a Smeared German Brick Cheese?.....
and if so how?
My ultimate goal is to make something like this

http://www.wisconsincheesemart.com/german-alpine-style-c-39_43.html?gclid=CKai6_qO3KYCFULNKgodM3Gf1g (http://www.wisconsincheesemart.com/german-alpine-style-c-39_43.html?gclid=CKai6_qO3KYCFULNKgodM3Gf1g)


The third one down with the WARNING: DO NOT ORDER THIS IF YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH IT

I no longer get to Wisconsin so I must depend on friends to bring some back, it will let you know who your friends are, and their wives have never let any of them put it in their home refrigirator.

Sam

Title: Re: Converting Store Bought
Post by: JeffHamm on February 17, 2011, 07:19:35 PM
Hmm, I don't know.  I suppose you could try.  I think the German ones are smeared with a sweet wine, so perhaps if you wiped one with sweet white wine, and aged it you might convert it.  However, I would think you would be safer just making one.  Follow a recipe for brick, but wash with wine rather than brine.  At least that's my understanding from what I've read; I've never made one.

- Jeff
Title: Re: Converting Store Bought
Post by: ArnaudForestier on February 17, 2011, 07:41:37 PM
I'm not sure if you mean to convert an existing store bought cheese into another variety, or to use a storebought cheese for inspiration on making a given variety.  If the former, I guess my thought would be, no, I wouldn't think so, and my question would be, why not simply do the latter, simply make the cheese in toto?
Title: Re: Converting Store Bought
Post by: OudeKaas on February 17, 2011, 08:39:57 PM
Quote from: ArnaudForestier on February 17, 2011, 07:41:37 PMwhy not . . . simply make the cheese in toto?

Intriguing. Despite the mythical origin of cheese from milk left in stomach-skin bags, I'd have to say that (barring my ignorance of developments in bioengineering that might now allow this) trying to produce a cheese using a dog as a vessel is probably not feasible?

Then again, I am also not aware of current practice in places such as, say, Kansas.
Title: Re: Converting Store Bought
Post by: george on February 18, 2011, 11:19:40 AM
Thanks, Brandnetel.  I just scared the cat, and probably the neighbors, with my "BWAAAAhahahaha!!"
Title: Re: Converting Store Bought
Post by: Illiterate on February 18, 2011, 03:19:35 PM
Thanks for the RollOnTheFloor, it was worth the post.
I have started the process of making the cheese from scratch, but being a beginner I don't know what it will turn out to be, so I thought it might be possible to start with an existing product and work on the smear as a comparison.

I don't know about a sweet wine smear, this cheese has a TREMENDOUS smell.
I've never had Limberger but I think this is Just a small step below that.

Sam