I decided that I wanted to give a morbier a go, so I have used the recipe below for this cheese. I added pc as I am not going to do a smear, (not appreciated in my house at all) and then I though maybe a wash with wine/spirits to arrest the mould grow. Not sure yet what course of action I will take. My apologies to the purest's of this cheese, but I decided that I wanted to have a play and try something different.
https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,1146.0.html (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,1146.0.html)
Any help or advice on how to proceed would be much appreciated.
The pics show the cheese after brining, just before going into the fridge. It is now in a seperate container, and I am hoping that the mould will start growing.
Was surprised me, considering this is my first attempt, that I didn't get more ash everywhere. So please with that, although I did get a thin line all around the cheese.
Man, that looks wonderful!
Good one Tea,
My problem is washing it with B. Linens. And also the low WAF if it smells like... well you know. I will be attempting this recipe next week.
Do you think the B. Linens can be added to milk rather than spraying it? Would there be any difference to aroma?
Gürkan is right. You need to spay lighly salted b.linen a couple of times 2-3 days apart.
Tan
Tea,
Your cheese looks gorgeous. However, I am a bit surprise to hear of a Morbier without b.linens rind :)
Looking forward to more pictures!
Ok update on my faux morbier. The white mould has started to grow and I almost have a complete coverage. I was thinking that I would let this grow for a week, give or take, then wash with a brine/wine solution. But for how long?
Yes Helen I realise that this isn't traditional which is why I apologised to the purest. I though am interested in having my family try different cheeses, but I know that the b linens isn't appreciated, so trying to find a balance. I may completely fail yet, but I thought it was worth the try.
Oh Tea! I was not being a purist. Just wanted to say that it is a new idea and I can't wait to see the outcome. For one, I am not imaginative enough to try new things.
Maybe when I will have as much experience as you do, I will be as daring :)
Please post pictures!
- Helen
Quote from: Tea on July 20, 2011, 07:34:43 PM
Ok update on my faux morbier. The white mould has started to grow and I almost have a complete coverage. I was thinking that I would let this grow for a week, give or take, then wash with a brine/wine solution. But for how long?
Pictures?
I have this image of folks on the forum gathered around, looking over your shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of your Morbier. Very nice, by the way.
-Boofer-
Ok here are the update pics. Have been turning this every day for the last 5-6 days.
This sounds like it should end up similar to a Humbolt Fog. Yum!
Update on the faux morbier. I decided to do an 18% brine using Irish whisky, so finally got around to doing that this morning. Pic before and after. The cheese at the moment feels spongy, but not soft, if that makes sense.
Well really disappointed this morning, went to wash and turn again, this is what I found. Is there any way to heal this now that I have starting washing, or what? Any help would be much appreciated.
Wow, I'm sorry that happened to your gorgeous cheese. It's almost like the rind was so tight that it cracked like an egg shell, like Humpty-Dumpty. The paste looks to be quite creamy inside that crack.
Unfortunately, I don't have the experience to know what to tell you. If it were an alpine or something like that I would suggest vacuum-sealing it to try to pull it back together, but you need to keep up the wash regimen so that technique is out.
What was the temp/humidity where you were keeping it?
-Boofer-
Hi Tea,
That's such a shame. It was looking so promising. Could you try wrapping a strip of cheesecloth around it like a belt? That might pull it together and encourage it to heal. Humidity might require an increase as well perhaps, but I'm not familiar with wash techniques like this, so it may be that it cracked for reasons other than drying out.
- Jeff
Boofer, it does look like a cracked egg, and I have to wonder with such a large crack and a smaller one starting on the other side, whether there is gas building up inside? I am really hoping not, otherwise what would cause this? The paste looks very interesting at this stage, so if I can get it to age longer, it will be interesting to see what it ends up as.
Jeff, your two suggestions were my exact thoughts too so I have done just that. I will replace the wrap with something that doesn't stretch tomorrow, but for now, I soaked it in the whisky brine and wrapped tightly around the cheese. It was in a humidity box until I started the wash, and I am wondering whether I should have let the rind develop more before removing it from the box. The strange thing is to touch the cheese feels like it is springy with lots of give. I can almost close this crack if I exert enough pressure on the cheese.
Surgery pic attached.
Oh! So sorry to hear about what happened to your beautiful cheese. Such a big crack. I am wondering what may have caused such a thing.
I really don't know. I keep thinking a gas build up, up I didn't see any evidence of a gas build up so I don't know. Just hope that there is nothing really wrong going on in there that we can't see.
Hi,
Hmmm, I don't think it could be gass build up. All the swiss cheeses, where gass is intended, when they split due to gass it's because they've blown up like a football first. Your's hasn't swelled up at all by the looks of it. Rather, it sounds like taking them out of the humidity box might have allowed them to dry out too quickly. Can you see any evidence of eye formation inside the large crack? Again, if it were gass you should see eyes - or at least one big cyclops looking back at you.
- Jeff
Well I just check to see what has happened over night, and I am not sure if it shows up in the pics, but the crack looks to be almost half of what it was. So I have washed again, retightened the binding, and left in the himidity container.
So fingers crossed that if was just s case of taking it out of the humid environment too early. Anxious to see what happens over the next few days.
That looks like it's working really well. Dr Tea to the rescue! :) By the looks of it things should be healed up by tomorrow or the next day. Nice save. A cheese for that.
- Jeff
Ok day 3, re wrapped and tightened again. Washing about twice a day, to keep moist. I can't believe that it is coming together so fast. I thought this would take weeks.
Excellent! That looks really successful. well done.
- Jeff
Quote from: Tea on August 08, 2011, 09:25:04 PM
Ok day 3, re wrapped and tightened again. Washing about twice a day, to keep moist. I can't believe that it is coming together so fast. I thought this would take weeks.
Good on you, Tea.
Instructional too for anyone else with this malady.
-Boofer-
Well I still find it hard to believe, but the cheese has come together. Now I am hoping that the rind will completely heal, althought I am not sure that is possible.
So I have reduced washing to every second day, and I am letting the cheese breath for an hour or so everyday, before putting it back into the himidity box. I think I will leave the wrap on for another week before removing and see what happens.
At some stage it should also come out of the humidity box too.
Sorry I can't post any pics as my DH is away, and he took the camera with him. So will update when he comes home.
That's great news! I would think it will all be fine after it's been held in place for awhile. Well done.
- Jeff
So nice to see a thread on morbier... I posted one a couple of weeks ago and got NOT ONE REPLY :-[ so was feeling pretty unloved.
The morbier that I made about 2 months ago looked good (though too thin - more curds next time!) and after 60 days, I couldn't wait anymore and tried it. The ash line looks good and the flavour is there but the cheese is quite dry and firm... certainly not the wonderful creamy cheese that I saw in the photo with the crack on this thread.
Did I cut my curds too small to get them this dry... how can I make the cheese more 'fatty' and luscious next time?
Also, why did your cheese grow white mould... I don't think there is any in the recipe and I've never seen a morbier with it. Mine grew a nice hard rind with weekly washing with B.linens but I never had any mould and was suprised to see yours...looked like a massive brie!
Thanks for any advice/suggestions you have.
Regards, TAMARA
Morning Tamara, there are a number of factors that could give you a drier curd than you want. Milk quality/richness, cut curd size, amount of stiring and incorrect heat. Not knowing what recipe you used of method it is a bit hard to be able to help any further.
As I said in one of my original posts in the thread, I gave my apologies to the purest of this cheese, and from there on called is my faux morbier. I don't like the linens flavour, so I am playing. Not sure what I am going to get in the end, but I wanted to try this cheese, so decided that I would do a white rind then a whisky wash. So fingers crossed that I end up with something edible.
HTH's
Thanks for your reply.
I used the recipe that I found on this site when I searched 'morbier'. I do think I perhaps I cut the curd too small and stirred too much. I Have made another batch and will see how that goes.
I note on the recipe that it is suppose to 'age' for 60 days. I have it at 12c (wine fridge with water bowl in bottom) but I am starting to wonder if this environment is just too dry. HOw can I check the level of humidity to see whether it is moist enough or not?
For the record, I also don't like the b.linens but have only been washing once a week in the hope that will reduce the strength. I never thought to use white mould... that's an interesting idea.
Thanks for any advice you can give.
TAMARA
Hi Tamara,
You can check ebay for hygrometer. I got mine from China for $0.99+shipping. Or get it from Home Depot (assuming you are in NA). I have both and they are working fine.
Tan
Great job Tea as always. I have been know to lightly carve a crack so it has moist cheese to aheare too and tape it together in a similar manner. Keeping the crack moist until it glues back together is critical!
Ok update on this cheese. I needed my humidity box for my white blues, so I took the cheese out, and left the bandage on. The crack did heal completely and was going well. I decided on Friday that I would take off the wrap to wash, and see what happened. I also decided to wash every day, so try and keep moist. The crack did open up a little, and another couple of hair line cracks also appeared. But only around the edge, like the original one. There is absolutely no cracks on the top or bottom. So I am thinking that I will re-wrap and just leave in place until it has finished aging, and reduce the washings again.
Question: as this is usually a linens wash, for how long should I wash for?
Some recipes I found says every second day till you see the red jacket developing.
Ok final update on the morbier. Because I used an 18% salt solution to wash the cheese with, I think is dried out the cheese more than I expected, as one of the original pics showed a much more gooey interior. Still for all it went through I am happy. The flavour is quite sharp, and I thought it would be nice in a toasted sandwich.
So next time, I need to perfect the ash layer a little better. I think I will keep this one in a humid environment too rather than transfering straight into the cave, and any wash will be at a much lower % rate. I learnt a lot with this one, so for that alone, it was worth the effort.
I'm very impressed with the end result though, given the difficulties this poor cheese went through. A cheese to you for your perserverance and successful outcome. Looking forward to you next make of this. Well done.
- Jeff
Well done Tea, it is looking nice.
I like the really rustic rind. Nice first Morbier effort.
Was there a reason you washed with 18% brine? It looks like the high-salinity wash and low humidity affinage combined to draw moisture out of the cheese. I wonder how it would fare with a little extended affinage.
-Boofer-
You know, I have no idea why I did an 18% wash. I thought I had read that somewhere, and it was only much later that I realised that a wash is usually around 3%, but by then it was too late. So I was thinking the same. Lower brine %, and kept in a humidity box, I should get a different cheese. This cheese is over 60 days old, so what would you advise to age it to?
I am beginning to think that my fridge/cave runs with a low humidity too, and am wondering whether I should keep a container of water in there at all time, as my brie was very dried out also.
Jeff thanks for the cheese, although I don't know that I deserve it. I seems if I did one thing wrong, I did everything wrong. Now to try again.
As far as extended affinage, Wikipedia shows 45 to 90 days. It might just be one of those that you chalk up to part of your cheese education. I have had a few of those. ;)
-Boofer-