Boofers blues have been making me drool as of late, so I'm planning to run a blue on a cheddar base this week. I have several styles in my cheese cave, but they are still too young to open. Which style of cheddar lends itself to a more open texture? I've been looking at cheshire, caerphilly, cantal and lancashire. Any recommendations??
Stilton.
The way its made is accually pretty simmilar to cheddaring.
Definitely not Caerphilly or Cantal. Cheshire would work. The Lancashire would have more moisture. I personally would use a Derby base. Whatever you use, don't press it as firm as a "normal" cheddar.
There are blue Cheshires, Derbys and Wensleydales of the Cheddar type. Derby is probably the easiest to make.
Thanks for the input! Didn't know that...Stilton it is! Later, Lancashire and Cheshire. If I run a Derby I'll split the curds between two molds and use half for Sage Derby and half for a Blue. Sometimes it's hard to make up one's mind...they all sound soooo gooood! Sailor Con Queso brings to mind another question. I ran a Fourme d'Ambert a few months ago and I thought I was pressing lightly, but the curd developed a smooth closed interior and rind. So the only blue development was in the holes I poked, and on the rind. What pressure with what sized follower would be light enough to avoid the same mistake? :-\ The recipe I use doesn't state a weight, it just says light. Her idea of light is 5 to 10 PSI??? :o Well that cleared up the confusion...not! This is the first time I ever joined a forum. Nice to have others to talk to who share the addiction! :D
I think i'l make a sage derby this weekend, I bought some last month and my mother loved it.
I've not made fourme d' ambert, but it looks like a very open cheese. You can probably just put the curds in the mold and flip them a couple of times to even out the exterior, without ever adding weight. At the very most I think you'd find pressing the cheese under it's own weight to be sufficient.
Let me know how it turns out Tomer1. I've been debating trying Sage Derby for a while... The Fourme d'Ambert was the biggest reason I wanted to try a blue with a cheddar base. Fourme d'Ambert was nice to slice and mild enough to put on crackers, but the flavor of the paste though creamy was rather bland. Hopefully a few more months ripening will give it a little more life. I figured if I started with a cheese that stood alone well, then the degree of blue development wouldn't be as important. Even trace blue development would still leave you with a delightful cheese!
Hi Smilingcalico,
Yes, this may be one of those times when ignoring what the recipes says is a good idea! :)