I ran across the mention of exterior mold causing the cheese to soften under the rind as it ages. I don't like the idea of letting just anything propagate on the surface. Does anyone know which mold/molds are beneficial to the aging of Caerphilly??
Caerphilly is traditionally so salty that moulds rarely grow on the surface and they usually develop a yellowish rind. The last one I made started to develop a blue after about 4 days air drying. Salt and vingar wash cured that before it was caved.
Let me rephrase that... The softening under the rind was the desired/expected result of aging caerphilly with a natural rind. That's what made me curious if I was missing out on something good by vacuum sealing.
Hi anut,
I think the "softening under the rind" is something that is stated in 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipies. I've developed a natural rind on all of my caerphilly makes, and they generally develope a light dusting of wild geo, but I've never had any "softening under the rind". Caerphilly only needs to age for 3 weeks, so if you've got some ripening boxes, then it's a good one to get some practice with on careing for a natural rind cheese. If you want to age a cheese longer, I would suggest going for something that really is intended to be aged. Gouda, for example, is much improved if you age it 6 months or more. Even Lancashire requires 2 to 2.5 months. Caerphilly, around 1900, became quite popular because they were getting their cheese to market in 2 weeks from making. Little need for large storage space, and the cheeses themselves weren't all that big (5 to 8 lbs) so they were a great way to use up excess milk.
- Jeff
Hi Jeff,
I love young caerphilly to much to want to age it! When I ran into the softening reference in a second book I began to wonder. That does bring an interesting thought to mind. How would a cheddar taste if you let PC or GEO grow for a while?
I've already started blue growing on a big chunk of Lancashire in the back room. Think I'll add a little PC & Geo to the mix now that the blue is well underway. It's fun to play around once in a while. :)
Hi anut,
I agree, I really like young caerphilly. It has it's own flavour profile, and it appeals to me too.
I'll be very interested to hear how your experiments go with the lancashire and the moulds. Do keep us informed. A cheese for your experimentation.
- Jeff
And a cheese to you, for raising the bar on batch notes and leading the way for us more timid tinkerers! ;)
Hi anut,
I think if you let geo run away it creates bitterness. If you let geo grow, and the rind starts getting wrinkles, then it's geo gone mad. I let a Lancashire develop too much geo and it was going bitter by the time I finished it. Still edible, but I should have brushed it back long before it got to where it is, so let geo develop a bit, then brush it back once it looks "established". Don't let it get too far along. Hmmm, that might produce some softening.
I'm glad you find the make notes helpful. I try to keep them simple and to the point because my brain is too small for big notes. I must get a pH meter at some point (his brain says for the 100th time, but nobody is listening).
- Jeff
Yes, I'll keep it in hand. I wouldn't have used the geo, but it's premixed with my PC, I'm out of the unblended stuff.
Hmmm you see where I'm going with this. :) I only want to soften it slightly, I don't want to make a full blown bloomy or blue Lancashire!
This is fun! Since the cheese is already mature I don't have to wait long for the results!
Im so confused... is there a 'traditional' version of caerphilly? mould is not my strong point so i tend to wash it all off... how do you tell which ones are ok to let grow?
Hi Crystal,
I think traditionally caerphilly is a pretty clean, noncomplex, rind. It is quite salty, which helps prevent mould, and it was generally eaten after only a couple weeks, so there wasn't much time for mould to establish itself. The lack of moulds and aging time, both of which normally contribute to flavour development, was compensated for by the sour tang and the salt. A dusting of geo, or some other white moulds, often seem to volunteer for service and produce a sort of dry, sandpapery feel to the rind. This can be brushed off to keep it under control. I've read that they used to dust it with flour, but I've never tried that as raw flour on my cheese doesn't sit right with me.
- Jeff
ok, untill i do more research into moulds i will stick with what im doing for now, which is creating a nice natural rind on my caerphilly! Perhaps, anut, some jeffhamm style notes and pix on your cheesperiments?
Notes? Jeffhamm style? I admire Jeff's notes, but I fail to follow in his foot steps... It's real easy to do. Take a piece of blue cheese or it's wrapper, you don't need much, and smear it all over the cheese you want develop. Poked lots of holes and put in container with 85-90 percent humidity at 50 - 55 degrees. Age for 2-4 weeks, turning daily. I also rubbed it periodically as the mold developed. Save the last piece and use it to start the next cheese and so on.
I haven't started the next experiment, but here are the pic's of the last one... They were posted in the thread "And now for something totally different". Future experiments will be posted on that thread.
looks great, but dont think its for me yet! I will attempt some white moulds one day, but im not 'there' yet! Congrats on the outcome.
Caerphilly has become our favorite cheese and I've made it several times now. I prefer the natural rind cheeses after having a real "oops" in the kitchen with red wax (looked like a heinous murder occurred in there!).
I do follow the "200 Easy Homemade Cheese" recipe. I don't have a proper cave, just a cooler with a thermometer and cup of water or rag or whatever needed for temp/humidity.
The Caerphilly gets a whitish "fur" to it and sometimes some blue mold, not a big deal really. I do rub it with vinegar and salt if it seems like it's taking over, but not too vigorously.
After a week or so, the rind starts to sort of puff up around the edges and gets soft to the touch as it ages. I only tried a moldy, gooey cheese once, but the rind on my Caerphilly is a little like that. A thin, soft, almost melty area under the rind covers the firm, creamy inside of the cheese.
I'm still a rookie, so for how it tastes? The dry, almost hard rind with the soft, almost melty covering underneath and the buttery majority of the cheese doesn't taste like anything I've ever tried before but we like it on sandwiches, crackers, with burgers, etc., etc., etc. Creamy/buttery/sharp/dry all at once.
We just ate our last one, so no photos, sorry! I'll make more soon and try to get a photo.
Would sure be nice to know what culture did that. So how did you like it? Is it something you would like to do again on purpose?