In my on going search for just the right blue, I'm taking a stab at Gorgonzola Dolce. I would like to keep the rind free of mold so I was planning to wash it with with a simple brine every other day or so.
Here we go! :)
Gorgonzola Dolce #52 2/9/12 RC's online recipe
2 gallons Raw Swiss Cow with 2 cups extra cream—6%? pH 6.6
3/16 tsp MM100
1/16 tsp TA61
11 drops x3 rennet
1/16 tsp blue mold
X 4 floc multiplier
pH target for drain 6.15 – 6.35
pH target for salting 4.8 – 5.0 (I didn't get this reading)
Warm milk to 90 degrees (actual temp 92), add cultures and rehydrate for 5 minutes. Stir in and let ripen 60 minutes. Temp 89 and pH 6.6?
Add rennet and wait for floc. Floc at 7 minutes X 4 = 28 minutes.
At 30 minutes I checked for clean break and cut the curd into 1 inch cubes. Stirred 5 minutes, then let sit 15 minutes with a brief stir occasionally. Temp 88, pH 6.4
Drained 2 quarts of whey, then stirred 5 minutes and let rest 15 minutes with an occasional stir.
Drained whey and stirred gently to keep curds separate. Temp 89 and pH 6.3
Taped two Camembert molds together and filled with curds. Pressed curds on the outsides edges, being careful not to press the curds in the middle.
Turned after 5 minutes, then every 10 minutes for an hour. Then once an hour for the next 4 hours. Kept curds warm by keeping them in the oven with the light on. Temp for duration 84 degrees.
In the morning, weigh cheese and salt at 2 – 2.5% by weight. Cheese weighed 2 pounds, 12 ounces. 2.75 lb x .02 = .055 pounds = .88 ounces by weight = 1 tablespoon salt.
Rolled cheese in 1 tsp salt, and sprinkled the top with ¼ tsp. In 6 hours, flip and salt bottom with ¼ tsp—1 ½ tsp total salt.
Repeat this daily for 3 days with ½ tsp total salt over cheese.
Next put cheese in ripening box at 50 degrees and 75% humidity for 2 weeks, turning daily and removing whey from container.
To be continued....
Where did you find such a tall mould ? :P
It's two camembert molds taped together. Iratherfly has molds of that size without the tape, Boofer just bought one. I think I'd like one too along with 4 crottin molds.
I was expecting the cheese to be shorter after draining. It would have been better to have had a slightly wider mold.
The picture is hard to scale but did you consider cutting it into two?
Almost, just another 1/2 inch taller and I would have had to, just to fit it into a ripening container, but it will be easier to care for whole. It's 4 inches wide by 5 1/4 inches tall.
The cheese looks lovely. The yield seems low though?
From what I've seen on the forum, cheeses that are immediately cut in half don't age well, the cut side acts badly. I understand considering it, but advise against it if at all possible.
No I'm not cutting it in half. I'm surprised though, I wouldn't have thought it could cause a problem--I'll remember that should need arise. The yield was a little low. Likely I was not gentle enough during cutting and stirring. Not really sure. I kept it at 84 degrees for 6 - 7 hours after molding and it drained like crazy.
:o OOPS! I used 2 gallons of milk, not four! It's not that underwieght!
Quote from: smilingcalico on February 11, 2012, 03:53:06 AM
From what I've seen on the forum, cheeses that are immediately cut in half don't age well, the cut side acts badly. I understand considering it, but advise against it if at all possible.
I dont think its a big problem with mold ripened ones.
Quote from: anutcanfly on February 11, 2012, 05:13:13 PM
:o OOPS! I used 2 gallons of milk, not four! It's not that underwieght!
Not underweight at all!
Oh my! That looks great!
I gotta get stuff outta the way here so I can make something tomorrow!
I can sympathize! I try to keep a free workspace in the kitchen and my Sweet just sees a nice clear place to throw some stuff on! ::)
Progressing smoothly.
That looks really good! Developing nicely.
- Jeff
Wow!
hi
when u wrote u add 2cups of cream 6% u meant u add 2 cups of cream 6% or u meant that the total amount of fat was 6%
another think ts is tee spoon or table spoon- just to understand the quantities
thank for quick reply
thanks
hi again
i just forgot to ask is the ta61-"salivarium " is needed ??? what for??
i liked your cheese and i want to try it by myself
how do u measure 1/16 etc
thanks again
Hi Zvisaar,
I wanted to use MA4001 for this cheese, but I don't stock it. So I used MM100 with TA61 and though it won't be exactly the same, it should work. I don't know what TA61 actually does for the cheese. I find a lot of recommendations in different books and try them to see for my self what they do.
Any wise cheeses out there that can enlighten us???
TA61 is Strep. thermophilus. Among other things, it acts as a stabilizer. It reduces proteolysis (protein liquifaction) so the cheese doesn't get too soft.
Thanks Sailor! So often the why's are left out and it does help to know them. :)
You don't want to use too much TA or it will taste like a blue Parmesan. :o
;D That would be a bit too strange for me!
hi to all my new friends
1/ you did not answer the question about the cream and the calculation u made its not clear...
2/ta61 is not a simple stabilizer thermophiles (those are ta50/ta52/ta54) , but a special one!!!!! str. salivarius sub.thermofhilus and its used for special taste etc so i was wondering if u put it in just because u have it or its some idea behind it.
i am just interested cose i wanted to do it and i try to understand better every details,,,,,
Oops! I was in a hurry and I overlooks your other questions. Tsp means teaspoon, and you can buy spoons that measure 1/8 tsp(dash), 1/16 tsp (pinch), 1/32 tsp (smidgen). It's not as exact as measuring in milliliters, but it works for me.
I added 2 cups of cream to raise total fat from 5% to 6%. Brown Swiss cows are supposed to average 4%. I have no way to actually measure fat content, so it is a guess on my part. The milk I use is normally 4%, but it's running higher now in the winter so I'm guessing 5%. 1 cup of cream should roughly raise one gallon of milk 1%. I used 2 cups for 2 gallons, so roughly I guess that the milk I used is now 6%--this is just a guess.
I used TA61 which is an acidifying culture and so I included as part of the total acidifying culture used. I am trying to mimic MA4001 which I don't have on hand. I don't have in hand TA50/52/54 either. Just working with what I do have on hand.
I added a tiny bit of sharp lipase to mine.
By the way, the recipe I used is on cheesemaking.com, Ricki Carrolls site. You might want to check it out as I have a habit of tinkering with recipes and I didn't completely follow hers.
Hi Tomer,
How much? How did you like the taste with lipase in it? So far I've always found lipase to be much too strong for my tastes, with the exception of grating cheeses.
hi
ok now everything is more clear to me when u will taste it let us know how it was ,anyway i m going to try doing it myself then ill let u know how was my expirience
thanks
Hi zvisaar,
This cheese is supposed to age 3 months after piercing (I am piercing this one today), so I will test it 2 months 4/24/12 as I like blues a little milder and I want to snack on it, not just cook with it. I'll post my impressions. Good luck with your cheese! :)
Pierced yesterday and put back into cave. Will continue to turn and wash rind as needed to keep the surface clean. First testing in 2 months.
That's looking very nice Anut.
I sampled the cheese that was knocked out with the skewer and it had a nice flavor, so I hoping this will be the blue I've been trying for! :)
Quote from: anutcanfly on February 24, 2012, 09:54:39 PM
Hi Tomer,
How much? How did you like the taste with lipase in it? So far I've always found lipase to be much too strong for my tastes, with the exception of grating cheeses.
Its still too young to open. (about 8-9 weeks now) Im sampling along the way and it tastes good. I need to check my notebook and see if I documented the make.
If you find you like it, post your make! :P
I decided to crack this one early before it got too strong. This cheese lost a lot of moisture when I left it in the oven for the night with the light on. The temp went up to 85 degrees, so this cheese is more like a creamy firm cheese. I liked the flavor, but my Sweety gave it a thumbs down. There is an earthy quality to it that he doesn't like. It's the same flavor that was in the Stilton that I didn't like, but much milder. Back to the drawing board! Except I have no idea how to create the gorgonzola that he likes? :-\ I don't know if it's the process, the culture, or the strain of blue that's causing the problem.
Hi anut,
It's a shame that the flavour is not quite what you were going for as the cheese itself looks really good. Nice amount of blue and all. Hmmm, you could try harvesting the mould from the gorgonzolla that you are trying to reproduce. I don't make many mould ripened cheeses so I don't keep a supply of moulds at home. So, I just harvest from a bought cheese and that's worked quite well for me so far. That might be worth a try.
Also, it could be that it really requires a full 3 months of aging for the flavours to develop properly.
Still, it doesn't sound like it's too too far off. Are the undesired earth tones stronger closer to the rind or fairly equally distributed throughout the cheese? (taste a bit of rind and if it's really strong, that's probably your primary crime scene). If it's in the rind, it may be that you're picking up a wild mould of some sort and need to give the ripening box a really good clean and sterilization before the next one. If it's throughout, then I would go with your guesses of process, the strain of blue mould, or the choice of cultures.
- Jeff
Hi Jeff,
I hadn't thought of that! I'll sample another piece and see if it's through out the cheese. I have a wedge of the gorgonzola he likes so I can try to get the mold. I was thinking of inoculating bread or citrus with the blue first. I don't think the young age is the problem as I did age out the stilton 3 months and the offensive flavor became very pronounced.
While I'm thinking about off I go to sample again.
Anut :)
I inoculated some bread with the gorgonzola that my Sweet likes and we will go from there. I tasted mine side by side and flavor wise I liked my better. But mine does have a round musty earthy quality to it and the store bought one has a brighter, very sharp flavor. The sharpness it likely do to the differences in age. I also tested mine eating first the rind portion and then the interior. The earthy/musty quality was equally evident though out the cheese. I like the overall flavor of the rind the best--did I just say I liked the rind, of a blue, the best??? That is a surprise!
Careful, they say blue rind is like a hallucinogen. I still don't know who "they" are.
LOL ;D It will all be made clear, you just need to eat a little more rind... that's good... you'll see them soon.
Well, it sounds like it's a pretty good cheese, certainly one worth passing around at parties! :)
I suppose the earthy tastes could be something in the raw milk based upon local plants/grasses, or the cultures you've used, or the strain of blue, or some combination, etc. Once you get to try the innoculated blue, that will address one of the possibilities.
I look forward to your next adventure in wonderland.
- Jeff
Looks fantastic!!
I am all inspired and going to make it this week...
Did you use strong or mild blue mould?
Thanks,
TAMARA
Hi Tamara,
I used the mold that New England Cheese making has for sale. Her site doesn't say which kind she has and I never got around to calling and asking. I'm going to sample the cheese fairly soon and see if it just needed to age longer for the best flavor. I'll post the results. I used this mold for the Fourme d' Ambert I made a while ago and I wasn't impressed with the cheese while young, but loved it after it had hung out a few more months. There wasn't any of the flavor that I found objectionable in the Stilton. So I'm pretty sure the mold isn't the problem.
Quote from: anutcanfly on April 28, 2012, 03:42:25 PM
I wasn't impressed with the cheese while young, but loved it after it had hung out a few more months. There wasn't any of the flavor that I found objectionable in the Stilton. So I'm pretty sure the mold isn't the problem.
That's what I'm hoping for. I didn't much care for my Stilton effort either. The Fourme d'Ambert is supposed to age out to 4 or 5 months. We'll see....
I'm also curious what dimension the Vouvray will give to the cheese.
Brie confirms that it's a good thing.
-Boofer-
Hi again Anut,
Were you looking for a crumbly strong blue or a creamy gorgonzola dolce style as per your title? I would be pleased to give you my recipe which is ready to eat after 4 weeks and is a real creamy dolce. I keep it quite soft but you could age it more slowly if you want more time for the blue to develop. It just one second prize at a country show and I've made it 3 times with the same result each time. Let me know if you would like it. This is a photo of it now...
Regards, TAMARA
Hi Tamara,
I was going for mild and creamy. I'm hoping for a pleasant eating blue rather than a strong cooking blue. I would love to have your recipe!
Happy to provide it. It is mild and creamy and I like that is is ready for eating within 4 weeks and not 8-12 or more like some others.
My recipe is in my hand written notebook so would prefer to scan and email to you. Are you happy to provide an email address?
If not, I will type it down on this forum.
Regards, TAMARA
No, the idea of posting my email address make me a little nervous. If you post your recipe everyone can try it out if they want. The wealth of recipes on this site is a great help!
Tamara, dont be shy to share. Your cheese does looks very nice and creamy :)
I suppose the fast maturation is from the small size of the wheels? these look like 400-500 gram cheeses right?
No problem guys, I have been a cooking teacher for 20 years so the idea of sharing recipes is just a 'given'. I was just being lazy in not wanting to re-type but here goes....
Tamara's Bay Blue
8lt goat milk
4lt cows milk
PInch each of Type B and Type C starters
Pinch of strong blue mold (mild can be used instead)
2ml. calcium chloride diluted in 30ml. water
2.5ml. vegetable rennet (microbial) diluted in 30ml. water
Heat the combined milks to 28c and add the starters and mold spores and stir through gently.
Allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Add the diluted calcium chloride and stir through thorougly.
Add the diluted rennet and stir well for 2 minutes then cover and allow to rest for 40 minutes or until clean break is achieved.
Cut curds to 2cm and allow to heal for 10 minutes
Stir gently to move the curds through the whey, breaking up any larger curds.
Stir thoroughly (gently) every 10 minutes for an hour (ph6)
Heat the curds to 30c. slowly and stir once more then drain the curds and stir gently to expell a little more whey.
Transfer curds to baskets (I use small ones which take about 200g of curd but you can make a large cheese if you prefer)
Flip after 10 minutes then after an hour and again after 2 hours. Allow to drain overnight then flip once more.
Salt the surface of the cheese at 2% the following day.
Allow cheese to drain on a mat for 12-24 hours then mature at 12c for 4 weeks, piecing at 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks.
Wrap and store at 3c for up to 4 months.
** This recipe makes a very mild, creamy blue with limited blue veins as the cheese softens quickly after piercing. If you prefer a firmer stronger cheese, drain curds completely then break up with your hands before transfering to moulds or baskets.
Thats lovely. I'l be sure to give it a try with just cow's milk. Isnt type C an (ST) thermo culture?
Thank you! It looks lovely. I'm looking forward to trying it. A cheese to you for taking the time to share.
Looks really good!I may try this without the mold.