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Inspired by LoftyNotions (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,13844.0.html), I decided to try a Gorgonzola picante. I mostly followed the make on the New England Cheesemaking website (http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/pg/31-Gorgonzola-Classic-Picante.html) with a couple of variations:

Day 1 (evening):

2 gallons whole milk (P&H)
1/8 tsp CaCl (crystals, dissolved in ~3 Tbs. water)
1/8 tsp MA011
1/16 tsp MD089
1/32 tsp TA061
1/32 tsp P. Rocq. (PS strain)
1/4 tsp rennet

Warm milk; add cultures at 80°; warm to 88° and hold for 30 minutes to ripen
Add CaCl, wait 5 minutes
Add rennet, wait 60 minutes for firm set
Cut into 1/2" to 3/4" cubes. Rest 5-10 minutes
Stir, gently at first, for ~1 hour, maintaining 88°
Rest 10 minutes; drain through cheesecloth
Hang in cheescloth to drain overnight. Target pH = 4.6 - 4.8 (actual pH = 4.89 when the cheese was assembled)
Cut into 1" cubes; cover and set aside.

Day 2 (midday):

2 gallons whole milk (P&H)
1/8 tsp CaCl (crystals, dissolved in ~3 Tbs. water)
1/8+ tsp MA011
1/16+ tsp MD089
1/32+ tsp TA061
1/4 tsp rennet

note: almost the same as day 1, but slight increase in cultures and no PR

Warm milk; add cultures at 80°; warm to 88° and hold for 30 minutes to ripen
Add CaCl, wait 5 minutes
Add rennet, wait 60 minutes for firm set
Cut into 1/2" to 3/4" cubes. Rest 5-10 minutes
Stir intermittently, gently at first, for 1-2 hours, maintaining 88°  (actual = 1 hour); target pH = 5.9 (actual = 5.92)
Rest 10 minutes; drain through cheesecloth
Cut into 1/2" cubes

In large mold with no cheesecloth, assemble the cheese with the second-day curds on the bottom, sides, and top, and the first-day curds in the middle. I used approximately 1/4 of the curd on top and bottom and 1/2 on the sides. Lightly press (I used 4 lbs.) and flip regularly until the following evening; the cheese was well consolidated but still had many gaps in the structure. Begin salting to 4% (which worked out to 74 grams) over three days -- use 50% of the salt the first day, 30% the second day, and 20% the final day; each day, put half of the salt on the top; wait 12 hours, then flip and put the other half of the salt.

Pictures below show the process:

First picture below: 10 days later, the sides have gotten quite blue, with some geo underneath. I must have done something wrong, since I thought the outside of Gorgonzola stayed mostly clear of blue. Interestingly, there is not a speck of blue on the top or bottom -- perhaps only adding salt to the top and bottom accounts for this.

Second picture below: I'm not sure I should have done this, but I decided to scrape much of the blue/geo off the sides -- wanting to avoid the gooey texture I got with my last (and only previous) blue, and also wanting to close up the holes a bit.

Looking good Andy!!

Yes, it does look quite nice! Keep it up.

Looking good, Andy. AC4U.

I wouldn't worry about the blue on the outside. My last one had quite a bit of blue and Geo.

It'll be interesting to see the blueing pattern with your cuboid milling. Should be a nice modernist blue. A Picasso, maybe...

Nice to see someone else giving this a go.

Larry

I will follow this thread with great interest. The "Picante" is really nice! :-)

Update - some pictures at four weeks old. I pierced it at 2 weeks, and again after taking these pictures. As you can see from the core sample, it has some decent blue veining inside; a nice creamy texture; and a pretty good taste. However, it was smelling pretty ammonia-ish, so I'm not sure if I should transfer it to the cold fridge -- ??

Nice, Andy. Are you storing it in a small container? I think that has contributed to ammonia smells on several of my moldy cheeses. Make sure you air it out for about 1/2 hour to an hour each day. This is at about 4 weeks? How much longer do you plan on aging before cutting it? Cooler temperatures wouldn't hurt.

Larry

I was thinking I need at least two more weeks. Yes, it is in a ripening container, and I haven't been airing it out -- but I will start doing that. The cold fridge is rather full at the moment with a couple of bulky items, so it will be a couple of days before I can move it there.

Hey Andy,

Just airing it out should help a lot.

Take it out of the container while it airs.

Quotehttps://www.health.ny.gov/.../amm...
New York State Department of Health
Anhydrous ammonia gas is lighter than air and will rise, so that generally it dissipates and does not settle in low-lying areas. However, in the presence of moisture (such as high relative humidity), the liquefied anhydrous ammonia gas forms vapors that are heavier than air.

Larry

Okay, I've got it airing out as we speak. Err, type.

Based on your experience, would you say 6 weeks is about right for aging? My thought is, after that, to cut it into sections, vacuum bag, and store for further development. Good plan, or ??

That's exactly what I do with mine, Andy. Almost always at 6 to 7 weeks. They still develop really nice sharpness, even in the bag.

Larry

I thought that was what I had read, either in your notes or somewhere else on the forum. Right -- two more weeks, and then bag it!

I air my blues out for an hour a day and age them out for 7 weeks.  Things I learned from H-K-J.  That one is looking fantastic.  I can see a delicious tasting in your future. AC4U!!

Thanks!