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So, since I'm making washed rind cheeses, and since I brew cider.........

I'm starting to think about a cider washed cheese.  Probably a norman or bretagne type, or possibly a raffine.

Anybody ever try this?

John

I have not but I am currently aging an ale washed Taleggio. Cider would bring an interesting rind flavor. I would love to taste that one.

Yeah Mal, I'm kind of excited about this one as well.  I have a cheese to make today, asiago I think, and then it's time to make the cider washed.  Another project upcoming is to marinate or wash a cheese in sake' kasu from Sake I recently started making.  Considering what koji can do to the flavors of other things this is pretty intrigueing as well.

Vacation is over on Monday, sob  , but the main cave is almost full so I can relax into a cheese or two a week mode.  Have to get a batch of yogurt done so my son doesn't revolt on me (he's been very patient this last 10 days).  As an aside we need to get you to try a french style Nuefchatel.  As much as I love Camembert I think I like it better, and I have a batch that will be ready in 1-2 weeks.  Very easy make also.

John

The Neufchâtel does look intriguing. I though it was just a cream cheese with PC added? I think I'll have another look. I understand the yogurt situation as my wife thinks is a myth. There is just something about homemade yogurt that the store bought stuff just doesn't do.

Most store bought yogurt uses a mixture of milk and protein slurry from ultrafiltered milk.  It has a really different texture and taste.  I think some people like it better, but I am not one of those people.

I drain my greek style yogurt pretty well, like by half, I've drained as much as 2/3 of the whey off.  It's pretty rich stuff.

Mal, Nuefchatel is pretty easy.  Basically you treat it like a chevre or fromage blanc, lactic ferment with just a few drops of rennet for 12-24 hours, drain, mold, salt, the the PC and Geo do there thing as you would with a cam.  Very similar to most lactic coagulated bloomy rind goat cheeses.

I may be wrong, but my impressions is that Neufchatel is basically cream cheese with PC and Geo on it.  That is, it's double/triple cream semi-lactic.  I mean, really not dissimilar to many American style "Brie" cheeses other than format.

I can only speak to the ones I've made.  My makes until the one crrently aging have been based on the recipe from Tim Smith's " Making Artisan Cheese".  The current make I have added Geo as well as the PC Neige, will see if I like it as much in a week or two.  This recipe is  pretty simple.

Milk
Meso culture
P candidum
2-3 drops SS rennet
Salt

Heat to 80 F, add cultures and rennet, incubate 12-24 hours, drain for up to 24 hrs, mold, salt, incubate in cave till covered in PC, wrap and finish ripening in fridge for 3 weeks.

I have watched every video I could find on this cheese, and there aren't many.  What I have never been able to achieve is the granular texture the drained "curds" have or the level of dryness they achieve, but I love the results I've gotten.  Similarities to other PC bloomy rind cheeses, brie and camembert, but also something unique that I can't describe now since I haven't eaten one in a few years.  That will change soon.  Maybe it's the lactic character of the chevre like make combined with the PC, but whatever it is, I like it, and it is inspiring me to try other lactic coagulated bloomy cheeses.

John

I have that book! Do you think that my usual Malembert moulds will work? I have an insulated cooking pot to do the long incubation period, the one I use for yogurt making so this could be a thing.

Your cam molds I think are too deep to make work.  I made my own cam molds from round polypropolyne (sp.?) pitchers.  So I cut a tube from the middle of the pitchers and drilled holes for drainage.  Afterwards I'm looking at the bottoms which appeared pretty good for a mold so I drilled drainage holes in them as well.  It turned out that these got used for cams as well even though they are only 2 inches deep.  I ladle into them just as I do the open bottom cam molds, topping up as they drain.  I then marry 2 thin cheeses from these 2 small molds togeher in one mold and they seem to knit together just fine, just a bit smaller, 4 inch as opposed to 4 1/4 inch cams.

these bottoms work well for nuefchatel.  Much different process.  A few videos should make it clear.  Parden moi francais, but seeing should clear up any confusion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkSDe03_qv4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRDwDpphCwQ

The curd making process should work fine, I've done it with a room temp 24 hour ferment and long drain.  I treat them as cams after molding, same drain and ripening box, same setup in the cave ripening containers, daily flip etc.  Times are similar, maybe a bit longer due to the higher lactic acid initially, But PC is pretty robust.

Best of luck,
John