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David · Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 180 Location: Co. Clare

Hi Chook
all that sounds lovely...i think i saw a recipe of yours for cheese on this forum...i'll give it a go. Do you make any hard cheese? Be interesting from the storage factor. I'd love to have a few cheeses ripening for the winter.

waistline?

We've been turning pork bellies into rillets/rillons this weekend...so if you want to talk "fat" i'm your man!!

D

chook · Joined: 14 Mar 2007 Posts: 305 Location: North Clare

I tried to make hard cheese but failed, it kept going bad on me. However, the dad of a friend of mine has been making goat's hard cheese for years; it's really lovely. He makes it pretty much the same way as myself as far as I know, uses the same moulds to press etc. and then just ripens it in his cottage in a fly-proof cupboard.
Doesn't work for me unfortunately. I get first a red mould and then a nasty black one. What I have done though is to buy a small nice brie and put one of my pressed cheese in closed food container (tupperware or similar) and scrape off some of the white mould from the brie with a toothpick which is then inserted repeatedly into the cheese. That way the mould gets right in and if left for a few weeks in the fridge the mould grows right through and starts showing at the surface; it gives a very different taste and texture.

Have fun.
chook

brianbread · Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 12 Location: North Co. Dublin

Apparently there are different moulds in different atmospheres, so a cheese matured in one location could turn out totally different in another. Your mould problem is more likely to do with where its being matured rather than how your making it Id say.

Artisan cheese makers are often particular about letting people into there maturing room in case an undesireble mould gets into the atmosphere and changes their product. Cheese is easily as interesting as wine for reasons like these I reckon, something a bit magical about it all, and each producers cheese is distinctly theirs! The following is a rough method for maturing hard cheese, im sure there are others but this is one that I know works!

When your cheese is pressed take it out and cover generously in sea-salt (This starts the formation of a rind), after a couple of hours brush off the excess salt and wrap loosely in cheese cloth (the cheese doesnt need to be covered as such but does need to be protected from direct sunlight, mice, rats, curiosity etc). Ideally place on a wooden board (for antiseptic qualities) and keep in a cool (ideal maturation temp is 12c but its grand up as far as 18c (just about)), dry place with a stable temp, an insulated shed is ideal at this time of year but not if it has strong smelling stuff in it like paint/ parafin/ white spirits etc.....

For the 1st week the cheese should be turned every day to ensure the moisture/ bacteria etc dont just sink to the bottom. After a few days brush off the remaining salt and keep turning! After a week turn it maybe every three days and after a week of that every week and so forth! Apparently some people wet a cloth with white wine and rub the cheese every time its turned and this creates some kind of super-special rind, but Iv never tried it, booze is for exclusively for bellies with my kind of cash flow!

A kilo of cheese should be fairly special after three months so if the will power is their I reckon thats an achievable target. The cheese will probably mature (beneficially) for six to eight months but this depends on you method, milk, size of cheese etc. Your cheese could mature for consideranly longer or less time.

Thick black/white/ grey moulds on the rind are not a problem, If you dont like the look of them they can be literally washed off with a nail brush once a sturdy rind develops. anything green or red is a bit dodgy I reckon though. Well thats the depth and breadth of my knowledge on maturing hard cheese pretty much, im sure a lot of it you will already know but hopefully something will come in handy. Do you use pasturised or unpasturised milk out of interest??

Anyway, Slan go foil!

brianbread · Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 12 Location: North Co. Dublin

Oh yeah! forgot to mention you should never wrap or keep your cheese in plastic as it sweats! a covered tupperware container wont really do it any favours but just leaving the brie beside your cheese in normal maturing conditions should be enough to encourage that particular mould if thats what you are trying to achieve!

Moonwaves · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 80 Location: Dusseldorf

[quote]a covered tupperware container wont really do it any favours [/quote]

Unless of course you're using one of these:
http://www.tupperware.de/images/a139_300.jpg

Very Happy

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MrsL · Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 11:13 pm Post subject:

Have a look here:

http://creativeliving.10.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=304

sorry it's a link to my own forum, but a bit of a fankle to re-type it all out. Hoipe it helps, will check back, and happy to answer questions.

I've been cheesemaking for about 15 years now - soft and hard, cow and goat milk. I make butter too; up until a few months ago in the Kenwood, but I gave that away in my bid to become non-electric, and now have a hand butter churn.

Definitely worthwhile, and woth persevering with.
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wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

We are going to try a bit of dairy stuff once our last six goats are gone. Have been offered some equipment from a fellow goat keeper which is cool. Very Happy

So I may well be asking you guys for a bit of help. Need some females first of course.
Cheers.

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