This week's camembert

[LoydB]

I love how gravity does all the work.

 

[tbern]

they sure look nice!!

 

[indaswamp]

Awesome!!! Do you age this cheese in your cabinet with meats?

 

[LoydB]

This particular one, since it isn't vac sealed, ages in my regular refrigerator. It's about 10 degrees cooler than optimum, so it's going to take longer to get the white mold coverage that I want, but I don't have to worry about stray molds. All my hard cheeses are vac sealed and are in the meat curing fridge.

 

[Hockeydudde]

Wow! Looks great. I didn't realize you could do white molds in a fridge. I've really been wanting to make a soft cheese white molds cheese.

Do you have to order starter culture, or can you just mix some brie rind with water?

 

[LoydB]

Wow! Looks great. I didn't realize you could do white molds in a fridge

Thanks! This is my first time trying it, but my understanding is that it's just slower.

Do you have to order starter culture, or can you just mix some brie rind with water?

• 1 US gal full cream milk
• ¼ teaspoon Calcium Chloride (if using homogenized milk), dissolved in ¼ cup (60 ml) cool unchlorinated water
• 1/8 tspn Flora Danica
• 1/16 tspn Penicillium Candidum
• 1/32 tspn Geotrichum candidum
• 1/8 teaspoon liquid rennet dissolved in ¼ cup (60 ml) cool unchlorinated water

Heat to 86 degrees F, take off heat
Stir
Sprinkle on top Flora Danica, P. Cand, G. Cand
Wait 5 mins
Stir it all in
Add rennet, stir for 60 seconds
Sit for 90 minutes @ 86
Check break
Cut into 1" columns - no horizontal cuts
Heal for 5 mins

Start filling two camembert baskets, wait 15 mins, top off
Wait 30 mins, then start flipping baskets every 2 hours for 6 hours
When right side up after flip, bang them flat to settle it lower

After final flip leave to settle overnight into the mold.
Next day, flip every 6 hours for 24 hours (should be ok to remove from mold to flip then put back in

Day 2, brine for 3 hours, sprinkle salt, flipping at 90 mins

Put into ripening box

Ripen at 44-50 degrees F @ 90% RH until well molded
Will have to go longer in fridge.
Turn daily
When bloomed and covered, wrap with cheese paper

Age 1-2 more weeks @ 39% in the fridge in box

 

[Hockeydudde]

Can't wait to see how yours turns out. Please share.
My milk supply is about to drop, so I'll be interested in smaller batch special cheeses soon.

 

[Hockeydudde]

Just ordered the stuff for Brie/camembert!

 

[LoydB]

This is the first time I've done this, I'm really curious to see the transformation from what is right now a very firm cheese into gooey. I'll post some update pics when I start getting good mold coverage. I'll look forward to seeing how yours does.

 

[Hockeydudde]

Is almost been a month, curious to see how the camembert is doing.

My kids drink to much milk, I can't seem to build up 2 gallons to do a batch...

 

[Brokenhandle]

Curious as well!

Ryan

 

[LoydB]

It took 24 days at fridge temperatures to get the white mold coverage needed. I wrapped them in cheese paper on the 16th, and will try the first one in another week or so. Here's what it looked like when I wrapped it.

 

[Hockeydudde]

Looks pristine!
I just gave up trying to do a 2 gallons batch. Starting a 1 gallon batch today.

 

[indaswamp]

LoydB , What is cheese paper? What is it's purpose? I assume it breathes to allow for mold growth....

 

[LoydB]

LoydB , What is cheese paper? What is it's purpose? I assume it breathes to allow for mold growth....

Yep.

Croute Fleurie Cheese Wrap (White)

This two ply cheese wrap is used for white mold ripened cheese including Camembert, Crottin, Tomme and Brie. This white, two layer wrap is breathable which is ideal for a delicate bloom and proper moisture when aging cheese. The inner layer is designed to pull moisture away from the surface of...

cheesemaking.com

 

[LoydB]

Cut the first wheel open today, it's amazing. This is it fresh from the fridge. If you let it warm to room temp, it starts getting nice and oozy.

 

[Hockeydudde]

Looks great!
This recipe is quite a bit faster than the one in the Caroll book. It says 6 weeks ageing. I only will have two so don't want to pull one early... But also eating cheese sooner sounds great.

 

[LoydB]

Looks great!
This recipe is quite a bit faster than the one in the Caroll book. It says 6 weeks ageing. I only will have two so don't want to pull one early... But also eating cheese sooner sounds great.

Thanks! These were all done in the fridge rather than the charc. cave. It took 24 days to get the mold coverage, and then 14 days to be ripe. I'm letting my second one go an extra 7-10 days to see what kind of difference it makes.

 

[LoydB]

Age 1-2 more weeks @ 39% in the fridge in box

My edit window is closed on the recipe post apparently. This should be 39 degrees F, not 39%.

 

[indaswamp]

Glad to see this post made the carousel! Cheese looks awesome! I bet longer will lead to more intense flavor...