I am looking forward to learning more from you! I am just starting but so far I only had a failure when I tried to add cheese coloring. For whatever reason it just didn't go right... I don't feel the need to add coloring to it but we thought it would be fun to try. WRONG.
I would think that natural would be best (usually). I wish I had some milking critters or at least someone who sold milk. So far I've just made cottage cheese from blinky milk. Since it is from homogenized commercial milk it comes out more like ricotta. I have to guard it to keep the kids out of it until I use because it's infrequent that I get to make it.
It's been a while since I've made cheese, mostly we make soap. Although I would LOVE to try your recipes you've been using because they always look amazing!
There's no need to be any more scared of lye then of using bleach or boiling water. You just take reasonable precautions and you're fine. You're more likely to get hurt with boiling water then with lye if you are reasonably cautious when you use it. I've gotten droplets of it on my skin and it is irritating until you rinse it off. Have some white vinegar nearby as that will neutralize it. It burns because it has a high pH and vinegar has a low ph.
@sumi Here is your Blue Cheese Recipe! I knew I had one....
TASTING NOTES FOR BUTTERMILK BLUE HOMEMADE CHEESE:
Appearance: textured rind mottled with blue, grey, gold and white; firm cream coloured interior with blue veining
Nose (aroma): umami inducing blue
Overall Taste: a buttery tang on the tongue that rolls into a rich velvet full bodied mild to medium blue with no bitter aftertaste: addictive
Sweet to Salty: a medium salty savoury blue
Mild (mellow) to Robust to Pungent (stinky): a mild to medium blue
Mouth Feel: (gritty, sandy, chewy, greasy, gummy, etc.): smooth and creamy paste, somewhat butter like in texture as it melts immediately on the tongue, but not easy to spread; creamy crumbles
BUTTERMILK BLUE HOMEMADE CHEESE RECIPE
Ingredients:
2 litres whole Cow’s Milk
1 litre cultured Buttermilk
500mL heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon MM100 mesophilic starter culture
1/8 teaspoon and a pinch of Penicillium Roqueforti mould powder
1/4 teaspoon Calcium Chloride diluted in 1/4 cup cool distilled water
1/2 teaspoon liquid calf rennet diluted in 1/4 cup cool distilled water
1 1/2 teaspoon cheese salt
4 inch Camembert mould, cheese cloth, thermometer, etc.
Instructions:
In a 6 litre heavy, non-reactive stock pot, over low heat, bring the buttermilk, milk, and cream to 90°F (should take about 20 minutes)
Turn off the heat and sprinkle the mesophilic starter, and a pinch of the Penicillium Roqueforti mould powder over the milk; rehydrate for 5 minutes
Using a whisk in an up and down motion, mix the starter and the mould into the milk mixture
Add the calcium chloride; gently whisk in
Add the rennet; gently whisk in
Cover and maintain 90°F for 90 minutes, or until the curds give a clean break (my Le Creuset pots maintain the heat well)
Line a colander with a damp butter muslin over a bowl to catch the whey
Cut the curds into one inch cubes, maintaining 90°F; let rest for 10 minutes
Stir gently for 10 minutes, to shrink the curd and firm them
Rest the curd for 15 minutes, or until the curds sink to the bottom of the pot
Ladle off as much whey as possible to expose the curds; gently ladle the curds into the lined colander
Drain for 10 minutes; tie the corners of the cloth together to form a sac and hang for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the whey stops draining
Line a 4 inch Camembert mould with a damp butter muslin; place on a rack over a tray (I place this on the rack in my kitchen sink)
Open the sac of curds, and divide it into fourths with your eye; gently ladling 1/4 of the curd into the mould, pressing down gently to cover the bottom
Measure out the 1/8th of a teaspoon of the Penicillium Roqueforti; sprinkle 1/3 of it evenly over the top of the curd layer (Gently shake the spoon over the curds)
Add another 1/4 of the curds to the mould, gently pressing to fill all the gaps; sprinkle 1/3 of the mould over it, again
Repeat with another 1/4 of the curds; sprinkling the last 1/3 of the mould over it
Cover with the final 1/4 of the curds; the cheese should come up to about 1 inch to the top of the mould
Pull the cloth up tight; smoothing to cover the curd
Let the cheese drain for 4 hours at room temperature; then unwrap, flip, redress and drain for 4 more hours
Remove the cheese from the mould; unwrap and sprinkle the top with 3/4 teaspoon of cheese salt
Place the cheese mould over the cheese, and flip it, unsalted side up; place in a mat in a ripening box, and salt the other side with the remaining 3/4 teaspoon of cheese salt
Drain 5 hours; remove the mould and place back on the mat in the ripening box, covered loosely with the lid
Age for up to one week, or until the whey stops draining at 54°F and 75% humidity; flip the cheese daily, draining off whey and wiping the inside of the box and lid dry with a paper towel
Use a sterilized knitting needle or skewer to pierce the cheese once the whey has stopped draining: all the way through to the other side, four times horizontally (from one side to the other) and four times from the top through to the bottom (These air passages will encourage mould growth)
Close the lid of the ripening box’ ripen at 50°F and 80-90% humidity; blue mould should appear on the exterior after 10 days
Monitor the cheese carefully: flip daily, adjust lid if humidity increases too much…
Over the next 2 weeks, pierce the cheese two more times in the same locations to ensure proper aeration and blue vein development
If excessive, or undesirable mould appears on the surface of the cheese, rub it off with a small piece of cheese cloth dipped in a vinegar-salt solution
Ripen for 6 weeks; rub off any excess mould with dry cheesecloth
Wrap in foil and store in the fridge for up to 3 months: the longer stored, the more pronounced the flavour
