CHEESE NOTES

High-res Raw Cow’s Milk Bloomy Rind, about 8 days in, with a solid coating of Penicilium Candidum mold. By now its been wrapped in MRP (Mold-Ripened) cheese paper, paraffin coated to protect the cheese while allowing it to breathe. This is part of my ongoing test with a recipe from the new book Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking: The Ultimate Guide for Home-Scale and Market Producers by Gianaclis Caldwell. Previous post about this wheel here. (You can order Mastering Artisan Cheese through Chelsea Green Publishing.)

Raw Cow’s Milk Bloomy Rind, about 8 days in, with a solid coating of Penicilium Candidum mold. By now its been wrapped in MRP (Mold-Ripened) cheese paper, paraffin coated to protect the cheese while allowing it to breathe. This is part of my ongoing test with a recipe from the new book Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking: The Ultimate Guide for Home-Scale and Market Producers by Gianaclis Caldwell. Previous post about this wheel here.

(You can order Mastering Artisan Cheese through Chelsea Green Publishing.)

High-res Raw Cow’s Milk Bloomy Rind, a few days in, starting to develop the first patches of P.Candidum mold. This was my first test with a recipe from the new book Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking: The Ultimate Guide for Home-Scale and Market Producers by Gianaclis Caldwell, cheesemaker/owner of the award-winning Pholia Farms in Rogue River, Oregon and the author of The Farmstead Creamery Advisor (a MUST-read for anyone considering opening their own creamery or cheese making operation).  The recipe was for the “stabilized” bloomy rind cheese. “stabilized” might sound kind of industrial — and indeed, your run of the mill supermarket bloomy rinds that are sold as Bries and Camemberts are generally stabilize, but all it really means is that, by removing whey and replacing it with water at a key point in the recipe, you lower the acidity (raise the pH) and create a less soluble paste that will age more slowly and retain a fimer texture for longer, although you will also see some loss in complexity in flavor. Nonetheless, as Caldwell points out, there are many great cheeses that are made using stabilized recipes, including Cowgirl Creamery’s excellent triple-creme, Mt. Tam.  You can order Mastering Artisan Cheese through Chelsea Green Publishing.

Raw Cow’s Milk Bloomy Rind, a few days in, starting to develop the first patches of P.Candidum mold. This was my first test with a recipe from the new book Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking: The Ultimate Guide for Home-Scale and Market Producers by Gianaclis Caldwell, cheesemaker/owner of the award-winning Pholia Farms in Rogue River, Oregon and the author of The Farmstead Creamery Advisor (a MUST-read for anyone considering opening their own creamery or cheese making operation). 

The recipe was for the “stabilized” bloomy rind cheese. “stabilized” might sound kind of industrial — and indeed, your run of the mill supermarket bloomy rinds that are sold as Bries and Camemberts are generally stabilize, but all it really means is that, by removing whey and replacing it with water at a key point in the recipe, you lower the acidity (raise the pH) and create a less soluble paste that will age more slowly and retain a fimer texture for longer, although you will also see some loss in complexity in flavor. Nonetheless, as Caldwell points out, there are many great cheeses that are made using stabilized recipes, including Cowgirl Creamery’s excellent triple-creme, Mt. Tam. 

You can order Mastering Artisan Cheese through Chelsea Green Publishing.

High-res Gowanish, developing the bloomy rind. The whiter ones on the left were made with pasteurized goat’s milk, a few days before the one’s on the right, which were made with raw goat’s milk. The recipe were identical and the rind development difference is due simply to their having had more time to age, but it will be interesting to taste the two side by side a few weeks out and observe the differences in how they age and develop in texture, flavor, aroma, etc. 

Gowanish, developing the bloomy rind. The whiter ones on the left were made with pasteurized goat’s milk, a few days before the one’s on the right, which were made with raw goat’s milk. The recipe were identical and the rind development difference is due simply to their having had more time to age, but it will be interesting to taste the two side by side a few weeks out and observe the differences in how they age and develop in texture, flavor, aroma, etc.