Making Artisan Cheese (28 page)

Authors: Tim Smith

Traditionally, straw mats are used for making soft-ripened cheeses, but they are difficult to find. Sushi mats are an excellent substitution, and are widely available. A bamboo mat allows air to circulate around ripening cheeses.

Equipment Needed

Due to the delicate nature of these cheeses, you will need to put away the cheese press (the notable exception is blue Gouda), but you will still need the rest of your equipment. In addition, you will need the following items.

Drying Mats

A drying mat is essential for making mold-ripened cheeses because it provides a breathable barrier that prevents the cheese from collecting moisture on its bottom. You will need two drying mats, sterilized in boiling water for twenty minutes. Plastic or bamboo sushi mats are useful as drying mats.

Ripening Box

All soft-ripened blue and washed-rind cheeses require high humidity, typically in the range of 85 to 95 percent, for proper development. The easiest way to achieve this is to use a ripening box. This is a small plastic box with a tight-fitting lid that can hold the cheese comfortably along with your drying mat. An inexpensive alternative to a ripening box is a freezer-size zip-close plastic bag. Simply put the mat and cheese in the bag, blow the bag full of air, and seal.

With the exception of the cheese press, the advanced cheeses require all the same equipment that you use to make the more basic cheeses.

Catch Pan

Soft-ripened cheeses are high-moisture cheeses; consequently, they will expel a lot of whey. The best approach for this is to use a catch pan; often an 8" x 8" (20 x 20 cm) baking pan will do. It is deep enough to capture the whey, and is easily covered with the straw mats.

Cheese Film

Cheese film is a breathable cellophane wrap that will add a protective barrier to your cheese, allowing the mold to bloom (see Resources,
page 172
). Use this in conjunction with your ripening box.

Master Cheese Maker
CARLETON YODER,
CHAMPLAIN VALLEY CREAM CHEESE

Carleton Yoder has “always been a foodie.” After switching from electrical engineering to food science, Yoder’s first job out of school was making hard cider. “During this time I was making cheeses at home as a hobby—everything from blues to Cheddars. In 2003, I left the cider company and went to Shelburne Farms to learn how to make Cheddar. Afterward, I started my own business making cream cheese.”

Why did Yoder choose cream cheese over Cheddar? “First, there are many Cheddar makers,” Yoder says, “but nobody has been making traditional cream cheese here in New England. Second, there is some immediate satisfaction from making a cream cheese: You add the culture, let it ripen, and then package it.”

Yoder loves that cheese making is a blend of art and science. “The scientist in me can take the measurements with my instruments, but then I am also measuring the moisture content by putting my finger into the milk to make an estimate. I love taking a raw product—in this case, milk—and turning it into something new. It is interesting to see the concentration of flavors that come out of something as simple as milk.”

Yoder’s first and foremost advice for the home cheese maker: “Cleanliness is essential. Ninety percent of all problems with cheese making can be traced to poor sanitation, because it affects the texture as well as the flavor. The other thing to keep in mind is the milk quality. Stay away from the UHT and the ultra-pasteurized milk. I know this may be difficult in the more suburban and urban areas, but if you can find a relationship with a farmer, then you can be assured of getting good-quality milk.”

White Stilton

White Stilton, traditionally, was a cheese that used the inferior-quality milk collected during the springtime. It is a young cheese with a very mild, fresh flavor. It is crumbly with lemon-fresh acidity, which is a very different flavor from that of its cousin, blue Stilton (see
page 140
).

INGREDIENTS

2 gallons (7.6 L) whole milk

2 cups (475 ml) light cream

4 tablespoons (60 ml) mesophilic mother culture, or ¼ teaspoon (about 2 ml) mesophilic direct-set culture

¼ teaspoon (about 2 ml) liquid rennet or ¼ tablet dry rennet diluted in ¼ cup (60 ml) cool water

2 tablespoons (36 g) cheese salt

Brine solution (see
page 86
)

TECHNIQUES

For illustrated steps and tools, see Advanced Cheese-Making Techniques,
page 146
.

PROCEDURE

In the double boiler, blend the cream and milk, and stir thoroughly. Heat to 86°F (30°C), then gently stir in the starter culture and cover. Let the milk ripen for thirty minutes at the target temperature. Maintaining the target temperature of 86°F (30°C), add the diluted rennet, and stir for one minute. Cover, and let the milk sit for ninety minutes at the target temperature. Check for a clean break (see
page 83
) by inserting a curd knife and making one cut through the curds.

Line a colander with sterilized cheese cloth, and rest the colander in a deep catch bowl. Using a slotted spoon, ladle the curds into the colander. When finished, the curds should be resting in a pool of whey. Let the mixture sit for ninety minutes at the target temperature of 86° F (30°C).

Tie together the corners of the cheese cloth so that they form a ball. Tie the ends around a wooden spoon, and suspend the ball over a large pot so that the whey can drain freely from the curds. Let the bundle drain for thirty minutes at room temperature. When the whey has stopped draining, place the curd mixture, wrapped in the cheese cloth, on a cheese board. Cover it with a second cheese board, and weigh it down by setting a 1 gallon (3.8 L) bottle of water on the top board. Press the cheese overnight, at 70°F (21°C).

White Stilton with Blueberries

This cheese has a taste that will surprise you. The slightly sweet blueberries blended with the creamy white Stilton make a winner that’s perfect for dessert.

Follow the recipe for White Stilton with the following modifications.

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

4 teaspoons (about 20 g) dried blueberries

¼ cup (60 ml) water

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT
Vegetable steamer

PROCEDURE
Using your vegetable steamer, steam the blueberries for fifteen minutes, adding additional water as necessary to keep the steam flowing. Add ¼ cup (60 ml) water to your milk and cream mixture before adding the starter culture. Add the blueberries to the curd before placing it into the mold.

White Stilton with Candied Ginger

The gentle spice of the ginger goes quite well with the creaminess of this cheese. A little chutney served on the side is a nice accompaniment.

Follow the recipe for White Stilton with the following modifications.

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon candied ginger, finely chopped ¼ cup (60 ml) water

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT
Vegetable steamer

PROCEDURE
Using your vegetable steamer, steam the ginger for fifteen minutes, adding additional water as necessary to keep the steam flowing. Add water to the milk and cream mixture before adding the starter culture. Add ginger to the curd before placing it into the mold, during the salting process.

Sterilize a 2 pound (900 g) cheese mold, a cheese board, two cheese drying mats, and cheese cloth. Remove the curds from the cheese cloth, and break them into 1" (2.5 cm) pieces. In a bowl, gently blend the salt into the curds using your fingers. Be careful not to work the curds too roughly.

Line the cheese mold with cheese cloth, and place it on top of one of the drying mats. Place the mat on top of the cheese board. Now gently pour the curds into the mold, and cover it with the second cheese mat. Turn the cheese by placing your hands on both the top and bottom of the cheese mats, and flipping them over. Do this every fifteen minutes for two hours. Then let the cheese sit overnight at an ambient temperature of 70°F (21°C). When the cheese has a firm body, remove it from the mold. Place it on a ripening board and allow it to air dry at room temperature. Place cheese in the ripening refrigerator at 50°F-55°F (10°C-21°C) and 80–85 percent humidity. Turn the cheese four times a day for the next four days.

Turn the cheese three times a week, and clean it off once a week by wiping the rind with a clean cloth dipped into brine solution. Age for four months.

Yield: 2 pounds (900 g)

Blue Stilton

Stilton, for the English, is a matter of national pride—it is an exceptional cheese. Typically Stilton comes in 16-pound (7.3 kg) cylinders, with a rough natural rind. This mini version has a pleasant balance of blue color and tangy sharpness.