Young Tomme

A young tomme, made January 7 from raw Jersey cows milk. It has a nice and smooth, slightly nutty flavor. The texture is semi soft texture with a clean natural rind.

St. Nectaire

The other day I watched a documentary called "The Cheese Nun" about Sister Noella Marcellino. Sister Noella Marcellino is a Benedictine nun at the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Connecticut. She began making the Abbey’s cheese in 1977 using an ancient technique taught to her by a French woman. Pursuing a doctorate in Microbiology in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at UConn in 2003, she traveled extensively through cheese-making regions in France collecting native strains of cheese-ripening fungi to access their biochemical and genetic diversity. She isolated hundreds of species of the fungi Geotrichum candidum, one of the keys to the uniqueness of every cheese. She collected samples of the microflora from the milk, cheeses and caves. Back in the lab she studied the samples and discovered that each cave has its distinct microflora. Even caves a few miles apart might be inhabited by different strains of the fungi. This is one reason why cheeses are so distinct to their locality.

After watching the documentary, I went to look for some of the sister's publications. I found two and have read one so far. Published in the November 1992 issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology I found "Scanning Electron and Light Microscopic Study of Microbial Succession on Bethlehem St. Nectaire Cheese". A very interesting article about the developmental stages of the microorganisms on this particular cheese. She describes the biochemical activity of the texture and flavor developing microbial populations on this mold ripened cheese.

As said, all caves have a distinct microflora living in them which are influential to the development of the cheese. After reading this paper I tried to do a little research on the microbial population in my cave by studying the rind of the St. Nectaire I made a while ago. Of course I don't have a microscope, nor can I determine which fungus or mold is what. But after a close look at the rind, I can conclude that my cave does not have a very diverse population. I think I can recognize a strain of G. candidum (the white mold in the pictures) and a strain of Mucor (the grey mold in the pictures). This is nothing like the ten to twelve microorganisms mentioned in the scientific paper by Sister Noelle. As I had always suspected, this cave is rather sterile. It is a poured concrete structure under the Brooklyn sidewalk. It does not compare to the cave upstate, which I use in the summer when it gets to hot in the city. The pictures of the rind of those cheeses will attest to that. The rinds are colorful, evidence of a very diverse and abundantly present population of microorganisms.

Tomme

A tomme, made on September 9-2008 form raw Holstein milk. Slightly acidic, it tastes a bit like a cheddar which is not my favorite cheese. It does has a nice clean flavor though.

Epoisses

As expected the rind broke and the cheeses started leaking. I had to put them in containers. They now look like St. Marcelin. Washing will be difficult but I guess I can just dab the cheeses with wine.

Epoisses

I have washed the cheeses with white wine for a few times and they are starting to smell rather pungent. The rind is very fragile and I am worried about the strength of it. I can feel the inside of the cheeses getting liquid and if the rind breaks it might just run out.

Washed rind cheeses

The washed rind cheeses are starting to turn nicely orange and are developing their typical smell.

Blues

Last month I made some blue cheeses. These are simple cheeses, nothing fancy. I decided to make some blue cheeses because I had an empty refrigerator. I don't want to mingle these cheeses with the other types. Before you know it, everything is blue.

Epoisses

After washing the cheeses every other day for a few weeks, the rind is establishing well. The higher temperature in the cave thanks to the rise of the temperature outside has helped the growth of the bacteria. Soon I will switch from washing with brine to washing with wine.

Washed rind cheeses

Apart from the lager wheel on the left which is an Alpine, some tommes which I have been washing to develop a smear rind. 

St. Paulin

On January 9 I made a St. Paulin, also known as Port du Salut, after a recipe from Kosikowski's book "Cheese and Fermented Milk Foods" Volume II Procedure and Analysis. Here is the result three weeks later. The cheese has quite an open structure because I did not press it. I have been washing the cheese regularly, first with brine with Brevibacterium linens added to it and later with brine without the bacteria. The smear is developing but as with the Epoisse cheeses, it has been slow going. The temperature in the cave has been below ideal for optimum growth. But with spring coming and rising temperatures, the atmosphere in the cave will change for the better soon.

St. Nectaire

Here is an update on the St. Nectaire I made on January 7. 

Epoisses

Here are some recent pictures of the cheeses. Currently almost three weeks old with some orange showing from the Brevibacterium Linens. The growth of the bacteria is slow because both the aging refrigerator and the cheese cave are a little below the ideal temperature. 

Epoisses

Here is my first attempt from a few weeks ago to make an Epoisses style cheese. I used five gallon of raw jersey cow milk and let it coagulate over 36 hours at about 70 F. I let it drain for another 36 hours and after unhooping I salted the cheeses lightly and sprayed them with Brevibacterium linens. Next, I then put them under the fan to dry for about 6 hours.

Since then, I washed them every other day with brine and by now the orange color of the B. Linens bacteria is starting to show

Unknown cheese

I have been going through my binder, trying to find the notes which go with this batch. It is becoming really confusing with all these small batches of lactic type cheeses to match the proper notes to the batch. I should come up with a better system.

But I think I have found them for this batch.  Clearly made on December 7, the pictures show the cheeses in various stages of development.  Although my notes say that I inoculated the milk with Penicillium candidum, a wild blue mold is trying to get the upper hand. This makes me suspect that I might not have used P. candidum. I have another sheet with notes from a batch made on the same day. These notes do not mention the use of P. candidum. It was from a batch made after a recipe in the St. Marcellin style. Perhaps it was that.

Tomme

These tommes are from a batch made on December 7. The right wheel I have been washing, the left wheel I have let gone wild. We'll see what happens.

St. Marcellin

The St. Marcellin I wrote about yesterday have been aged in a refrigerator set at 50F and 90% relative humidity. The cheeses here are from the same December 14 batch but are aging in the cave. The temperature in the cave is about 52F and the relative humidity around 95%. The Penicillium candidum on the cheeses shown here is clearly less furry than the cheeses ripened in the refrigerator and they feel harder when touched than the cheeses in the fridge. I am curious what the difference in taste and texture will be.

St. Marcellin

A few weeks ago I made a batch of cheeses in the style of St. Marcellin. In the photos here they are three weeks. The taste is mild with earthy tones of grass and mushrooms. The rind is thin and fragile, with a soft paste just underneath. The center is firm yet creamy. It melts in mouth.

Cheese books

The other day someone mentioned that I probably have quite a few books related to cheese by now. Indeed, since I started making cheese last March, I have acquired quite a selection. The first one was Ricki Carrol's book on home cheese making, which I borrowed from a friend and have yet to return. I made a few cheeses using her recipes but I soon felt very limited with the information in this book. I searched the NY public library and came across Paul Kindsted's book "American Farmstead Cheese". Although it does not give any recipes, it is a great source with an abundance of information about all aspects of farmstead cheesemaking. A must have.
It took me a while to acquire Kosokowski's "Cheese and Fermented Milk Foods", by many referred to as the cheese bible. It was repeatedly referenced in the Kindstedt book, but it is rather pricey. But eventually, my urge for knowlegde about cheesemaking prevailed and I ordered it. Another pricey book in the stack is "Cheesemaking Practice" by R. Scott, R.K. Robinson an R.A. Wilbey. Rather dry but with some practical procedures in the back.
Since I started making goat cheese last fall, "The Fabrication of Farmstead Goat Cheese" by Jean-Claude Le Jaouen and "Goat Cheese" by the Mont-Laurier Benedictine Nuns were must haves and soon purchased. Especially the book by Le Jaouen has been very helpful.
Possibly the two publications I use the most are Margaret Morris "The Cheesemaker's Manual" and "Farmstead Cheesemaking Collection" by Peter H. Dixon. Margaret Morris's book describes a lot of cultures, moulds, yeasts and other ripening ingredients. It also describes the cheecemaking process step by step very clearly and has a lot of handy tips and a troubleshooting guide. Towards the end it gives recipes for both the home cheesemaker as well as the commercial producer.
Peter Dixon, a master artisanal cheesemaker in Vermont, published these newsletters a few years ago. They are full of useful and very practical information about all aspects of artisanal cheesemaking. It has quite a bit of information on cheese ripening, cultures, caves, and a good article on washed rind cheese affinage. I go back to it over and over again.
Besides books about cheese with just practical and technical information, I have also found that books describing various cheeses are very helpful in the pursue of a good cheese. Without a doubt Patrick Rance's "The French Cheese" is the standard classic among these books. It is sometimes hard to find for a reasonable price. I did find a copy on Abebooks of both the French cheese book as well as "The Great British Cheese Book" at the same bookseller a while ago. It is a wonderful read which takes one through the world of French cheeses.
"The Complete Encyclopedia of Frenc Cheese" by Pierre Androuet is a handy book just to look up a cheese quickly. It describes the cheeses plainly without any pictures. The same is true for "Cheese primer" by Steven Jenkins although this book is not limited to French cheeses.
For a more colorful guide to the french cheese, I think "French Cheese" by Kazuki Masui and Tomoko Yamada is an excellent book. It even has some procedures for some cheeses which could be helpfull in the making of a particular cheese.
Some other books on the stack related to cheese are "The Altas of American Artisan Cheese" by Jeffrey P. Roberts, a reference book to numerous Artisanal Cheesemakers in America, and "The Untold Story of Milk" by Ron Schmid. The last book has convinced me that raw milk is worth traveling the extra miles for.