6188_MasteringArtisanCheeseMaking

CONTENTS

liSt of tableS foReWoRd acknoWledGmentS intRoduction

vii ix xi xiii

paRt i:

THE A RT A ND SCIENCE OF M A KING CHEESE 1: inGRedientS foR all cheeSeS

1

The Home Cheese Cellar, 75 • The Ins and Outs of Monitoring Humidity, 80 • Cheese with Special Needs, 82 • Selecting Shelving, 82 • Aging-Space Housekeeping, 83 • Using a Cheese Trier/Iron, 84 • Options for Protecting and Finishing a Cheese, 84 • Affinage Troubleshooting, 92

Adding Seeds and Spices, 101 • Using Herbs and Infusions, 102 • Working with Ale, Wine, and Spirits, 104 • Wrapping a Cheese in Leaves, 105 • Smoking Cheese, 106 • Using Ash or Charcoal, 107 • Marinades for Flavor and Preservation, 108 6: deSiGninG, eQuippinG, and maintaininG youR home cheeSemakinG Space 109

Choosing Equipment, 109 • Creating Your Cheesemaking Space, 118 • Keeping Things Clean, 120 • The Six Steps to Sparkling Clean, 124

paRt ii:

RECIPES FOR SUCCESS 7: GettinG to knoW the family

30

Choosing and Preparing Milk, 30 • Culturing and Ripening, 37 • Additional Ingredients, 42 • The Process of Coagulation, 42 • Cutting the Curd, 44 • Cooking and Stirring, 48 • Washing the Curds, 51 • Checking Curd for Readiness, 52 • Pitching the Curd, 52 • Draining and Pressing, 53 • Draining and Pressing in Forms, 55 • The Essentials of Salting, 57 3: the fundamentalS of acid deVelopment and monitoRinG duRinG cheeSemakinG 64

The Essentials of Acidity and pH, 64 • Buffering Capacity Explained, 66 • More on Acid Development during Cheesemaking, 66 • Mastering Measuring Acid Development, 68

MasteringArtisanCheesemaking_finalpages.indd 5

75

5: SpicinG it up: addinG flaVoRS to cheeSe 101

Understanding the Beauty and Complexity of Milk, 1 • Milk Sugar—Sweet Secrets, 3 • Milk Fat—Filling Out the Flavor, 5 • Milk Protein—The Building Blocks for Cheese, 8 • Minerals— Keeping It All Together, 11 • Vitamins—For That Healthy Glow, 12 • Enzymes—The Action Heroes of Cheesemaking, 13 • Nuances and Knowledge about Culture, 14 • Starter Culture, 15 • Native Culture, 16 • Ripening Culture, 18 • Classifying and Defining Cultures, 18 • Lipase—For Extra Flavor, 21 • Calcium Chloride— Keeping Things in Balance, 22 • Choosing Your Coagulant: Animal, Vegetable, or Microbial, 23 • The Process of Coagulation, 25 • Beyond Coagulation—The Role of Rennet during Aging, 26 • Salt—The Final Key Ingredient, 26 2: conceptS and pRoceSSeS foR SucceSSful cheeSemakinG

4: aGinG cheeSe GRacefully— the aRt of affinaGe

129

The Myriad Ways to Categorize Cheese, 129 • Working with the Recipes, 131 • Exercises for Building Intuition—“Thinking Outside the Vat,” 132 8: fReSh, acid-coaGulated cheeSe

135

The Fundamentals of Acid Coagulation, 135 • A Deeper Look at the Science of Curdling Milk, 136 • Tips for Making Fresh, Acid-Coagulated Cheese, 137 • Recipe: Quick and Easy—An Added-Acid and Heat-Coagulated Cheese, 143 • Recipe: Soft, Fresh, Crumbly, or Pressed—A Developed-Acid and Heat-Coagulated Cheese, 146 • Recipe: Soft, Fresh, and Creamy—A Developed-Acid Drained Soft Cheese, 150 • Recipe: American-Style Cottage Cheese, 152

8/13/12 2:22 PM

vi

Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking

9: Brined Cheeses, Fresh and Aged

155

Tips for Aging, Storing, and Using Brined Cheeses, 155 • Recipe: Firm and Crumbly Greek Feta-Style Brined Cheese, 156 • Recipe: Smooth and Creamy Bulgarian-Style Brined Cheese, 160 • Recipe: Soft and Salty Domiati-Style Brined Cheese, 164 • Recipe: Firm and Salty Greek-Style Grilling Cheese, 167

Cheeses, 231 • Recipe: Christy Harris’s Hybrid Mozzarella-Type Cheese, 238 • Recipe: Long-Method, Traditional MozzarellaStyle Cheese, 240 • Recipe: Semihard to Hard Aged Pasta Filata Cheese, 242 • Recipe: Greek-Style Aged Stretched Curd Cheese, 246 14: Semihard to Hard Cheeses

10: White Mold, Surface-Ripened Cheeses

171

The Fundamental Science of White Mold–Ripened Cheeses, 171 • A Deeper Look at the Science of Bloomy Rinds, 172 • The Secrets of Making Bloomy Rind Cheeses, 173 • Using Starter and Ripening Cultures for White Mold–Ripened Cheeses, 175 • Creating Interesting Shapes, 180 • Achieving Successful Draining, 181 • Salting, 182 • Aging and Storing, 183 • Recipe: Lactic-Set Bloomy Rind Cheese, 186 • Recipe: Rennet Curd Bloomy Rind Cheese, 187 • Recipe: Washed Curd, Stabilized Paste Bloomy Rind Cheese, 189 11: Washed Rind Surface-Ripened Cheeses

193

The Fundamentals of Stinky Cheese, 194 • Looking Deeper at the Science of Bacterial Surface-Ripened Cheeses, 195 • All about Making Washed Rind Cheeses, 196 • Choosing Yeast Ripening Cultures and Coagulant, 198 • Recipe: Jos Vulto’s Ouleout—A Washed Rind Cheese, 201 • Recipe: Reblochon-Style Washed Rind Cheese, 204 • Recipe: Pholia Farm’s Washed Rind Cheese, 206 12: Blue Cheeses

209

The Fundamental Concepts behind Blue Cheese, 209 • A Deeper Look at the Science of Making Blue Cheese, 210 • Tips for Making Blues, 211 • Recipe: Rindless Blue Cheese, 218 • Recipe: Pablo Battro’s Flor Azul—Natural Rind Blue Cheese, 219 • Recipe: Milled Curd Stilton-Style Blue Cheese, 223 • Recipe: Ann Hansen’s Blue-Brie Cheese, 225 13: Stretched and Kneaded Pasta Filata Cheeses

229

The Basics of Stretched Curd Cheeses, 229 • A Deeper Look at the Science of Stretching and Melting, 229 • Making Stretched Curd

MasteringArtisanCheesemaking_finalpages.indd 6

249

General Tips for Making Semihard and Hard Cheeses, 249 • The Fundamentals of Simple-Process Pressed Cheeses, 250 • Recipe: A Basic Tomme-Style Cheese, 252 • Recipe: A Simple, Piquant Pressed Cheese, 254 • The Fundamentals of Making Washed Curd Cheeses, 256 • Recipe: Cool-Water Washed Curd Cheese, 258 • Recipe: Same-Temperature Light-Brine Washed Curd Cheese 260 • Recipe: Hot-Water Washed Curd Cheese, 261 • The Fundamentals of Making Textured and Milled Curd Cheese, 263 • Recipe: Stirred Curd Cheese, 266 • Recipe: Milled Curd Cheese with Crumbly Texture and Mold-Ripened Rind, 269 • Recipe: Classic Milled Curd, English Cheddar– Style Cheese, 272 • The Fundamentals of Making Cheese with Eyes, 274 • Recipe: Hard Cheese with Small Eyes, 276 • Recipe: Semihard to Hard Cheese with Large Eyes, 277 15: Extra-Hard Grating Cheeses

281

The Fundamental Science of Making Extra-Hard Cheese, 281 • Recipe: Classic Italian-Style Extra-Hard Cheese, 288 • Recipe: Extra-Hard Washed Curd Cheese, 290 • Recipe: ExtraHard Piquant Cheese, 292 • Recipe: Extra-Hard Cheese with Eyes, 294 Appendix A: Troubleshooting Guide Appendix B: Resources for Education, Sourcing, and Enjoyment Appendix C: Quick Reference Tables Appendix D: Sample Make Sheets Glossary Notes and References Index

297 303 309 315 319 327 329

8/13/12 2:22 PM

Aging Cheese Gracefully—the Art of Affinage

85

how to core sa MPle a cheese 1. If the cheese is semisoft, prechill it to refrigeration temperature.

2. Sanitize the trier and dry well. You may want to use a warm to hot sanitizing solution to help the trier more easily penetrate the cheese.

3. Insert the trier about two-thirds of its length (if the cheese is large enough) or halfway through the diameter of the cheese.

4. Rotate the trier in several complete rotations.

5. Tilt the handle back slightly, and slide the sample out of the cheese.

6. Observe the sample for eyes, flaws, texture, and aroma.

7. With a sanitized knife, cut a small portion from the tip of the sample.

8. Slide the trier with the cheese sample on it back into the hole and push from the rind side to seat the sample back into the cheese.

9. Use a tiny bit of the cut sample to smear over the seams.

10. Return the cheese to aging, and note on the make sheet the date of the sampling.

11. Analyze the sample for texture and flavor.

Steps in core sampling a cheese: First, the trier is inserted and rotated several times; next, the trier is pulled gently from the cheese using a slight downward pressure on the handle, a small sample is taken from the tip, and the plug is returned to the wheel.

MasteringArtisanCheesemaking_finalpages.indd 85

8/3/12 2:57 PM

Aging Cheese Gracefully—the Art of Affinage

89

pressing room is usually cooled to a bit cooler than normal room temperature, so just under 70°F (21°C). If you are bandaging cheddar, the cheese will have already been salted, so acid development has ceased, but if you decide to experiment with bandaging a cheese other than cheddar (or other cheese in which the curds have been salted prior to pressing), you will need to take this into consideration. Options are to bandage after salting (but you may have difficulty returning the cheese to the form and press) or dry salting in the form, then bandaging. If you try to apply the cloth, then salt the cheese (obviously soaking in brine is not an option), the salt will not be able to penetrate well through the fat-coated bandages—and if it does, the whey it draws out of the cheese will soak the cloths. All in all, you are best sticking with cheeses whose acid development is complete before pressing and whose curds have been salted before pressing.

Bandage wrapping a cheese: First, the cheesecloth is cut to fit the wheel, then the top and bottom circles are soaked in butter and applied, and finally the side piece is soaked and smoothed around the wheel.

MasteringArtisanCheesemaking_finalpages.indd 89

How to Bandage When the cheese is finished with its initial pressing, it is time to apply the bandages. Remove the cheese from the press. Cut two circular pieces about ½ to 1 inch (2–3 cm) larger in diameter than the wheel of cheese. Cut a third piece the same height as the wheel and long enough to completely encircle (like a belt) the cheese with about ¼ to ½ inch (1–1.5 cm) overlap. Melt the butter or lard, and have it ready. Soak the circular pieces of cheesecloth in the butter or lard, and apply one to the top of the wheel. Smooth and press the cloth to adhere tightly to the surface, with the excess pressed over the edges and evenly down the sides. Turn the wheel over, and repeat the process. Then soak the side bandage in the oil, and with the wheel lying on its side, carefully apply the bandage, smoothing and tightening as you go. It should cover the top and bottom bandages evenly where they overlap the sides.

When the bandages have been applied and are smooth and snug, slide the wheel back into the press, and apply the same pressure as for the last part of the initial pressing. This repressing should continue for 12 to 24 hours. When complete, the bandage will be integrated into the surface of the cheese. The cheese can then be placed in the aging space.

8/3/12 2:57 PM

90

Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking

Caring for the Aging Bandaged Cheese After a few weeks you will start to see some mold growth on the surface of the cheese. If desired, you can carefully wipe or brush with a soft brush to limit the growth. Bandaged cheeses are not wiped with brine but are brushed and even vacuumed to limit molds and mites. The bandage will grow grey and look fairly unpleasant (to those who are uninitiated to the beauty that is being created beneath the wrapping!).

Brushed Rinds One of the simplest ways to create a beautiful natural rind is to brush the rind periodically during aging. As

with a bandaged rind, brushing does not eliminate the molds but instead limits their growth and “damage� to the rind. In the beginning use a very soft brush to prevent damaging the still soft cheese. It is a good idea to have a minimum of two textures of brushes, one soft and one medium, to maintain brushed rinds.

There are no hard-and-fast guidelines for when to brush a cheese. It will depend on your own goals and, frankly, your finickiness and diligence. I try to brush them before it is obvious that they need it. If the first brush swipe releases a large cloud of mold spores into the air, I probably waited longer than I should have.

When you do decide it is time to brush the cheeses,

A bandaged cheddar with a brushed rind after 4 months’ aging

MasteringArtisanCheesemaking_finalpages.indd 90

8/3/12 2:57 PM

list oF taBles

1-1.

1-2.

2-1.

2-2.

2-3.

2-4.

2-5.

3-1.

5-1.

5-2.

5-3.

6-1.

Mesophilic Bacteria Cultures Thermophilic Bacteria Cultures Milk Heat-Treatment Temperatures Comparison of Coagulation and Cutting Factors Washed Curd Cheese Examples Average Ideal Salt Levels in Cheese Average Brining Times Based on Cheese Type Familiar Substances and Their Place on the pH Scale Popular Herbs and Spices Used in Cheeses Popular Herb Blends Used in Cheeses Examples of Cheeses Wrapped in Natural Plant Material Guide for Cleaning and Sanitizing Products for the Home Cheesemaker 6-2. Guide for Cleaning and Sanitizing Products for the Market Producer 7-1. Moisture Content of the Major Cheese Types 8-1. How Time, Temperature, and pH Influence Coagulation Times 8-2. Culture Choices for Fresh Cheeses 8-3. Drops and Dilutions: Dosing Small Amounts of Rennet 9-1. Culture Choices for Feta Types 10-1. Starter and Aroma Cultures for Surface-Ripened Cheeses 10-2. Penicillium candidum (camemberti) Mold Cultures for Bloomy Rind Cheeses 10-3. geotrichum candidum Mold Cultures for Bloomy Rind Cheeses 10-4. Yeast Cultures for Bloomy Rind Cheeses 11-1. Starter Culture Choices for Washed Rind Cheeses 11-2. Surface-Ripening Bacterial Cultures for Washed Rind Cheeses 11-3. Yeast Cultures for Washed Rind Cheeses 11-4. Surface-Ripening Blends of Yeasts and Bacteria for Washed Rind Cheeses 11-5. Suggested Brining Times for Washed Rind Cheeses

MasteringArtisanCheesemaking_finalpages.indd 7

20 21 34 47 51 58 60 64 102 104 107 122 123 129 136 140 141 157 177 179 179 180 197 198 198 199 199

12-1. Starter Culture Choices for Blue Cheese 12-2. Penicillium roqueforti Mold Culture Choices for Blue Cheeses 13-1. Culture Choices for Stretched Curd Cheeses 14-1. Starter Culture Choices for Semihard and Hard Cheeses 14-2. Ripening and Mold Cultures for Semihard and Hard Cheeses 14-3. Culture Choices for Cheeses with Eyes 14-4. Propionic Acid Bacteria Culture Choices for Cheese with Eyes 15-1. Culture Choices for Extra-Hard Cheeses A-1. Problems Common to All Cheese Types A-2. Problems with Fresh Acid-and Heat-Coagulated Cheeses A-3. Problems with White Mold Surface-Ripened Cheeses A-4. Problems with Washed Rind Surface-Ripened Cheeses A-5. Problems with Blue Cheeses A-6. Problems with Stretched Curd Cheeses A-7. Problems with Semihard to Extra-Hard Cheeses C-1. Common Brine Solutions: Gallons C-2. Common Brine Solutions: Liters C-3. Calcium Chloride Solution Dosage Rates C-4. Calcium Chloride Crystals Dosage Rates (0.02%) C-5. Culture Abbreviations and Names C-6. Sample Measurements for Direct-Set Culture C-7. Milk and Water C-8. Curd-Size Equivalents C-9. Dry Weights: Coarse Kosher Salt C-10. Fluid Measurements: Rennet, Calcium Chloride C-11. Comparison of “Tiny” Teaspoons and other Extra-Small Measurements C-12. Fahrenheit Scale for Psychrometer Readings C-13. Celsius Scale for Psychrometer Readings C-14. Temperature Conversion (Celsius to Fahrenheit) D-1. Sample Make Sheet for Feta-Style Cheeses D-2. Sample Make Sheet for Semihard, Lightly Cooked Cheeses

213 214 232 250 251 275 275 283 297 298 300 301 301 302 302 309 309 310 310 310 311 311 311 312 312 312 313 313 314 316 317

8/3/12 2:56 PM