BLACK PEPPER BRIE B y ROL A N D S C H M I D T-BE L L AC H , C H A NGI NG S E A S ON S B & B , N A N TON , A B Ph ot o s b y C A M I E L E A R D e x c e pt wh e re n ot e d .
Time to make
Implements required
Instructions
Curd cutting
Place large pot in your kitchen sink with the stopper in.
6 hours to first turn
Large stock pot (6-8 l or 1½ -2 gallon)
Bring milk and cream to room temperature then pour into your pot.
12 hours to second turn
Measuring spoons
1 hour to brine
Thermometer (digital preferred)
Mix calcium chloride with 60 ml (¼ cup) of non-chlorinated water, then add to milk mixture.
When curds have set with a soft, jello-like consistency that can be cut cleanly with a knife, cut curds into approx. 2-cm (1 inch) cubes by cutting across in a grid pattern as close to the bottom of the pot as you can with your long knife (cubes don’t have to be perfect).
1-1½ hrs + 1-2 hrs to add all curd
Minimum 2 weeks to age
Ingredients
Wide slotted spoon or ladle Regular ladle
4 L (1 gallon) skim or 1% milk
Long knife (we used a bread knife)
1 L (4¼ cup) 32% whipping cream
Brie rounds (we used 10-cm (4-inch) plastic pipe sawed to a 15-cm (6-inch) height)
1¼ ml (¼ tsp) calcium chloride* 2/3 ml (1/8 tsp)
mesophilic culture* 1/3 ml (1/16 tsp)
penicillium candidum*
1¼ ml (¼ tsp) rennet* Black pepper in a pepper mill Non-iodized salt
Draining mat (we used bamboo)
Stir for 3 minutes then heat milk gently/evenly to 29C (84F) by pouring boiling water into the sink around your pot and stirring to distribute heat evenly. Once warmed, add mesophilic culture and penicillium candidum to the milk mixture – do not stir. Let the cultures hydrate on top of the milk for 5 minutes.
When you’re done cutting, let the curds “heal” for 5 minutes. Ensuring your temperature is back up to 29C by adding more hot water to the sink (not the pot), gently stir with your ladle for another 5 minutes lifting contents from the bottom of the pot to the top to separate the whey from the curds.
When hydrated, stir in cultures for 3-5 minutes. Dilute rennet in 60 ml (¼ cup) non-chlorinated water. Stir into milk for 1 minute. Let sit for 40-50 minutes until curds have set.
Wire draining rack Draining tray or pan (we used a serving tray) Large container for brining (able to submerge 2 brie rounds at 10 cm (4 in) in diameter) Air-tight storage container for aging in the fridge Aging rack (we used slotted wooden rack)
*Buy online or find a list of stores at makecheese.ca
Aging mat (we used perforated rubber mat) Rack and mat can be the same used for draining if they fit into your air-tight container Makes two rounds
Draining prep
F o r m f i l l i n g /d r a i n i n g
While you’re waiting for your curds to set, assemble your draining station beside the sink:
With your slotted ladle, begin lifting the curds from the pot into the rounds you prepared, one after the other.
Place draining tray next to the sink, Place wire draining rack perpendicularly on top of the draining tray, Place draining mats on top of the draining rack meeting in the middle, with the long ends hanging off the sides of the rack, Place brie rounds beside each other in the centre, each on its own mat, Practice folding the mat over the top of the round and flipping the round holding tightly to the top and the bottom. This will be a crucial and difficult step later, so you’ll want to be confident.
Between each layer, grind a thin sprinkle of pepper into the rounds, then add the next layer keeping the rounds even as you go. Continue alternating layers of curd and pepper. You can press a regular ladle down into the curds to help drain off whey as well, or you can manually drain rounds using the flipping technique in the next step and holding over the sink as whey drains. Be very careful to maintain pressure on both ends when using this technique. Once you’ve filled and drained as much as you can in an hour, let sit on your draining mat for 6 hours.
E A RLY S P R I N G 2022 S AVO U RC A LG A RY.c a
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