Blue Cheese Update #4

Today my wife and I cracked open the blue cheese that I made quite a while ago.  This series of posts describes the process and each update.  It was a bit of a mess when I wrapped it up a few months ago, but it looked quite nice today when I unwrapped it and cut out the first wedge

Kim said, "This cheese is the best blue cheese she has ever tasted!"  Well I can certainly vouch for that.  It was divine.  There was a slight blue marbling throughout, and a little bit of red and white mould on the exterior which added to the flavour.  It was really a cross between a sharp brie and a soft blue.  We demolished half of it for supper because it was just so good.  It went well with a nice bottle of Merlot!

So it just goes to show that even in failure there is always something worth saving!  May I suggest that if you do have a blue cheese disaster, persevere with the remnants.  It will taste like heaven if kept wrapped for a few months in the normal refrigerator.

Has anyone else saved a blue cheese from disaster?

Raw Milk Food Standards Australia

 As I mentioned yesterday, I did a bit of research on the ASNZ Food Standards website, and there has been a recent ammendment to using raw milk in cheese making.  Here is the regulation.

Standard 4.2.4 - Primary Production and Processing Standard for Dairy Products

16           Processing of dairy products to make cheese and cheese products

Milk or dairy products used to make cheese or cheese products must be processed –

(a)          in accordance with subclause 15(1); or

(b)          by being held at a temperature of no less than 62°C for a period of no less than 15 seconds, and the cheese or cheese product stored at a temperature of no less than 2°C for a period of 90 days from the date of processing; or

(c)          such that –

(i)            the curd is heated to a temperature of no less than 48°C; and

(ii)           the cheese or cheese product has a moisture content of less than 36%, after being stored at a temperature of no less than 10°C for a period of no less than 6 months from the date of processing; or

(d)          in accordance with clause 1 of Standard 4.2.4A.

So I have two choices.  Pasteurise the milk, as per the instructions in (b) and then make cheese with it, or follow clause (c).  So that means that I can make Romano, Parmesan, and Gruyere with raw milk as long as I follow these rules.  Luckily all these cheese recipes comply or can be adapted to follow the rules.  With the cheese being at a lower temperature of 10C vice the normal 13C it will take a bit longer to mature anyway and loose a fair bit of moisture.  So will the rest of the cheese in the cheese fridge, but just for the taste it is a sacrifice that I am willing to take!

Here is to more raw milk cheese making!

Romano - Video Tutorial

Finally I have finished processing the Romano video that I took over a month ago.  I follow the recipe that is listed at the post titled "Romano".  In this video, I am using raw milk which was given to me by a friend.  I have done some research regarding food laws here in Australia, and it is quite legal to make Romano, Parmesan and Gruyere with raw milk as long as you follow some guide lines.  More on that in another post though.

Here is the long awaited video tutorial.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it (the cheese and the video)!