Little Green Cheese

Cheese making at home with Gavin Webber the Cheeseman

Stilton Testimonial

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If anyone is wondering if the recipes that I post actually get results if you follow them, then this post is for you.  It’s a bit of a Stilton testimonial!

The other day I received two delightful emails from one of my readers, Chris who writes about a Stilton cheese that was made following my recipe and video tutorial.

Here is Chris’ first email;

Hello Gavin

The attached photos are of my first attempt at “Stilton”, the result was superb, I took some to a dinner down in Tasmania, the host served two ‘blues’ after dinner, my “Stilton” and a top King Island, initially some guests were reluctant to try the home-made  but at the end of the night the only cheese left was half the King Island ! I like it so much #2 is in the cave, #3 will be made this week-end.

I recently bought a cheese trier from www.thecheesemaker.com delivered in 11 days and half the price charged locally.

I have watched all your videos, they have been most helpful, so far I have made Parmesan, Camembert,  Cheddar (farmhouse and normal), Wensleydale,  Stilton and Ricotta, not one failure. The cheese cave is a full size ‘fridge fitted with a $50 external thermostat from Jaycar.

Chris’ Stilton.  Looks delicious!

 

Here is the second email

I had read a couple of books on cheese making before I discovered your site, the videos were really helpful, if a picture is worth a thousand words a video must be billions !My cave really works well, I have it set for a temp. range of 12-14°C at the moment, even though it is in a shed, when the shade temp here was 45.5°C it held at 13.5°C.  I am afraid my last email said I bought the external thermostat from Jaycar, my mistake, I bought it from mashmaster, see http://www.mashmaster.com.au/p/365439/fridgemate-mkii-digital-temperature-controller-kit.html
My blue cheeses all age at the above temp, I like a strong cheese, so 4 months is right for the Stilton, I tried the one in the cave last week at 3 months it is still a bit mild. One thing with making Stilton, I drain in a cheese cloth but don’t line the mould with cloth, the cheese comes out much smoother and is easier to dress before aging.

Cheers

Chris

The Stilton enjoyed with a nice glass of red wine.

Here is my reply;

Hi Chris,

Great result. I often wonder if people can replicate my results by watching my video tutorials, and you have just confirmed that you can!

That is great news about your Stilton. I really need to get my cheese cave sorted out. I am thinking of converting an old bar fridge with a similar external thermometer.

Kind regards,

Gavin

Thanks for the big vote of confidence Chris.  It makes producing this cheese blog all the more worthwhile when I receive a testimonial like that! I love that you have tried to make so many different types of cheese, all from watching my video tutorials.

I didn’t really know how much the videos helped, so now I do!

Italian Bag Cheese

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If you want to make something different, give Italian Bag Cheese a try.  This cheese is made in a most unusual manner, but it tastes great all the same.

I had never heard of it until I stumbled upon it in a cheese making book titled “Homemade Cheese – Recipes for 50 Cheeses from Artisan Cheesemakers” by Janet Hurst.

Janet adapted it from a recipe by Giuseppe Licitra, Ph.D., Research Consortium dairy industry, Ragusa, Sicily!  Truly Italian.

Now the only problem that I had, was that some of the instructions were missing, so having a little bit of experience under my belt, I ended up with a nice firm cheese and further adapted the recipe.  Here is my version of this cheese.

(Note; The original recipe called for Mesophilic MM101 culture which is also known as Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis + Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris + Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis var. diacetylactis.  I know that this is a little more technical than my posts usually are however this type of Mesophilic culture is a moderate acidifier with some gas and high diacetyl production.  Diacetyl, is a fermentation compound which contributes a desirable buttery aroma to a cheese; Gas production: refers to cultures which produce CO2.

If you do have Mesophilic MM100 or MM101 on hand, then use it instead for a less acidic and more buttery flavour.  I chose to use Mesophilic MO 030 (or MA) starter culture which is a moderate/high acidifier with no gas or diacetyl production, because that was all I had.)

Italian Bag Cheese

Ingredients

  • 4 litres (1 gallon) full cream cow’s milk
  • ¼ teaspoon calcium chloride mixed with ¼ cup (60ml) non chlorinated water if using homogenised milk.
  • 1/8th teaspoon, (or a heaped smidgen) Mesophilic direct set culture type MM100/MM101
  • ¼ teaspoon liquid rennet diluted with ¼ cup (60ml) non chlorinated water
You will also need;
  • Fully Saturated Brine (500 gm non-ionised salt to 2 litres (2 quarts) lukewarm water).  this is a very salty brine!  Add a teaspoon of white vinegar to stabilise the brine.
Method;
Add milk to stainless steel pot.

If using homogenized milk, add calcium chloride solution.

Heat milk to 30°C (86°F).

Add the direct set culture and stir top to bottom for 30 seconds.  Add the rennet solution, and stir thoroughly for one minute, with a top to bottom motion.

Cover pot, and wait for 45 minutes or until you achieve a clean break.

Using a curd cutter, or flat knife,

Cut the curds into 13 mm (½ inch) cubes.  Do not stir or rest.

Line a colander with cheesecloth (double folded) or butter muslin,

and ladle the curds into the cloth.  Ensure that you put a pot under the colander as you need to save the whey for later on.

Gather the corners of the cheesecloth and form a bag.

Hang the bag over the whey pot and drain for 30 minutes.

Once the 30 minutes is complete, untie the bag, where you will find a ball shape.

Carefully turn it over, top to bottom trying to encourage development of the round shape.  I failed.

Re-tie the bag.

Hang and let drain for 1 hour.

After the 1 hour has elapsed, tie the bag tighter leaving no visible holes.  Place the curd bag into the original pot, pour in the whey.

Bring the temperature up to 88°C (190°F), which will take about 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat and leave the curd bag in the whey until it is cool.  This will take about 5 hours to get back to room temperature.

Once the whey is at room temperature, remove the curd bag from the whey and hang for two hours or until the whey has stopped dripping.

Remove the cheese from the bag.  It will be very firm.
Italian Bag Cheese before brining
Italian Bag Cheese before brining

Place the cheese ball in the fully saturated brine.

Make sure that it stays submerged.  Cover and leave for 2 hours.

Remove from the brine (keep the brine for other cheeses).  You can eat this cheese fresh or let air dry for 4 hours and then refrigerate in an airtight container.

Italian Bag Cheese
Italian Bag Cheese

This cheese will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.

Now, I know that it doesn’t look like much, but this unique fresh cheese is very salty and has a tight texture a bit like mozzarella when refrigerated.  It tastes fantastic with freshly picked, home-grown, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, with a basil leaf on top.  It is a nice alternative to mozzarella made in the traditional way.

It is also delicious if it is heated up a little, and does melt when grilled.  It would be a nice addition to a home made pizza.

I believe that if I had have used MM culture, I dare say it would taste a little different with less acidity and a more buttery flavour.  When I next order some cultures, I will try to make this cheese again.  Even so, it does taste good.

Who knows, I might even make a video tutorial!

Drunken Cow Verdict

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The Drunken Cow cheese has matured, so it is time for a taste test.

This cheese was made on the 3rd of August 2012 from 3.8% butterfat full cream milk.

Drunken Cow Verdict

Drunken Cow Verdict

De-waxing: Slight swelling of the wax.  There was a little moisture under the wax, with clear sweet liquid running out after the seal was broken.  It was not sour. I had to dry the outside of the cheese with paper towel.   The colour of the rind had faded slightly, but still very distinct.  When lightly pressed, liquid came out of the crack in the top of the round.  At this stage I was a bit worried.

Drunken Cow Verdict

Texture:  Easy to cut, and not flaky.  Very slight marbling from the wine, with clear sweet liquid within the cheese structure.  Layered lines throughout the cheese.  Cheese smooth and soft and very moist.

Drunken Cow Verdict - Cuts well

Taste:  I tried it by itself, and the flavour blew me away!  You could smell the sweet wine on the rind, and the cheese was smooth on the palate.  A bit like Gouda, but finishes in the mouth with a sweet, slightly sugary after-taste.  The rind was sweeter but harder, and the centre was soft and smooth.

An absolutely delightful cheese, with an exciting flavour.  Unlike any other cheese I have tasted before.  The washed curds technique really tempered down the final acidity and sharpness.

Given the addition of 1.5 litres of sweet red wine to marinate this cheese in, it pushes the cost of this cheese up quite a bit, compared to a normal hard cheese.  However, it is well worth it as it really improves the final flavour.

I highly recommend the cheese for a moderately experienced home cheese maker.  As it matures in only three months, it is a relatively quick cheese to make, and well worth the wait.  This cheese will really impress your friends and family!

I will publish the recipe in the next post.

[Cross posted on The Greening of Gavin]

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