Okay, here we go again…..
Let me preface this by saying that my oldest daughter is convinced that I have obsessive compulsive disorder since I will spare no amount of effort in perfecting anything I try. It’s seldom that I reach perfection but with enough work (and questions and stressing out) I usually do find an acceptable compromise.
This is a question/comment on the first Camembert style of cheese that I’ve made.
Overall I am happy with my first attempt. The flavor is there (quite good, actually) and it really does turn out to be a nice looking cheese yet I do have a problem that I’d like to solve.
The texture in the inner two thirds of the cheese is pretty much right on for one that is two weeks old (after wrapping). I would describe it as being smooth and creamy while at the same time having a very slight crumbly texture as well. I knew I was opening this cheese a little early but I wanted to taste at different stages to see what suited my taste.
My problem lies in the outer third of the wheel….
When I cut this cheese open there was actual white liquid that ran out of the area closest to the rind. This liquid, looked exactly like raw milk although it had the musty camembert flavor of mushrooms.
A little way farther in, the cheese had the consistancy of a thick yogurt and also had a nice flavor. A little bit farther in the texture became more firm and had the smooth/slightly crumbly texture that I described earlier.
As I said, all in all I’m happy with this first attempt. The only other Camembert I’ve tried was a generic supermarket variety and it didn’t have near the flavor of my own.
After tasting this cheese a couple of days ago, I have become a great fan of both the flavor and texture, especially the texture of the rind. I’ve been eating small portions with a glass of Pinot Noir and I’ve enjoyed every bit of it.
Does anyone have any idea as to why I would get this white liquid from the edges of the cheese? I understand that Camembert ripens from the outside in, so it does seem logical that the outer areas would ripen more quickly and more completely than the inner area. It’s just that I’ve seen samples on the internet of Camemberts with the thick yogurt like consistancy throughout the entire wheel and this is what I’d like mine to look like.
My ripening temperature has stayed pretty close to 45 degrees thoughout the process. Now I’m wondering if this is still a little bit too high.
I’m wondering if I need to move the wheels to our regular kitchen fridge after wrapping to try to slow the process down a little bit more.
At least now I know that I can enjoy a proper Camembert and in fact I’d have to say it is quickly becoming one of my favortie cheeses. The supermarket variety just didn’t do it for me and I only made these because they seemed like a challenge and a lot of fun.
By the way, happy new year to you all and happy, successful cheese making in the coming year.
Dave