Guys…
Not sure if I mentioned it or not but about three weeks ago I attempted my pepper “Swiss” cheese.
What I did was to use my swiss recipe for the curd, with the omition of the proprionic shermanii additive.
Well tonight I was a little bit bored and decided to cut into this wheel and I have to say that this will be a cheese that I’ll be making a LOT in the future.
The texture is MUCH like a commercial pepper jack and the flavor is pretty much right on as well ( more firm but very moist and very nice). It does NOT have the crumbly texture that I’ve seen with every other attempt at a pepper jack style of cheese.
As I said, this cheese is going to see a lot of action from here on out and since it’s pretty much my own recipe…...
Well I’ve decided to name it: Alpine Pepper Cheese.
If anyone would like to give this a try, I posted my swiss recipe in the recipe section of the forum.
The only thing I did differently was to omit the propronic shermanii bacteria and add both green “pickled” jalepenos and red pickled bell peppers.
I did boil the peppers in vinegar for about 10 minutes and gave them plenty of time to dry out.
The addition of the peppers was done while loading the mold,alternating between layers of curd and layers of peppers.
Rich suggested mixing the peppers into the curd, but I was going for a nice sealed rind with none of the peppers exposed.
Since I still have peppers exposed, I will probably give his suggestion a try on the next batch.
Also, I think I’ll double the amount of peppers that I put in the next attempt since they are somewhat sparse in this one.
All in all,I’m absolutely thrilled with this cheese and can’t wait to get another one going.
I’m serious guys.
I’ve only had a small slice (trying to get rid of the winter fat) but this cheese is one of the best I’ve made, hands down.
I’d love for you all to give it a try and let me know what you think.

Dave

Great looking cheese. Dave.

If that’s a “small” slice, wha’t a normal portion?

BTW, I’m picking up my press on Monday, so I’ll be getting into some of these big Swiss and Cheddars soon!

Glad to hear it worked out, nice looking cheese !

Well done Dave.  Except for the red smears from cutting through the peppers, that’s a great looking cheese.  Wondering about the name you’ve assigned though.  I didn’t realize that Jalepenos were grown in Alpine regions.  Maybe you should call it a Mexican Swiss?  Or, for the culinarians in the bunch, how about Swiss Calliente (hot Swiss, en Espanol).  All kidding aside, this is what experimenting is all about - coming up with something to meet our specific tastes.  Keep up the good work Dr. Dave.

If one was to dry the peppers then grind them in smaller pieces they may distribute better and produce less of a “smear”. When I used red Chile I just put them in the middle as i piled the curds into the hoop.

Dave, always press under whey to avoid those mechanical holes, it looks like Monterey Jack

Guys….
I hated the smears from the red peppers. The green peppers didn’t leave a bit of the smear so I’m going to have to find some red peppers that are of the same brand as the green.
Also, Tom….
I did cut a wedge from this cheese, but I did NOT eat the whole wedge! Come on man, I’m feeling bad enough about the extra pounds from the winter.
Also, did you get your press today???
I’ve actually been looking forward to this day. I can’t wait to hear another person’s review of how well this press works. Please give a write up once you have the chance to use it.
Also, if you have any questions on the usage, feel free to ask. I’m totally sold on the pneumatic press and could not imagine life without it.
Nabil….
Honestly, this cheese does not have any mechanical openings. The texture is really completely closed although it does have a texture like a commercial Monterey Jack albiet a bit more firm.
I agree that it looks like a Monterey Jack style of cheese but that’s because there was no color added and no proprianic shermanii added. Please take a closer look at the photo and you’ll see that the texture is quite closed.
If I can stop the smears and figure out how to give the cheese a “softer” texture I think I"ll be very very happy with this recipe.
Thanks for the input all, and Rich…....You actually did come up with some neat names for this cheese.

Dave

Dave,

Great to hear from you.
I didn’t thnk you ate that whole wedge, but I had to poke and the cheese does look really good!

I picked up the press today.  It was a lot of fun meeting Carter and I was diappointed that I didn’t have more time to spend there.  I had to be back at the office in the afternoon and made it with about 10 min to spare, so I only got to spend about 30 min. at his place.  I didn’t even have time top see his shop.  FYI, I bought the press he had been using, along with the tilt base and some molds (8” and 10”).  I think he has something in mind for his press #3.  I also was able to see his cheeses…WOW.  I actually held the 15 lb Stilton.  It is real and it looks great.  He also has an absolutely beautiful Parmesan.

I have the press set up now.  I was doing a little testing and measuring force vs. pressure.  This one has a larger cylinder (2.5 in., ~5 lb force/psi) and it may be a little tricky setting lower pressures but I think I know how to do it.  I wil;l just need to add a gauge with a lower scale (0-30 or 0-50).  Unfortunately, I am really booked up this week, but next week I hope to start putting it through its paces.  It is very cool.

Likesspace - 24 March 2009 01:12 AM

Honestly, this cheese does not have any mechanical openings. The texture is really completely closed although it does have a texture like a commercial Monterey Jack albiet a bit more firm.
I agree that it looks like a Monterey Jack style of cheese but that’s because there was no color added and no proprianic shermanii added. Please take a closer look at the photo and you’ll see that the texture is quite closed.
If I can stop the smears and figure out how to give the cheese a “softer” texture I think I"ll be very very happy with this recipe.Dave

Might I suggest you try an Edam? You seem to be looking for something very similar to the Edam I’ve just cracked after two months of aging. It has a texture similar to a good Swiss but softer, with lots of tiny eyes, feels like silk on the tongue and is a very tasteful cheese.
I must admit I agree with the other posts your cheese looks very much like the Pepper Jack I made recently, too open for a Swiss.