I want to share with you the experience I’m having with these cheeses. Four pieces, two with wall nuts inside and two with french white oak ash and charcoal coating after dry salting all of them. So, there are 4 different cheeses. I’ve added a very-very little amount of Penicillum Candidum before ripening, that is the most exciting stage when I saw small mold spots growing through the ash coating. The “miracle” occurred on the 8th day in the “cave”.
Ash is added for looks and preservation ( inhibits bad bacteria but allows the good ones to grow). It also reduces acid creating a milder cheese.
Make sure u use food grade ash as in u know its vegatable matter and not something that is painted or whatever, u can buy “food grade” ash. The types of ash depend on the Country and location, can be trees or vegetables.
Neil u r right about what ash does to the cheese, it also contributes to a blueish mold.
The ash I use is from french white oak I burn myself and grind in amortar and pestle.
Lactic type cheeses are of french origin. They may be eaten after just 10 days of ripening or aged weeks, but in this case they will lose much weight. They are small in size and have various shapes and names. I am new to this, so I’ll be patient and wait more than 10 days.
In the pics you can see them after 10 days in the “cave”. I’ll try to wait until I get a Camember style rind.
About moisture - the texture of the curds before and after being in the molds was almost the same, like a creamy spreadable but still firm, cream cheese. After 24 hours of dripping, I found only a few drops of whey. I can tell that my “cave’s” environmental conditions are 12-13 deg C and 85-99 % RH, depending on how much I open the fridge’s door. In an environment of an ordinary fridge with 4-5 deg C, within a plastic box, the mold growth is much slower because of the low temperature. I had repeated success even in same conditions. May be you should try adding some Geothricum Candidum in conjunction with the Penicillum. One of it’s tasks is to enhance mold growth. It also causes a milder flavor and prevents separation of the rind from the inside.
How are your Camemberts doing?
I’m really not trying to piss you off, just informing, the ash coated cheeses, are completely white, the 12th day.
do u use Geothricum Candidum? if no, then no need for me now, i should be able to copy ur success..
my Camemberts (of Alex’s receipt) are doing fine, the mold is growing on them only on sides, and some wheels are more than others, and some has some blue dots !!!
The last last two wheels which i made later, still no mold on, Regarding the pH, the curds went to bellow 4.8 after 24 hours of draining..
this is strange , i even used in all raw milk ...
on the contrary i made a blue wheel, and it is start to bloom blue in three days, and now it is full of blue (which is made on same day) .. (using same temp and humid control and moisture contents)
one of the wheel which is refusing to bloom, i put a skin of a camambert, and this skin was re bloomed so much but not spread at all, still itself only but with so much fur
i start to think that there is something in the curds preventing white mold
Neil u r right about what ash does to the cheese, it also contributes to a blueish mold.
The ash I use is from french white oak I burn myself and grind in amortar and pestle.
i smoke my fish, meat and cheese using red oak (i bet u know all kind of wood) saw particles
After smoldering burn, a black grains (looks like charcoal) left behind, (that is not as same as when u full burn the wood and u will end up with white/gray powder which u can blow easily)
so those semi-hard black grains, i can took and ground them to be black powder (not gun powder ) and then i can apply on the cheese
is that right?? will red oak works also ? (i taste a little and it is almost has no taste)
Geothricum Candidum - I’ve never used it, I intend to order it for other cheeses, not for Camembert.
my Camemberts (of Alex’s receipt) are doing fine, the mold is growing on them only on sides, and some wheels are more than others, and some has some blue dots !!!
Blue dots - I’ve never had on Camemberts, something went wrong, scoop them out carefully. About the mold distribution, I’m not sure, but I told you to put the cheese on some elevated mesh to aerate it all around. I don’t have a pH meter, so I’ve never measured pH. You may also try to spray the Penicillum with a mister all over the cheeses. This is also a known method, to spray a salt solution and after drying it, to spray the Penicillum.
i smoke my fish, meat and cheese using red oak (i bet u know all kind of wood) saw particles
I think red oak should be fine. I used white oak because of the authenticity and as you said wood is not a problem for me. You should use the charcoal as well as the ash and mix them. From here on you may salt the cheese and then apply the charcoal/ash mixture, or you can make a mixture of charcoal, ash and salt. I prefer the first way because I feel I have more control on the salting.
For smoking fish I use white/red oak, cherry and sometimes even maple chips. I soak them in clean water only, because there is enough taste due to the brining.
occurred on the 8th day in the “cave”.
