I made two Camembert in early December per the recipe. Wrapped etc and aged as the instructions, but they don’t look right.
Looking through the various forums they all talk about soft curds and lots of white mould. Mine are firm, almost hard. They did produce a white mould, but I would call it, skimpy, not very thick.
Is the ripening also a product of the white mould? Could the reason be out dated white mould?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Sounds like their dried out.The Blooming is what ripens the cheese. A pic would help.

Hi there, I too made a Camembert in early December. My first ever! (if you don’t count some weird improvisation of mine whose curds turned out like ricotta and had to be thrown away). It is sized somewhere between a proper camembert and brie, because that is the size mould/ amount of raw milk I had.

Where have you been ripening yours? In a fridge by any chance? I had been using a cool box in the shed and rotating cool blocks to and from my freezer to get a slightly warmer temp than my fridge, but we have had some unusually cold weather in the UK so my camembert has been (far) too cold recently. By the way I sprayed the white mould on after it had drained (I used a small bit of camembert rind blended with cooled boiled water).

My mould was decently thick (it almost reminds me of fluffy marshmallow the way you can press it flat and a little trace sticks to your fingers), but I was pretty careful about temp and humidity in the first few weeks. I think it took longer to appear than I expected. I didn’t wrap it till I was happy with the mould.

But after all that…
Mine is also very firm (though the curds were lovely and soft when I was draining it). I am fairly sure this is due to its current temperature, and the arrested ripening. I have noticed bought camembert to be stiff until they have a chance to warm up.

As it is raw milk I am giving it 3 months before I will eat it, and around then I will try to bring it up to room temp still wrapped to see if it is soft in the middle. Let us know how things develop for you.

If you are really not happy with the mould, what does everyone else think of trying a second inoculation of mould sprayed on the outside?
- Any reason why that should not be attempted? (I am sure you will let me know if I am using “inoculation” in the wrong sense!)

Good Stuff - 20 January 2010 11:13 PM

But after all that…
Mine is also very firm (though the curds were lovely and soft when I was draining it). I am fairly sure this is due to its current temperature, and the arrested ripening. I have noticed bought camembert to be stiff until they have a chance to warm up.

I think you have the answer. I cracked my smaller one two days ago and it is delightful inside.
Creamey, but not runny which I am not keen on, the taste was fabulous.
I believe it was held at too low a humidity as the rind was quite firm and dry.
So the questions remain. Does the amount of ripening depend on the quantity of Geo added? Does adding to the milk or as an innoculant after moulding make a difference?

The humidity shouldn’t matter if it is wrapped though , right?

Bezza - 01 February 2010 03:09 AM

The humidity shouldn’t matter if it is wrapped though , right?

I had to leave it out for a longer period than suggested to get the bloom to grow. The cave was colder than 55F, so I can only assume it dried the outer crust.
Still doesn’t answer the question. Is the white mould determined by the quantity of inoculant?

I think the amount of the innoculant would influence the time it takes to get a good mould coverage. The temperature and humidity would also be important factors.

Can you lot give me the benefit of your experience, please?
Would you mind taking a look at the pictures (the fruit is for colour comparison) and my description and give me your “take” on how this cheese has turned out? I suppose I am keen for any taste ideas/ comparisons with established cheese types, but also any physical/chemical explanations as well.

- The cheese is orange on the “bumps” and still white in the “grooves” ...I think.
- It has a very… ah… assertive… odour! But not at all what I would call an ammonia smell, more like a strong foot smell - sorry to have to mention it.
- The rind does not seem to be slipping - it still feels like a proper mould-rind and you can give it a squeeze to feel the softer centre without damaging the rind - but it is sticky (and then the smell gets on your fingers - yeesh!)
- I have kept the cheese wrapped in Baking Parchment.
- It formed a thick white mould early on, under fairly good conditions, but the humidity was probably too high if anything.

My assumption is that the orange is B. Linens, which I understand is common in some Bries, but I inoculated this cheese with bought Camembert - fairly cheap stuff probably(!). I have yet to attempt any washed-rind cheeses, but from reading, I know that B. Linens often goes hand in hand. I assume that the humidity was high enough to simulate a washed-rind..?

I am looking forward to tasting this anyway, but what have I made? I don’t think I can call this Camembert!

2nd photo

3rd photo.

I know that images take up space, but I don’t have a photo sharing account of any kind so am posting directly.
I don’t mind if some/ all of these photos are removed after a while.

Good Stuff - 09 February 2010 11:10 PM

My assumption is that the orange is B. Linens, which I understand is common in some Bries, but I inoculated this cheese with bought Camembert - fairly cheap stuff probably(!). I have yet to attempt any washed-rind cheeses, but from reading, I know that B. Linens often goes hand in hand. I assume that the humidity was high enough to simulate a washed-rind..?

Some Camembert do produce a yellow tinge to the rinds, but not as strong as you have here. I don’t like using pieces of other peoples cheese as inoculate for this very reason. You never know what you’re going to get.
The other point. I don’t believe you did the right sort of wrap. These cheeses have to breath, and parchment paper is not the right sort. There are special papers made for wrapping Camembert and Brie.
Will be interested in how it tastes.

Bezza - 01 February 2010 09:08 PM

I think the amount of the innoculant would influence the time it takes to get a good mould coverage. The temperature and humidity would also be important factors.

You are right. Just out of interest. I placed a piece in the microwave, just for a few seconds on a very low setting. It softened really well, and tasted just like heaven. My DW is delighted and asking for more.

Good Stuff, they look good.
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