I recently revisited a recipe I posted several years ago. It’s titled “Muenster,” but it’s not really. It was an easy “substitute” for Muenster that I picked up somewhere. I hadn’t attempted it for many years, but I thought I’d do one again. Well, I made some changes as I went through it. I’d like to re-post it, but I need to come up with a name for it, since it’s “something different.” So, help me out here. Heres what I did. Now, I need you folks to help me pick out a name for it.
4 gallons raw milk (plus additional cream if desired) to 88F.
Add 1/8 tsp MM100 culture. Float for 3 minutes, then stir for one minute.
Allow to ripen for 15 minutes.
Add 1/2 tsp animal rennet and stir well. Maintain heat at 88F.
Determine flocculation point. Multiply by a factor of 3 to determine set point.
At the set point, cut to 3/4”, then allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Begin cook - raising temp slowly to 102F.
Maintain 102F, and stir occasionally for 15 minutes.
Drain curd in sieve or cheese cloth lined colander. This should take about 8 to 10 minutes. (Curd will be quite soft at this point.)
Remove curd to a cheese cloth lined mold (I use 8”, but 6” will also work)
Press for 30 minutes at 25 lbs. (weights listed here are for an 8” mold. Adjust accordingly for different diameters)
Remove from press, re-wrap, flip, and press for 30 minutes at 50 lbs.
Remove from press, re-wrap, flip and press for 3 hours at 100 lbs.
Remove from press, re-wrap (optional), flip and press for 18 hours at 100 lbs.
Remove from mold. Soak wheel in brine for 4 hours. Turn wheel and continue brine soak for another 4 hours.
Remove from brine, dry until outer surface is well dried.
Wax or vacuum seal, and age for 2 months at 52F.
Tip: Be sure to take plenty of time pressing the curd into your mold initially, in order to eliminate mechanical holes. This is true of all hard cheeses, but especially here, where the curd is very soft and wet.
The brine I use is 1 cup non-iodized salt per 1/2 gallon water.
OK, that’s it. Now let’s see how creative y’all can be in coming up with a name.