View Camembert
Category:Cheese Recipes
Camembert (Margaret Morris recipe)
A nice white-mold covered, soft, French cheese.
Warm 2 gallons of whole milk and 1 cup of whole cream to 84°F, very slowly in a double boiler.
Sprinkle 1 package of DS mesophilic starter, 1/8 tsp of Penicillium candidum, and 1/4 tsp of Danica Flora on top of cheese and allowed to set for a few minutes. Then stir gently to combine. Allow to set for 15 minutes.
Add 1/8 tsp CaCl mixed with 1/4 cup distilled water and stir well. Then add 1/4 tsp of rennet mixed with 1/4 cup distilled water and stir well. Cover. Keep at 84°F +/- 2 degrees for 1-1/2 hours.
Should have a good clean break after 90 minutes.
Cut curd into 1/2” slices.
Gently stir curd to break it up into 1/2” pieces. Allow to set for 30 minutes. Pour off as much whey as possible.
Gently spoon curds into 4 Camembert molds set on a draining mat atop some glasses in a plastic box. This keeps the bottoms of the molds out of the whey. Let drain this way for 1 hour. Gently turn over the molds by sandwiching them between mats and boards. Allow to drain for another couple of hours then turn the molds again. Pour all whey out of the box, put the lid on tight and place in cool place overnight.
The next morning remove the molds and sprinkle each side of the rounds of cheese with a big pinch of cheese salt. Then place the box with the lid slighly askew into a 50°F mini-fridge.
At the end of the day, spray each round with just a spritz of Geotrichum candidum (the powder should be dissolved in distilled water about 30 hours before and kept in a spritzer in the refrigerator.) Turn the cheeses in a few days and spritz again.
When the white mold begins to bloom, wrap in cheese paper and store at 45°F to 50°F. They will need to age in the plastic bin for 6-8 weeks. Turn them gently occasionally. They are ready when soft in the middle.