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MasteringArtisanCheesemaking_cover.indd 1
Caldwell
Ma ste r i ng A rtisan
C h e e s e m a king
The Ultimate Guide for Home-Scale and Market Producers
Gianaclis Caldwell
Foreword by Ricki Carroll
Chelsea
Green
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This category of cheese is also known by the less-thanappetizing name of stinky cheese. And boy, can they
reek! Gym socks (think high school boys locker room
gym socks) are a common analogy. But fortunately,
things dont always taste exactly like they smell. I love
these cheeses. Soft and oozing with strong, meaty,
baconlike flavorand did I mention the texture?
Washed rind, surface-bacteria-ripened cheeses
also include some semihard to hard varieties from the
Gruyre family (more on this group in chapter 14). But
in that particular style, the surface-ripening bacteria
produce minimal changes and, usually, all but disappear before aging is complete. The term washed rind
describes the affinage process of applying different
liquids (such as ales, wine, and brine) to the surface
of many kinds of cheeses. Th is type of washing has a
far greater influence on the rind of the cheese than
it does on the interior. So while many cheeses have a
rind that is washed, they are not necessarily defined
as a washed rind cheese. For this chapter we will
focus on those where the surface bacteria profoundly
influence the final texture, flavor, color, and, of course,
aroma of the cheese.
These cheese types are more popular in some parts
of the world than others but are of growing popularity,
thanks to more adventuresome palates and an expanding array of well-produced domestic varieties and
better-kept imports. In this chapter I will use washed
rind, stinky, and surface ripened interchangeably
to refer to those types that obtain a soft to semisoft
texture, pronounced odor, and distinctive color, thanks
to the activity of surface microorganisms. Lets get to
know these unique, potent cheeses better.
MasteringArtisanCheesemaking_finalpages.indd 193
the accidenta l
stinker
My first stinky cheese was a product of
happenstance. Id made one of our usual
hard cheeses called Elk Mountain and had
a little curd left over. So I put it in a small
form, pressed it, and aged it right alongside
the regular wheels. It was December, so the
humidity in the aging room was about 95
percent (when the aging room cooler doesnt
need to run, the humidity stays higher). The
rinds of Elk Mountain are washed with ale,
and ale, of course, brings yeasts.
After a few weeks I noticed that the rind
on the little wheel was turning a pinkish,
orange color. I ignored it and kept turning
the cheeses. At one point I thought of getting rid of the little one, but after about two
months it started to feel soft when I turned
it. After another few weeks it was very soft.
About this time it just so happened that we
had a special cheese celebrity visitor coming by to see our farm, so we decided to
cut it when he was there so he could tell us
what had happened.
Well, we cut, we tasted, we oohed, we
ahhed. It was heavenly. It was stinky. It was
serendipity. The point is that you actually
dont have to know what you are doing to
make these kinds of cheeses successfully
at least the first time. But knowing more
will help you appreciate the process and
increase the odds of success.
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Ta b l e 11-1. S ta r t e r C u lt u r e C h o i c e s f o r Wa s h e d R i n d C h e e s e s
Name
Contains
Manufacturer
Small-Batch
Dosage:* 34 Gal
(1215L/2634 lb)
Large-Batch
Dosage per 26 Gal
(100L/220 lb)
Characteristics
and Application
Flora Danica
LL, LLC,
LLD, LMC
Packaged by
home cheese
supply co.
1 packet/4 gal
(15 L/34 lb)
N/a
Flora Danica
or CHN 11, 19
LL, LLC,
LLD, LMC
Chr. Hansen
4 tsp (0.4 g)
10U
Meso Aromatic B
LL, LC,
LD, LM
Abiasa
1
4 12 tsp
(0.61.2 g)
10 g
MO 030R
LL, LC,
LD, LM
Clerici Sacco
16 tsp (0.3 g)
0.54U
LL, LLC,
LLD
Danisco
4 tsp (0.4 g)
4U
Mesophilic
LL, LLC
Packaged by
home cheese
supply co.
1 packet
N/a
MA Series (Choozit)
(includes MA 11, 14,
16, 19)
LL, LLC
Danisco
8 tsp (0.3 g)
4U
Meso III
LL, LC
Abiasa
2 tsp (1.2g)
10 g
MO 030
LL, LC
Clerici Sacco
16 tsp (0.3 g)
4U
MA 4000 Series
(Choozit)
(includes 4001, 4002)
LL, LLC,
LLD, ST
Danisco
8 tsp (0.3 m)
4U
*Remember that culture is always best measured by weighing and dividing into unit doses based on the strength of the culture, instead of using volume or set weight.
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Ta b l e 11-2 . S u r fac e - R i p e n i n g B ac t e r i a l C u lt u r e s f o r Wa s h e d R i n d C h e e s e s
Name/Dosage per package
Manufacturer
LR (FR 11)
2- and 10-dose package
Danisco Choozit
Danisco Choozit
1
16 tsp (0.3 g)/34 gal or
25 doses/264 gal (1000 L)
LB (FR 10)
10-dose package
Danisco Choozit
1
16 tsp (0.3 g)/34 gal or
25 doses/264 gal (1000 L)
Ivory, aromatic
Ta b l e 11-3 . Y e a s t C u lt u r e s f o r Wa s h e d R i n d C h e e s e s
Name/Dosage per package
Manufacturer
Geotrichum Candidum
50 gallons/package
Packaged by home
cheese supply co.
GEO 15 (Choozit)
2- and 10-dose package
Danisco
KL 71 (Choozit)
2- and 10-dose package
Danisco
Kluyveromyces lactis
DH (Choozit)
2- and 10-dose package
Danisco
Debaromyces hansenii
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Ta b l e 11- 4 . S u r fac e - R i p e n i n g B l e n d s o f Y e a s t s a n d B ac t e r i a f o r Wa s h e d R i n d C h e e s e S
Name
Contains
Manufacturer
ARN (Choozit)
2- and 10-dose package
Danisco
PLA (Choozit)
2- and 10-dose package
Danisco
1
16 tsp/2 gal (8L) or
>1 dose/264 gal (1000 L)
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Ta b l e 11-5 . S u gg e s t e d B r i n i n g T i m e s f o r
Wa s h e d R i n d C h e e s e s
Weight
(rounded)
Height
Diameter
Brine Time
(Saturated brine)
1 lb
(0.5 kg)
114 inch
(3 cm)
6 inches
(15 cm)
20 min
4.5 lb
(2 kg)
112 inch
(4 cm)
11 inches
(28 cm)
60 min
Affinage
Traditionally, stinky cheeses were produced by taking
scrapings from an older cheese with established surface
microflora and mixing that with water or a liquor and
some salt. The resulting mixture, sometimes referred to
as a morge, was smeared and wiped onto the younger
cheeses. This process effectively spread the bacteria and
yeasts to the new generation. While this practice is still
used, it has come under scrutiny for the gap it creates in
the food-safety chainif one cheese is contaminated,
you are spreading that contamination to a larger number of wheels.
It is generally believed that once a population
of desirable surface-ripening bacteria have become
established in an aging room (either through the initial
purposeful inoculation of several cheeses or through
native, wild bacteria, such as happened with our initial
Wimer Winter stinky cheese) washing with plain brine
or a yeast solution alone will attract the desired bacteria
to the cheese. If you are making these cheese types regularly, you can inoculate the milk for the first batches
by adding the recommended dose and developing the
rinds; then stop inoculating. Wash new cheeses with a
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JOs VultOs
oULEoUTa washed
oULEoUT
rind Cheese
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you can say, without a doubt, are the exact kin of another.
Taleggio is the classic northern Italian washed rind
cheese, made from pasteurized (usually) cows milk. This
ancient PDO cheese is made in square forms and is named
after the Val Taleggio region from which it originated.
French Munster from the Alsace region of France
is a much-copiedin name if not flavorwashed rind
AOC cheese with a flavor as strong as its pedigree. The
US version, on the other hand, is mild and colored,
not by bacterial growth, but by paprika or another
colorant. If you are looking for a cheese similar to
the French Munster thats made in the United States,
my cheesemaker friend and former cheesemonger,
Meghan McKenna (see chapter 10 for more) suggests
Meadow Creek Farms Grayson. Meghan notes that
these Virginia cheesemakers use rotational grazing
and seasonal milking practices to really elevate their
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Ingredients
Milk: 2 gal (8 L/17 lb) whole milk
Culture: 116 tsp (0.2 g) MM 100, 1 skewer tip MA
4001, 116 tsp (0.2 g) TA 50, 2 skewer tips each LBC 80
and GEO 15 (if using raw milk, you can omit the LBC
80), and 1 skewer tip SR3
Calcium chloride (optional): Maximum tsp (2.5
ml) calcium chloride diluted in cup (30 ml) cool,
nonchlorinated water
Rennet: Scant tsp (1 ml) single-strength rennet
diluted in cup (60 ml) cool, nonchlorinated water
Salt: Approximately 2 tbsp (30 g) pure salt (goal is 2%
salt by weight of drained cheeses)
Steps
Prepare Equipment: Make sure all equipment is
cleaned and sanitized and that your cheesemaking
space is free from possible contaminants. Refer to
chapter 6 for tips on proper equipment preparation.
Prepare Milk: Warm milk to 70F (21C).
Culture: Sprinkle cultures on top of milk. Let set 3 to
5 minutes, then stir gently for 3 to 5 minutes.
Additions: Stir in calcium chloride.
Ripen: Warm to 90F (32C), and ripen for 1.5 to 2
hours. The goal pH drop is about 0.13.
Rennet and Coagulate: Stir in rennet solution using an
up-and-down motion, then still the milk. Cover, and
hold at 90F (32C) until a clean break is achieved. The
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Large-Batch Guidelines
Milk: 12 gal (46 L/100 lb) whole milk (for larger
batches increase ingredients proportionately)
Culture: tsp (0.6 g) MM 100, 116 tsp (0.1 g) MA
4001, tsp (0.6 g) TA 50, tsp (0.25 g) LBC 80 (when
using pasteurized milk), tsp (0.6 g) GEO 15, and 116
tsp (0.3 g) SR3
Calcium chloride (optional): 1015 ml (about 1 tbsp)
Rennet: 4.59 ml single-strength rennet (2.254.5 ml
double strength)
Salt: 2% by weight of drained cheeses
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JOs VultO,
BrOOklyn and waltOn, new yOrk
Jos Vulto, a Holland native who grafted his life to
New York City in the early 90s, happened upon
cheesemaking in almost the same way that the
first cheesemaker in history likely didluck.
Jos came to the United States as a resident artist at what is now the Museum of Modern Art/
PS1. However, having been raised in the country,
15 years in the city of New York left him feeling as
though something fundamental was missing. He
and his wife bought a dilapidated farm in upstate
New York and spent weekends there, dreaming
of someday making it their permanent residence.
As Joss awareness of food quality and its production increased, he began growing vegetables
on his land and purchasing local raw milk. One
week, upon returning to the farm, he found that a
container of forgotten raw milk in the back of the
refrigerator had fermented, and lo and behold, it
smelled like cheese. It was an epiphany. Jos thought
that if cheese, of a sort, can spontaneously occur,
perhaps with a bit of knowledge and the best
intentions, he could make his own artisan cheese.
Utilizing the website of Dr. David B. Fankhauser at the University of Cincinnati Clermont
College, Jos made his first encouraging batches of
cheese. He soon discovered the website of cheese
mentor Peter Dixon, and his craft improved
quickly. As there were few resources at the time for
a budding cheesemaker, Jos started a blog to detail
his adventures and experiments (www.heinennellie
.blogspot.com). (The name of his blog is a combination of his fathers and mothers names with
the Dutch conjunction n.) The blog also attests
to Joss obvious skill and art as a cheesemaker.
On his blog Jos documents his search for the
perfect aging space for his cheeses. After frustration
with using old refrigerators, he hit upon a wonderful solutionan underground space beneath the
sidewalks of Brooklyn. The space in question was
part of the metalworking company that Jos was
a partner in at the time. After a cleaning, tiling,
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reBlOChOn-style
washed rind
Cheese
StePS
Prepare Equipment: Make sure all equipment is
cleaned and sanitized and that your cheesemaking
space is free from possible contaminants. Refer to
chapter 6 for tips on proper equipment preparation.
Prepare Milk: Warm milk to 93F (34C).
Culture: Sprinkle cultures on top of milk. Let set for 3
to 5 minutes, then stir gently for 2 to 5 minutes.
Ripen: Maintain temperature at 93F (34C), and ripen
for 1 to 1.5 hours.
Additions: Stir in calcium chloride solution for 1 minute then wait 5 minutes before adding rennet.
Rennet and Coagulate: Add rennet solution and
stir with an up-and-down motion for 1 minute. Still
milk, and maintain 93F (34C) until a clean break is
attained. The goal coagulation time is 20 to 25 minutes.
If using flocculation factor, multiply floc time by 2.5.
Cut: When curd is ready to cut, cut mass in -inch
(2-cm) cubes. Rest for 5 minutes.
inGredientS
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Large-Batch Guidelines
Milk: 12 gal (46 L/100 lb) high-fat milk (for larger
batches increase ingredients proportionately)
Culture: 2U MM 100, 1U TA 50, and 0.25U PLA
Calcium chloride (optional): 1015 ml (about 1 tbsp)
Rennet: 79 ml single-strength rennet (3.54.5 ml
double strength)
Salt: 2% of the weight of drained cheeses
Mini-Grayson, a semi-soft, surface-ripened washed rind cheese by Meadow Creek Dairy, Virginia
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StePS
PhOlia FarMs
washed rind
Cheese
ur washed rind cheese Wimer Winter was a rawmilk, aged stinky that came about by accident.
(Red Hawk is a wonderful washed rind from Cowgirl
Creamery in California that also came about thanks to
serendipity and is still made without using any added
ripening bacteria during the process.) While we no
longer make Wimer Winter, it was a local (and Max
McCalman) favorite. Max said it reminded him of
Chevrotin des Aravis, a raw-milk goat cheese produced
in the Haute-Savoie region of France. Because of the high
fat content of our farms Nigerian Dwarf goats milk, our
washed rind cheese had the texture of a double or triple
crme, similar to the cows milk cheese Red Hawk.
inGredientS
Milk: 2 gal (8 L/17 lb) whole milk
Culture: tsp (0.4 g) Flora Danica (or equivalent
blend) and one skewer tip SR3
Calcium chloride (optional): maximum tsp (2.5
ml) calcium chloride diluted in cup (30 ml) cool,
nonchlorinated water
Rennet: tsp plus (1.5 ml) single-strength rennet
diluted in cup (60 ml) cool, nonchlorinated water
Salt: Heavy brine
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Salt: Unmold when curd pH has reached 5.3 to 5.4 (usually after about 4 to 6 hours of pressing). Brine cheeses
in heavy brine for 2 hours per 2-pound (1-kg) cheese.
Affinage: Age at 55F (13C) and 95 percent RH. Wash
twice weekly with light brine made from ale (2 tsp salt
per 12 oz beer) for the first 4 to 6 weeks. Turn daily. If
red surface is slow to develop, add a bit of SR3 to the ale
brine. Washing should continue as needed to keep rind
clear of unwanted molds. Age to desired texture.
Large-Batch Guidelines
Milk: 12 gal (46 L/100 lb) whole milk (for larger
batches increase ingredients proportionately)
Culture: 5U Flora Danica (or equivalent blend) and
116 tsp (0.20.5 dose) SR3
Calcium chloride (optional): 1015 doses (about 1 tbsp)
Rennet: 9 ml single-strength rennet (4.5 ml double
strength)
Salt: Heavy brine
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Thinking Outside
the Vat
Scenario 1: All the batches of cheese you
A. Wait for a brief time, say, 5 to 10 minutes, to let the curds heal.
B. Follow the instructions; they probably
are right.
C. Make a note in your logbook that the
curd seemed soft, and go ahead and stir.
D. Make a note in your logbook, and
let the curds heal for a bit. Consider
adjusting the cook time to let them lose
more whey slowly.
1. Answer: A, B, and D.
2. Answer. A and D.
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