Too much cream?

Viewing 3 posts - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #1823 Reply
    Roger B
    Participant

    Last week I attempted a blue Stilton which required my usual raw milk and added cream.
    I used 9 litres of milk and 1.2 litres of cream
    The curds took around two hours to form and were very soft and creamy.
    This cheese stayed soft and creamy for at least 7 days and is just now beginning to firm up having lost about 400g in fatty liquid.
    There is no sign of any mould forming on the outside.
    Any ideas? Too much cream??

    #1833 Reply
    viv
    Participant

    I’ve made Stilton with about the same amount of cream, and it has turned out well. On the soft curd: for that amount of milk and cream it should be 1/4 teaspoon or equivalent of rennet, so if it was less than that, there would be the problem. Maintaining the 86f for 1.5 hours usually gives a clean break, though the curd is soft. If there was a clean break then Rennet isn’t the problem, and maybe you cut the curds to big.

    I use the Artisan Cheesemaking at Home method
    I cut into 1/2 inch slabs, into a cheesecloth in a colander, sitting in whey in a bowl for another hour and half at 86, and this is where the curd starts to loose firm a little. Then the cheesecloth gets tied and hung to drain for 30 minutes, or until the whey stops dripping. This gets the curd to firm more. Then the whole package goes under press at 8 pounds overnight, and by the morning the curds should be a firm block. If it wasn’t firm here, this could be the problem.

    I break the curd block up, put it into the mould, put in a sprinkle of p. Roqueforti as I fill, and there is already P. Roqueforti in the curd. The open texture in this method allows the air to get in the cracks and the p.Roqueforti grows easily inside the cheese. There is a lot of flipping at this point to drain the curd and get it to come together, albeit loosely. That is all done at room temp, and that is when the blue starts to form, though you may not see it for a few days.

    It’s hard to know where your Stilton went wrong, but all I would do is let it mature, drain daily, keep a high humidity in the cave (I suspend a plastic bag with damp paper towel and a small opening from the side of the container) and see if the blue grows. If it doesn’t grow, I would call it White Stilton and. eat it with pleasure.

    #1871 Reply
    Roger B
    Participant

    Thanks Viv

    After a few days in the cave it is now out at room temp (High of 22 deg C / 72 deg F) and the blue is now growing though the outside of the cheese is rather moist/soft.
    I like your method of sprinkling P Roqueforti into the curd – it’s the traditional way of making Roquefort cheese.

Viewing 3 posts - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
Reply To: Too much cream?
Your information: