I once thought that making Camembert would be very difficult. I didn't know how they got that soft, almost fuzzy rind around the cheese, and would not have imagined in my wildest dreams that one day I would make one. Camembert cheese originate in the French village of the same name. It was discovered in 1791 by Marie Fontaine who got the recipe from a monk, and has become one of the most prized cheeses in the world. Penicillium candidum growns on the surface during curing, and the mould develops the sharp taste of the cheese and aids in creating its runny consistency at room temperature.
Well, guess what. I didn't make one, I made 4 rounds of Camembert!
First of all I had to make the hoops or moulds that the Camembert would form in. I took a big piece of food grade plastic pipe and cut it into four 3" lengths and gave the ends a sand with a sanding block to smooth them all down. While I was at it, I made a Stilton mould as well and drilled holes all around the mould. Here is a picture of my efforts;
So once I had finished the hoops, I washed them in hot soapy water to get rid of any plastic powder, and then I sterilised them in boiling water. Unfortunately the hot water warped them somewhat, so I had to reshape them when I took them out. There was a lesson learnt, don't boil the hoops. So instead I sprayed them all over with white vinegar to kill any mould or bacteria that might be lurking.
I then followed the recipie in the "Home Cheese Making" by Ricki Carrol, which I won't describe in details here. You will just have to borrow the book from your local library!
Anyway, normal process, heat the milk, add the starter, then the penicillium and ripen for 90 minutes. This is the longest ripening period I have found for any cheese so far. Then add the rennet and rest for an hour. Cut curd into 1.25 cm cubes, gently stir. Dorothey from the cheese making course suggested the lift and separate method, just like the bra add. The book goes into some detail about cheese boards and mats and moulds, but I found a simpler way that I learnt by observation of other students at the course. Use good old chux and two trays for the hoop process.
This is about half way through the turning process. When I filled the hoops they were over full and I just managed to get all of the curd into them with a bit of persiverance. As you can see, the curd shrinks as it expells whey. You can just see in the photo a second tray. To turn the hoops, place the second blue chux over the hoops, put the tray on top, squeeze the trays together, drain whatever whey there is, and quickly flip them over. A little bit of skill involved, but not too hard.
Now after 5 hours of doing this every hour your camembert will look something like this;
Well, guess what. I didn't make one, I made 4 rounds of Camembert!
First of all I had to make the hoops or moulds that the Camembert would form in. I took a big piece of food grade plastic pipe and cut it into four 3" lengths and gave the ends a sand with a sanding block to smooth them all down. While I was at it, I made a Stilton mould as well and drilled holes all around the mould. Here is a picture of my efforts;
So once I had finished the hoops, I washed them in hot soapy water to get rid of any plastic powder, and then I sterilised them in boiling water. Unfortunately the hot water warped them somewhat, so I had to reshape them when I took them out. There was a lesson learnt, don't boil the hoops. So instead I sprayed them all over with white vinegar to kill any mould or bacteria that might be lurking.
I then followed the recipie in the "Home Cheese Making" by Ricki Carrol, which I won't describe in details here. You will just have to borrow the book from your local library!
Anyway, normal process, heat the milk, add the starter, then the penicillium and ripen for 90 minutes. This is the longest ripening period I have found for any cheese so far. Then add the rennet and rest for an hour. Cut curd into 1.25 cm cubes, gently stir. Dorothey from the cheese making course suggested the lift and separate method, just like the bra add. The book goes into some detail about cheese boards and mats and moulds, but I found a simpler way that I learnt by observation of other students at the course. Use good old chux and two trays for the hoop process.
This is about half way through the turning process. When I filled the hoops they were over full and I just managed to get all of the curd into them with a bit of persiverance. As you can see, the curd shrinks as it expells whey. You can just see in the photo a second tray. To turn the hoops, place the second blue chux over the hoops, put the tray on top, squeeze the trays together, drain whatever whey there is, and quickly flip them over. A little bit of skill involved, but not too hard.
Now after 5 hours of doing this every hour your camembert will look something like this;
As you can see, they shrink quite a bit. They shrank from about 7.5cm to about 3cm once all the tray fliping was over. You then salt the cheese by sprinkling with non-iondised salt and rub all over. They are mostly firm, but I had to be gentle.
Now the tricky bit. As the mould was introduced at the start of the process, I shouldn't have to spray them to get the white rind to form. However, I must keep the cheese separate from all the other cheeses in my cheese cave. So to do that, I have a nifty two layer box. In the bottom layer, I put a sushi mat and a little bowl of water to increase humidity. The four cheeses fit in it like this;
Now the tricky bit. As the mould was introduced at the start of the process, I shouldn't have to spray them to get the white rind to form. However, I must keep the cheese separate from all the other cheeses in my cheese cave. So to do that, I have a nifty two layer box. In the bottom layer, I put a sushi mat and a little bowl of water to increase humidity. The four cheeses fit in it like this;
This picture was taken this morning after the cheese had been in the cave all night. The water works well, and it was quite humit when I lifted the lid. Two on the bottom and two on top of the shelf. It was like the box was designed for it!
All I have to do now is wait for about 5 days for the furry whiskers of the mould to form, turn in another 7 days, and then wrap in cheese wrap (haven't figured out what that is yet) and let age for 4 - 6 weeks. Then I will have 4 lovely wheels of camembert! Pretty cool I reckon. I will let you know what they taste like in a month.
Oh, also at the same time as I made the camembert, I made a proper Stilton. Why spend 6 hours making one type of cheese when you can make two. But that is another story.....
All I have to do now is wait for about 5 days for the furry whiskers of the mould to form, turn in another 7 days, and then wrap in cheese wrap (haven't figured out what that is yet) and let age for 4 - 6 weeks. Then I will have 4 lovely wheels of camembert! Pretty cool I reckon. I will let you know what they taste like in a month.
Oh, also at the same time as I made the camembert, I made a proper Stilton. Why spend 6 hours making one type of cheese when you can make two. But that is another story.....
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