It has been 17 days since I made my first Drunken Cow cheese, and I have been turning it every day.
Two days ago, it had shrunk so much that it cracked, top and bottom, so as this cheese has to mature for a full three months, I had no choice but to wax it.
Here is the top. You will notice that the wine penetrated about 5mm (1/4″) into the rind of the cheese, and deep into the holes that I pierced.
This is the bottom. There is minimal mould build up, and it was easily washed off with a brine solution.
You can see how much it has shrunk by comparing the Drunken cow, now a deep purple after being cleaned prior to waxing, to a Caerphilly that I made on Saturday night. The Drunken cow has lost about a quarter of its volume.
So here is the waxed cheese, all sealed and ready to continue its maturity at around 11C (51F). We will crack it open on 3rd December 2012.
By the way, this cheese still smells divine. It has a deep, sweet red wine aroma. Both Kim and I cannot wait to sample it.
[Cross posted on Little Green Cheese]
The 3rd you say! I’ll just jot that down in my diary! 🙂
Mate, you are more than welcome at our place anytime. I will save you a slice! Gav
That looks yummy! Would the alcohol in the wine cause the moisture to be pulled out too quickly? Hence the cracks…Just a thought.
Barb
Hi Barb, yes I was thinking along the same lines as you. The alternative theory could be that the cheese fridge is not humid enough. It was hovering around 80% RH, which I thought would be okay, but obviously the wine did such a bit more moisture out than usual.
Gav x
Hi Gavin,
I have made this cheese before and had the same problem with the rind splitting. I vacuum bagged mine instead of waxing it. The bagging managed to force the rind back together and helped repair it in a way. Well done regardless.
Hi Ian, great solution. I keep forgetting that my vac pack can be used for this sort of thing.
Gav
P.S. Linked to your blog over at Little Green Cheese.