One of my boys called and wanted to make cheese. He came home this past wkend and we made a few Camembert. He's preparing for interviews for medical residency and wanted some further experience in cheesemaking for talking points (he's helped me before, but didn't really pay attention to the science).
Camembert is a soft cheese. In fact, it's somewhat runny in the middle, mostly due to the the fungus (Penicillium camemberti) that's added (among others). The curds are not stirred or heated after cutting. In fact, we did not cut them at all... just scooped them right out of the pot and put them in the molds. This results in a VERY loose curd mass. Care must be taken when handling them. But this is how soft cheese like this is created.
I'll get finished pics up here when it's ready for gobbling. There's 2 weeks of firming up the skin, then 2 weeks high-humidity where we wait for white mold growth on the skin. As soon as that outer mold starts, it goes in the regular (33F) fridge (waiting too long ends up with a wet mess, I've learned ).
Camembert is a soft cheese. In fact, it's somewhat runny in the middle, mostly due to the the fungus (Penicillium camemberti) that's added (among others). The curds are not stirred or heated after cutting. In fact, we did not cut them at all... just scooped them right out of the pot and put them in the molds. This results in a VERY loose curd mass. Care must be taken when handling them. But this is how soft cheese like this is created.
I'll get finished pics up here when it's ready for gobbling. There's 2 weeks of firming up the skin, then 2 weeks high-humidity where we wait for white mold growth on the skin. As soon as that outer mold starts, it goes in the regular (33F) fridge (waiting too long ends up with a wet mess, I've learned ).