Homemade Brie Cheese
I've been making baguettes, practicing my technique and thought I should put together some homemade Brie to have with them. Yesterday was my first attempt at Brie cheese and so far they look pretty good - the little cheeses could stand to be thicker, that will happen when we add more holes to the small brie molds so they drain better and can handle more curds. The large wheel is 7 inches in diameter and is looking pretty good to me. It will take about 2 weeks for the white 'skin' to develop on the cheeses while they rest at about 55F in my make shift 'cheese cave' (dorm sized fridge with temperature regulator) for 2 weeks, turning the cheeses 2 time a day for even drying. After that it will be another couple of weeks in the regular fridge before they are ready to be eaten.
WOW!! They are BEAUTIFUL!! I don't suppose you would be willing to share that recipe for Brie would you? It is my MOST favorite cheese but I have no idea how to make it! I will be FOREVER grateful!
THANK YOU!!
Janet
Janet,
The recipe can be found on Ricki Carroll's cheesemaking website.
http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/pg/22-Brie.html
We made our own brie molds using plastic tubes from Tap Plastics (http://www.tapplastics.com/) They cut them to size and my husband drilled holes in them to drain the whey as the cheese curds were ladled in the molds. I also bought a 7 inch mold from a more local store, The Beverage People.
Enjoy,
Linda
Brie! We like Brie very much but love the king of all cheese, Societe de Caves; Roquefort!
Well Done Linda!
DA,
Haven't tried to make a roquefort yet. It will take some special handling so as not to infect the whole 'cave' with it's lovely blue mold.
Right now I've got a gouda, cheddar and romano aging in the cave. The gouda and cheddar are waxed cheeses so I don't have to worry about them getting moldy. The romano is not waxed and takes at least weekly monitoring and washing with vinegar and salt to keep mold at bay. But heck, the romano I made last year I left to its own devices for 8 months figuring it was a lost cause but once we took it out of the cave and cleaned it up, it was perfectly fine.
Linda
Those look fantastic. Look forward hearing about how good it tastes.
Thanks Ian. I'll keep you posted on the results when available (at least 1 month from now).
Linda
The bries are in the cheese cave in their ripening boxes. They are developing their white coats very nicely. It's been one week since making them. I turn the cheeses 2 times per day - once in the morning and then again in the evening so the white coating doesn't attach to the cheese mats upon which they rest in the ripening boxes. The cheese has another 5-7 days in the ripening boxes and then they will be wrapped individually in parchment paper and then into a normal refrigerator for a few more weeks of aging.
I'm happy with how they are coming together and can't wait to try some on a freshly baked baguette.
Linda
Looks good! But its not salty? Its tasty?