Making Artisan Cheese (8 page)

The pH scale is used to determine the concentration of hydrogen ions, which indicate the level of acidity or alkalinity in any given compound. The scale’s range starts at zero and ends at fourteen. Water, with a pH of seven, is considered neutral. Anything with a pH rating below seven is acidic, and anything above is considered alkaline. So, a lower pH means a higher acidity. In the cheese world, milk has a pH of 6.6 (you may notice a slight acid aftertaste when you drink a glass of milk). Cheddars have a final pH of 5.3, whereas fresh cheeses, such as quark or cottage cheese, have a pH of 4.5. (Just for comparison, vinegar has pH of 2.9.) It should not be surprising that fresh cheeses are more acidic, because they contain more lactic acid, which gives them that puckerish flavor.

Molds and External Bacteria

Although the discussion until now has been focused on the starting process of making cheeses, let’s take a quick look at one of the finishing processes, which has to do with molds and external bacteria. Molds are fungi, or the odd cousin of mushrooms. They are aerobic parasites requiring a host for survival; high-protein, high-moisture foods such as cheese are ideal. When applied to the surface of a cheese, these special molds will grow on the surface and slowly penetrate the interior of the cheese (for commercial sources for cheese molds, see Resources,
page 172
). As the mold makes its way toward the center of the cheese, the mold consumes the lactic acid in the milk (and gives off an ammonia smell), which helps to soften the fats and proteins. The process is affected by time, temperature, and humidity.

It is interesting to cut open a wheel of Brie that has not fully ripened to see the effects of the ripening process. Where the mold has not penetrated the cheese, there is a hard, dense “bar” running through the center of the cheese. If you taste this area you’ll notice that the cheese has a decidedly sour note and the texture is dry and crumbly. The same holds true for blue cheese. A young blue that has not had much time to mature will be noticeably absent of the dramatic veining, and its flavor will also have more of the sour notes and less of the rich blue flavors that people love. For home cheese making, the following molds are typically used.

When applied to the surface of a cheese, special strains of molds such as Penicillium roqueforti will grow on the surface and slowly penetrate the interior of the cheese, creating lovely blue veins and an earthy, mushroomlike flavor. Although often confused with medicinal Penicillin, this is a different strain of mold, and will not produce an adverse reaction in those who are allergic to the antibiotic.

Penicillium candidum

This is the white mold that is often associated with Brie cheeses. Light and airy in appearance, it helps the cheese mature in flavor and texture as it works its way through the cheese. Without the mold, Brie would remain rubbery with a decidedly sour flavor.

Geotrichum candidum

This ripening mold is used in conjunction with
Penicillium candidum
or
Brevibacterium linens
. With soft-ripened cheeses it will have a positive effect on the flavor and appearance, and help to prevent the rind from slipping off the cheese. In the case of washed-rind cheeses,
G. candidum
will aid the growth of the
Brevibacterium linens
.

Penicillium roqueforti

Perhaps the most famous of cheese molds,
Penicillium roqueforti
is most often used for making blue cheese. Originally found in the Roquefort caves in Roquefort, France, it provides this cheese with its unique, robust, sometimes described as hot flavors.

The white, airy coating on cheeses such as Brie and Camembert is due to the addition of the mold Penicillium candidum.

Brie of a Different Color

Although we associate Brie cheese with its delicate white exterior, this is not the traditional appearance of the cheese. Because these cheeses were allowed to ripen in the open, they took on many different colors, including blue and brown. The use of
Penicillium candidum
, which produces a powdery white coating, was introduced in 1910, as a way to standardize the production of factory-made Brie cheeses.

Brevibacterium linens

Used for cheeses known as surface-ripened or smear cheeses,
Brevibacterium linens
is a naturally occurring bacteria that, when applied to the surface of a cheese, will aid it in the ripening process, much along the lines of the previously mentioned molds. The bacterial smear is applied to the surface of the cheese where it develops into a series of colonies. As the cheese ripens, the surface must be washed, typically with a brine solution (but in some cases, beer, wine, or spirits), to distribute the colonies evenly over the surface. The ripening process for these cheeses depends on how intense a flavor the cheese maker wants. Usually, these cheeses are strong with an intense odor. That unmistakable smell is a result of the
Brevibacterium
releasing the sulfur gases in the milk as it ripens the cheese, giving the cheese a unique aroma.
B. linens
is most often associated with cheeses such as Limburger or Alsatian Muenster.

Master Cheese Maker
ERAN WAJSWOL

Long after leaving his childhood home in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain, cheese maker Eran Wajswol still remembered the flavors of the creamy sheep’s milk yogurt and cheese of his homeland. Eventually this mechanical engineer opened Farmersville Cheeses, New Jersey’s only raw-milk cheese producer making cheese from sheep’s milk—and it was a career change he never regretted.

As he explains, “A love of farming, the attachment to the soil and animals, and the challenging set of circumstances in farming may be one of the most fulfilling ways to live one’s life. Cheese making adds another dimension, bringing together chemistry, science, and art. There are no ‘for sures’ in artisan cheese making. Each batch is a challenge; each great batch is a personal victory.”

When comparing sheep’s milk cheese to cow’s milk cheese, Wajswol says, “Sheep’s milk makes a solid curd that forms into a wheel of cheese almost by itself. At the end of the season, when the solids in the milk almost double, it is tough to get one’s hand into the curd for stirring. You will not see this in cow’s milk.”

Wajswol has a piece of advice for home cheese makers who want to try aged, pressed cheeses: “Like every other step in the process, pressing cheese is a give-and-take game. You should press to remove whey, but you should not press too hard, or you will close the pores in the rind and trap the whey. Mistakes manifest themselves quickly into ugly rinds.”

Other Ingredients

Vegetable Ash

Vegetable ash is used for ripened cheeses, most famously with goat cheeses. Ash was traditionally used by local cheese makers in France because it provides a natural coat that creates a friendly environment for surface-ripening molds to grow.

A wide assortment of fresh and dried herbs can add piquant flavor and color to cheeses.

Herbs and Other Flavorings

You can add many different things to your cheese to give it an extra flavor kick. The most obvious additions are the hot peppers found in cheeses, such as Monterey Jack, or the herbes de Provence found in fresh goat chèvre. You can experiment with almost any spice. Mustard seeds are a good choice for Gouda. Goat cheese logs rolled in paprika are very interesting and have a dynamic look. Whatever you choose, remember that with the softer cheeses, the herbs need to marry with the cheese to infuse it with flavor, so let the cheese sit for a day or two in the refrigerator.

The ripening process for these cheeses depends on how intense a flavor the cheese maker wants. The unmistakable smell is a result of the Brevibacterium linens.

Salt

Salt plays a multifaceted role in cheese making; it is an essential element that cannot be overlooked. Because salt restricts the growth of bacteria, it is used toward the end of the cheese-making process to slow down the growth of the lactic bacteria as well as to inhibit the growth of any foreign bacteria that might have gotten into the milk. In addition, salt acts as a dehydrator, drying out the cheese, thus making the curd structure smaller. Salt also adds flavor to cheese.

For cheese making, do not use basic table salt, as it typically contains iodine. It is necessary to use noniodized salt when making cheese, because iodine will retard or kill the growth of the starter cultures in the cheese. There are several types of salt you can use: kosher salt, canning salt, or cheese salt.

Artisan Advice

Cheese makers typically use flake salt, a form of noniodized salt that has flat particles rather than the dense grains found in ordinary table salt. Flake salt does not bind together easily, which assures its even distribution throughout the cheese when used in the recipe. The one drawback to flake salt is that it is not readily available; a good alternative is kosher salt. Like flake salt, it is noniodized, but its particles are larger, and should be broken down into smaller pieces before using in cheese making. An effective, simple way to do this is to place the kosher salt in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to gently crush it, but not pulverize it.