Gorgonzola Piccante (Piquant)

[Spuddy]

SPECIAL FOR PAUL���..


GORGONZOLA.

With acknowledgements to Ricky Carrol.

This cheese originates in Italy in a little village outside Milano
It is a rich creamy cheese with a flavour enhanced by the blue mold
and is made from the evening and morning milk.

RIPENING.

30 minutes. 86F. 1 gallon whole milk. Mesophilic starter.

METHOD.

Warm one gallon of milk to 86F and add meso starter and stir well
Allow to ripen for 30 mins.

RENNETING,
1 hour 15 mins . Half tsp rennet.

Add half a teaspoon of liquid rennet to quarter cup of cool water
And stir gently into the milk let it set for 45 mins.

CUTTING THE CURDS.
1 hour 25 mins.

Cut the curds into half inch cubes and leave to set for 10 mins.

DRAINING.

1 day.

Pour curds into cheese clothe line colander and bring together all four corners of the clothe hang these curds to drain overnight at a temperature of 68F to 70F

Make a second batch of curds from 1 gallon of milk as was done the previous evening. Drain these curds in a cheese clothe for one hour.

MILLING.

Cut the drained curds from the previous evening into one inch cubes
Place in a bowl. Cut the drained curds from the morning into one inch cubes and put into another bowl.

SALTING.

Salt and Blue mold powder.

To four tablespoons of coarse flake salt add a quarter of a teaspoon of blue mold powder and mix in thoroughly. Sprinkle half the salt onto the first bowl and the other half onto the second and mix thoroughly but do not break the curds.

MOULDING

Place the curds in a 2lb cheese mould which is resting on a cheese mat.

Place the morning curd on the bottom the outside and the top of the mould and place the evening curd mainly in the middle of the mould.

Flip the mould every 15 mins for the first 2 hours .

Try to place the mould in a room where the temperature is around 55F to 60F. So summer is an ideal time to make this cheese.

Flip the cheese several times a day for the next three days.


SALT. 9 days.

Remove the cheese from the mould and sprinkle coarse salt over all surfaces. Shake off excess salt.
The cheese should be cured at 55F and an RH of 85%. Each day for the next four days the cheese should be rubbed with salt.

NEEDLING..3 months.

Using a 16th of an inch knitting needle that has been sterilized punch 25 holes in the cheese from top to bottom

After 30 days of curing the cheese should be placed where the temperature is 50F with a RH of 85%.

Leave the cheese to mature for a further 60 days.

Scrape the cheese clean and butter with a long bladed knife every couple of weeks.

Four months after being produced the cheese is ready for eating but may be aged for several months more if required so now your nose must be your judge for maximum piquancy or stink which ever you prefer.

ENJOY
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Rik vonTrense