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| The curd will have a thin layer of whey covering it and separate from the vat when ready to cut. |
The molds are shown with
short strips in place
to be tightened after draining. |
The curd is not cut but carefully ladled in thin layers into the sanitized and preheated molds... |
...that have been prepared and
placed on bamboo mat. At this point the curd is still quite sweet.
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| The molds are filled in succession slowly, a few ladlefuls at a time. |
They now need to set quietly
and drain in a draft free area... |
...with a steady temp overnight.
During this time our
final acidity develops |
By the next morning they will have drained down to 1/3 original height.
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| The tall inner hoop may now be loosened and removed... |
...and the shorter hoop is now tightened... |
...so that it can be flipped over without breaking. |
The original mat can now be gently removed leaving it's imprint.
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| The flipping continues for the next several hours and dry salting the surfaces can be started... |
...as soon as the curd
dries down and free whey
is no longer an issue. |
The drained and salted cheese is now ready to be moved to a space with moderate air flow... |
...and the drying off continues
for the next day or so,
keeping the temp at 65F.
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Following the drying off
move to 54F-90% ,
where the white surface will
begin to develop at day 5... |
...and continue through
about day 10-12 when
they can be wrapped... |
...and moved to a
moister and cooler space
(38-42F.. 95-97% humidity)... |
...where the white surface begins to die back and the red/yellow streaks begin to show.
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At about 4-6 weeks the curd should have ripened
to at least the half way point
and it is ready to eat. |
You can try it at an earlier stage when the taste is quite fresh and sharp... |
...or wait until it really develops some character and the flavor deepens and shows the true flavors of the milk. |
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