Cardoona Cheese Making Recipe

Acidify & Heat Milk

Use the best quality milk you can find when making this cheese. Raw milk is ideal, if you do not have access to raw milk use a fresh good quality milk and add 8-12 oz of cream.

Begin by heating the milk to 94F. You do this by placing the milk in a pot or sink of very warm water. If you do this in a pot on the stove make sure you heat the milk slowly and stir it well as it heats.

Once the milk is at 94F all of the cultures can be added. To prevent the powder from caking and sinking in clumps sprinkle the powder over the surface of the milk and then allow about 2 minutes for the powder to re-hydrate before stirring it in.

The milk now needs to be kept at this target temperature until it is time to increase for cooking the curds. Hold the milk with culture quiet for the next 30 minutes to allow the culture to begin doing its work. Note that this is a much shorter time than most cheese due to the activity of our new Thistle Rennet.

It will be very slow initially but will soon kick into its more rapid rate of converting lactose to lactic acid.

Coagulate with Rennet

Then add 10 ml (2 tsp) of liquid thistle rennet. Yes, this is much more than you are used to. This is being added much earlier in the process because it is much weaker and due to the way it works much slower.

The milk now needs to sit quiet for 45-60 minutes while the culture works and the rennet coagulates the curd.

The milk will begin to thicken at about 25-30 minutes, but allow it to coagulate to firmness at about 45-60 minutes.

It is always best to check for a firm coagulation and if it seems to need longer allow it to go as much as 25-50% longer. The next time you make the cheese, adjust the rennet amount if needed (more rennet for a quicker set).

The thermal mass of this milk should keep it warm during this period. It is OK if the temp drops a few degrees during this time, you can heat it back to temp after cutting.

Cut Curd & Cook

Once you have determined that the milk has set well, it is time to cut the curds smaller. This is the first step in reducing the curd moisture.

First cut the curd initially to about 1-1.5inch pieces, and then allow the cut curd to rest for 5 minutes

Next cut the curds smaller as evenly as possible to about hazelnut sized pieces, and then allow the cut curd to rest for another 5 minutes, so that the cut curd surfaces can heal.

Return the curds to 94F if they have cooled. Remember to stir carefully, the curds are very soft.

Now it is time to begin drying out the curds this will be done by stirring slowly for 15-20 minutes to allow the curd to release some moisture.

The final curds will be still quite moist and soft. They should begin to show a more defined shape than the original custardy appearance after cutting. This can be a bit tricky to determine but with experience you should be able to recognize the moisture level and curd character when ready to mold.

When this point is reached the curds can be allowed to settle under the whey but do not let them rest there for any time.

Transfer Curd to Molds

You can use two small tomme cheese molds or small basket cheese molds for more detailed presentation. The pictures show 4 molds but this is a guide for just 2 gallons so just 2 forms.

Next step will be to Remove the whey down to about 1-2 inches above the settled curds.

Then give them a good stir before transferring to the molds to make sure that the curds are well separated. The remaining whey will help the curds float into a more compact position with fewer holes caused by air spaces.

The curds can now be transferred to the molds lined with drain cloth.

Work quickly because they will be ready to. Be turned in just a few minutes.

Pressing

The cheese needs to be kept warm at 75-80F for the next few hours while the culture continues to work

First Turn: The cheese needs to be turned in the mold within 5-10 minutes of the initial transfer. Simply fold the cloth over the cheese and turn it with the folded edges down. This will keep the curds from breaking. Allow it to sit under its own weight for another 10 minutes.

Remove Cloth: Next step is to remove the cheese and unwrap and remove the cloth. The side that was facing down with the folded cloth will be a bit uneven so place it back in the mold the with that uneven surface down.. no cloth.

Then place a follower on top and press with about 3 lbs of weight. A quart jar of warm water is about right for each one. In my photograph I have used a board and bowl of warm water(1gal) to press all at the same time. Leave this to press for about 30 minutes.

Next Turn: remove the weight and turn the cheese, replacing the weight and keeping it warm. Allow it to sit for another 60 min

Turn and Repeat: Repeat this every 60 minutes until the cheese becomes well consolidated, showing minimal cracks or openings in the surface. This should take about 2-3 more turns.

At each turn you will notice the cheese has formed a smoother surface and rests lower in the mold.

This may prove difficult if you dried the cheese too much before removing the whey.

Once the cheese has formed a nice consolidated surface, the weights can be removed and the cheese turned once more.

The cheese should take about 12 hours from adding culture until the final acid has developed and ready for brining.

If you have a pH meter or the pH strips from our website, the final pH will be about 5.3 at this point.

Salting

You should have a saturated brine prepared for salting this cheese. You will find all of the details you need on brining here. A simple brine formula is: 1 Gallon of water to which is added 2.25 Lbs of Salt, 1tbs. Calcium Chloride (30% solution), and 1 tsp. white vinegar.

The cheese now needs to be set in the brine for about 1.5 hours. The cheese will float above the brine surface so sprinkle another teaspoon or two of salt on the top surface of the cheese.

Flip the cheese and re-salt the surface about half way through the brine period.

At the end of the brine bath, wipe the surface and allow the cheese to surface dry overnight in a cool area (65-70F) and with free movement of air. Do not let it darken or begin to crack.

Aging

The cheese is now ready for its short aging. The initial aging space should be 62-68F and 85-90% moisture. This will encourage the early ripening cultures activity.

I use wooden boards inside a plastic tray with cover to keep the moisture up. The wood acts as a buffer for moisture PLUS it carries the ripening community from generation to generation. Turn the cheese at least 1-2 times each day.

After the first 3-5 days you will notice a very different surface and a yeasty smell. This is the first surface community of ambient yeast. Once this appears it is time to wash the rinds and move to the next phase of surface development.

Move the cheese to a cooler space of 52-54F and 90-95% and prepare the wash as below to be used for the washed rind.

Washed Rinds: Prepare a wash for this phase, a day or so before you finish in the warm room. To make the wash: A cup of water, plus one tablespoon of non iodized salt. Stir well and add another pinch of both Geo and B.linens (just for insurance since you already added it to the milk) as noted above. Store this in a sealed jar in the fridge until use. 

This cool phase begins with a cool water wipe to remove some of the greasy surface. Then move the cheese to a covered plastic box with an aging board cut to size on the bottom.

Note: Never wash your boards with detergent; just hot water scrub and dry in the sun. They tend to harbor the complex of washed rind bios over time.

Begin using the wash on just the top surface and sides. You only need a small amount on a sanitized cloth for this. I usually pour a few tablespoons of the prepared wash on the cloth so that I do not have to mix fresh each time. Allow this surface to dry slightly and then place it washed side up in the box. Allow this to rest in the aging space for a day or so and then turn it over and do the other surface. 

Repeat this every 3-5 days as you see a white film of mold developing. The surface will become damp or tacky but do not allow it to get swampy or wet. Within 10 days you should notice a slight pinkish/orange surface developing. If done properly no blue, dark, or fuzzy mold should grow. That is the beauty of the washed rinds. It took the monks to figure this out.

How long should the wash go for? This depends on the character you want. I normally wash the entire cheese in just a light brine as it approaches its final development (this will be very subjective). Too much surface aroma competes with the sweet flavor of the cheese . Once I clean the surface, I move the cheese to a cooler space for extended maturation of another couple of weeks. It can go much longer, depending on character desired.

The ideal condition during ripening is not too wet or dry. You should feel a dampness but nothing wet or greasy.

As the cheese ripens it will take on a nice rosy surface character and towards the end a nice powdery white surface will begin to develop. Also because of the very active enzymes in this thistle rennet, the body of the cheese will continue to become softer and softer. To avoid the spreading of the cheese during aging I have taken to binding the edges with a strip of cloth as I have seen done in Spain with the Torta.

The cheese should be ripe and ready at 5-6 weeks but can go much longer to really soften and almost molten-like inside. You can cut into it early as a semisoft or wait until it turns to goo and cut the top off spooning the contents onto bread.