Wine Infused Cheese Info
Wine & Cheese, Yum!
Wine and Cheese have been a great combo for thousands of years.
It all began with the realization that grapes and milk could undergo a very special fermentation under the right conditions and become greatness all by themselves.
In this recipe we will explore combining these two old friends into a unique cheese by soaking the cheese curds in wine before molding and pressing takes place.
Wine and Cheese; both great on their own, but lets put them together for a sensational cheese this month. You have probably heard, that the results can often be greater than the sum (Synergy) of the two parts.
(In effect, 2+2 can be greater than 4)
So, in this recipe we will be producing a little Synergy. How about we call it "Synergistic Infusion".
The Overall Plan
The working plan for this one will simply be to produce curds with a softer and more mellow character. Then we will let these soak in a bath of dark red wine long enough for the wine to soak into the curd and develop a beautiful dark surface, lots of wine flavor and aroma before we pack them into the mold and press until consolidated.
More Specifically we will:
- Develop a moderate sized curd with a higher moisture to provide a better flow of wine character and color into the curd. Also, to develop a nice supple texture in our final cheese and a reasonably short aging time to keep he wine character from being lost. The curd making can be in many styles but I have chosen to do a stirred curd cheese for this one. A moist Tomme-style or even a higher moisture Alpine-style might also work nicely.
- Use a nice dark red wine with a more fruit forward flavor and aroma, typical of many of the California wines made today. This is no place for the more austere wines. Remember, we are looking for something to complement the great dairy flavor and aromatics. We will then soak the curds long enough in the wine to give them character before salting, moving to the mold, and pressing.
In the end, we should end up with a great showpiece of a cheese. One that, when cut, shows the beautiful pale curds individually coated with a deep red/purple surround. The longer the curds soak before molding, the deeper the color and flavor will penetrate.
Also the smaller and moister the curds, the more the wine character will show.
Your finished cheese when cut will be somewhat of a show-off piece and a great centerpiece for your cheese board.
