Cantal 1 - First tasting

Today I decided to taste my Cantal 1 after 10 weeks of maturing. It has a long way to go but I want to see how the flavour develops over the next 6 months. The flavour was creamy with a subtle nutty taste and the pate is still quite moist, over the next few months it should dry out and become more complex and sharp.

Cantal #2 -after 1 month

The rind on Cantal #2 is developing very different front the first. Ive not really done much to it apart from turning every few days so I hope it will develop a nice natural rind.

Cantal #2 - extra milling

I learnt a great deal from Cantal #1. For my second attempt at I basically followed the Cantal #1 recipe but made a few minor changes. Cantal #1's milled curd's were too large so it was hard to get them to knit, even at 50lb of weight on a 1.5kg wheel. This time I milled the curd's smaller and used raw milk rather than pasturised, note how yellow the curds are without any anito colouring.

Curds 30 minutes after cutting and healing

Curds cut after 30 minute light pressing. This was repeated twice

The curds were then wrapped and left overnight to acidify

Then milled finer than Cantal #1

The finely milled curds were then salted

The salted/milled curds were then pressed for 24 hours at 50lb

Cantal 1 after 1 month

Over the past month Cantal #1 has been washed every week with a mild brine. As the knit wasn't great you can see how the natural bacteria in my cave has thrived on the rind. Even though the rind development has hardened and protected the cheese, it may still influence the flavour.

Cantal 1 after 24 hour pressing

Finally after 24 hours of pressing the Cantal is ready to be transferred into the cave. I tried to press it was as heavy weight as I had as the curd was quite dry. As you can see the final cheese has a number of holes where the curds didn't quite knit together. I'm hoping this wont allow bacteria into the cheese. Ill make sure that salt washed are applied to help prevent a buildup for anything nasty.

Final pressing with 30 liters of water used for weight

Fresh from a 24 hour pressing

Cantal 1 is born

Cantal has a few similarities to making cheddar where the curds are cut into chips, salted and pressed dry with a relatively high acidity. To produce the specific nutty flavour the curds are wrapped and lightly pressed, cut and rewrapped and then repressed. This can be done a few times to help remove the whey and increase the acidity. The cheese is then left to continue to acidify before its final pressing. Heavy weights are need to get a good bind on the curds. On this occasion I was unable to buy raw milk so I used store bought milk and added extra cream and calcium. Once pressed, the cheese will be washed with a mild salt brine and matured at 12c 85% humidity for 3-6 months. This particular cheese can be consumed within a month but as I prefer a more complex taste I will aim to leave for 3-6 months.

Mode:

• Started off with 2.8 gallon or pasteurised semi skimmed milk + pint of single cream
• Added 1/8 tsp lipase sharp and 1/8 tsp lipase mild + 1 tsp calcium chloride
• Heated to 32c and added 3/4 M400 culture and left to ripen for 30 mins. (I accidentally heated to 37c). Added 7 drops of annatto
• Added 1 tsp liquid animal rennet and left to coagulate for 1 hour
• After clean break, cut the curd into 1/4 inch cubes and left to heal for 10 mins
• Spent 20 minutes cutting over-sized curds for a more even curd size. (Used hands to keep it from matting)
• Poured into cloth and then wrapped and gently pressed while keeping temperature at 32c. (I accidentally raised to 36)
• After 30 minutes of light pressing (1 x 6 pint milk carton) I unwrapped and cut into large chips, re-wrapped and pressed with a slightly heavier weight (2 x 6 pint milk cartons) and left for 30 minutes. This was then unwrapped again and cut into cubes and salted with 3 tbs of ground sea salt. This was then re-wrapped and pressed with 4 x 6 pint milk cartons.
• After 30 minutes the matted curd was chopped up into 4" cubes and left at room temperature for 8 hours to acidify.
  
• The 4" cubes were then milled into smaller 1/2" pieces, placed in a Tomme mould and pressed overnight with a large stockpot and 4 x 6 pint milk cartons all filled with water.
• The next morning I filled m 25 litre barrel with water + 4 x 6 pint cartons and pressed for another 12 hours.

curds healing for 10 minutes

As I don't have proper curd cutters I had cut larger curds to get a more overall even curd size

The curds were then wrapped and kept at 32c while they matted for 30 minutes. A large amount of whey is released

First light pressing with 1 x 6 pint carton

Ready for first cut

Curds cut, re-wrapped and pressed

After the curd 'chips' were salted, the curds were finally pressed before they were cut into 2" cubes and left for 8 hours at room temperature

After milling the curds, they were pressed overnight with my home made contraption. As you can see im using a Tomme mould, this is because it was teh only big mould I have.

CANTAL - WIKI

Cantal cheese is a firm cheese from the Catal region of France. It is named after the Cantal Mountains in the Auvergne region.

One of the oldest cheeses in France, Cantal dates back to the times of the Gauls. It came to prominence when the Maréchal de Sennecterre served it at the table of Louis XIV of France . The Maréchal de Sennecterre is also responsible for the introduction of Saint Nectaire-Nectaire and Salers.

There are two types of Cantal cheese. Cantal Fermier is a farmhouse cheese made of raw milk. Cantal Laitier is the commercial, mass-produced version from pasturised milk; both have to adhere to the same strict quality controls. Cantal is shaped like a cylinder, and is one foot in diameter. Cantal is made from raw or pasturised cow's milk of the Salers breed. For Cantal, the milk of cows that are fed on hay (during 15 November to 15 April) is used; the summer milk of the same cows grazing on mountain meadows makes the Salers cheese.

This semi-hard cheese is aged for several months. The form is massive, and the cheese has a soft interior. Its flavor, which is somewhat reminiscent of Cheddar, is a strong, tangy butter taste and grows with age. A well ripened Cantal has a vigorous taste, while a young cheese has the sweetness of raw milk. Its smell is of earth and pasture lands, and is reminiscent of the rich pasture land of the Auvergne region it originates from. According to the time of aging, three varieties are distinguished:

• Cantal jeune (aged 1-2 months)
• Cantal entre-deux or Cantal doré (aged 2-6 months)
• Cantal vieux (aged more than 6 months).

These are all available as fermier and laitier. Most (>80% of production) Cantal is of the first two varieties. Cantal vieux is already a hard cheese, if kept properly, it can last up to a year and a half without spoiling. It is not produced in large quantities. Much loved in the Cantal region, Cantal vieux is quite rarely exported due to its strong taste, and can usually be found only in specialist stores.

Cantal cheese has a fat content of 45%. It is used in soups, salads, aligot potatoes, cheese fondue and gratins. Cantal Fermier, like all cheeses made from raw milk, may contain Listeria bacteria on the crust, which should therefore be discarded; it is also not suitable for children, the elderly, or immunocompromised persons.