Camembert Cheese Made from Tevye Farms Milk

Submitted by Recipe of the Month Winner: Louise M. Dutton

Ingredients:

•    One gallon of Tevye Farms whole milk
•    1/16 teaspoon Penicillium candidum
•    1/16 teaspoon Geotrichum Candidum
•    1/8 teaspoon Mesophilic starter culture
•    Rennet

Directions:

1. Warm the Tevye Farms whole milk to 86°F, very slowly.
2. Sprinkle the starters on top of the milk and allowed to set for a few minutes. Then stir gently to combine. Cover. Allow to rest for 60 minutes.
3. Add 1/4 tsp of rennet mixed with 1/4 cup distilled water and stir well. Cover. Keep at 86°F +/- 2 degrees for 1-1/2 hours. (There should be a good clean break after 90 minutes. If not, continue to rest until it does.)
4. Cut curd into 1/2” slices. Gently stir curd to break it up into 1/2” pieces. Allow to set for 30 minutes. Pour off as much whey as possible.
5. Gently spoon curds into four Camembert molds set on a draining mat on top of a plastic box. Let drain this way for one hour. Gently turn over the molds by sandwiching them between mats and boards. Allow to drain for another couple of hours then turn the molds again.  Turn this way a few times in the next 3 hours.
6. Pour all whey out of the box, put the lid on tight and place in cool place overnight.
7. The next morning remove the molds and sprinkle each side of the rounds of cheese with a big pinch of kosher salt. Being sure to cover all of it.
8. Then, place them on a rack in a box with the lid slightly askew into a 50°F refrigerator. (Using a wine refrigerator works really well for this.)
9. Turn them over every day until the white bloom appears all over the cams. If your cams are drying out, button down the lid. If they are too wet, take the lid off for a little while. After about 5-7 days, a white mold will begin to bloom. Wrap in cello paper (available at party stores) and store at 45°F to 50°F.  They will need to age for 4-6 weeks. Turn them gently every day. They are ready when they are soft in the middle. At this point you can put them in a regular refrigerator and enjoy.