CHEESE FIENDS GROUP PROJECT
Livarot #1
I am excited to chat cheese anytime with anyone, but when you get a bunch of curd nerds in an Instagram group, watch out tasty things are going to happen. This week we are all making Livarot (Leav-ah-row) a washed rind French cheese wrapped with a natural binder to keep the cheese from being a mushy mess.
I purchased some Spruce strips from NECM. I was super excited as they showed up after just 3 days. Fresh from the press, salted and wrapped.
These pictures are a bit out of order but lets start here with the cheese under a damp cloth to keep moisture levels up and facilitate the growth of molds and yeasts.
Pictures is two of the three wheels of Livarot. One has a spruce strips around it to keep it together and enhance the flavor. The other wheel is sort of a test to see how much the spruce strip actually adds.
I have been watching the Livarot begin to mold and get a little color. Every few days it gets moldy enough for a quick wash of brine and B.linens. Wheels are still really firm, hoping they didn’t get too dry.
The color on these wheels is really cool! The orange is taking over the surface and the nooks and crannies are full of white mold. The ends are beginning to get squishy. It won’t be long now till we are eating it.
[…] Pics from blog article 10/14/20. Livarot before aging. (click here) […]