Cambozola Make #1

I made my first Cambozola on November 19th. 

• 2  gallons raw goat milk
• 1/4 tsp Flora Danica
• 7 drops double strength rennet, not nearly enough.  Next time I need to use more, at least 14 drops.
• 1/8th teaspoon Penicillium Candidum.
• 1/8th teaspoon Penicillium Roqueforti.

I added all the cultures all at once to the 85° milk.  That's what happens when I don't reread the recipe. I had mixed both Penicilliums together, hydrated in 1/4 c water for an hour or so, and added them all at once into the milk.  What I should have done is sprinkle the P. Roqueforti onto the curds halfway into the ladleing.  Next time I'll try that.

I added the diluted rennet into the milk and stir gently into milk for about 2-4 minutes. Set aside to let curd set.  Flocculation time was 30 min, and multiplied by a factor of 4.

After 2 hours total I cut the curds into ½ inch cubes and stirred gently in whey for ~2 minutes then drained in a cheesecloth lined colander for 30 minutes.

Stirring the curds

Scooping the curds into the colander

Draining the curds

I gently ladled the drained curds into Camembert hoops, then let them drain flipping them at 1/2 hour, 1-1/2 hours, 5 hours, 8 hours, and 16 hours.

Draining in the hoop

Then I removed the molds and put them in a cool room that stays between 55°-65°F, turning them daily.  When they were completely drained, I salted them lightly, continued to turn them daily.

Drained Cambozolas, just before the cool room

At 8 days, I skewered the two cheeses to encourage blue mold growth, and continued to turn them once every day or two.

The door has been left open a couple of times in the past week, which raised the room temperature.  Yesterday I looked at them and they were decidedly crumpled looking.  When I turned them, they were soft to the touch on the edges.  I cut a very thin wedge from one and tried it.  No blue veining, but blue cheese funky dirty socks taste, and firm in the middle.

Funky Cambozola cheeses

I reskewered the cheeses and moved them into the refrigerator, but at this point I'm wondering if I should just toss them, or if the flavor will improve over time.  The question is,of course, is this a dismal failure or a smashing success