Make Your Own Blue Cheese

Yields: 1.5 pound
Cooking Time: 2 hours
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ready In: 2 hours & 15 minutes, drain for 24 hours, age for 10 days, refrigerate for 4-6 weeks
Make Sure You Have: an aging container, form, and a sterilized knitting needle.

Ingredients:
3 qt whole pasteurized jersey milk
1 qt heavy cream
1/4 tsp MA 4001 mesophilic starter
¼ tsp calcium chloride, diluted in ¼ cup water (optional)
½ tsp liquid rennet, diluted in ¼ cup water
1/4 tsp Penicillium roqueforti
1 ½ tsp salt

Directions:
1. In a sanitized stainless steel pot add in the milk and the heavy cream. Heat the pot up to 90℉ degrees.

2. Once the heat is up to 90℉, dilute the calcium chloride with water and then add in the milk and the 1/4 tsp of mesophilic starter. Now stir for 20 times in an up-and-down stroke until it is evenly distributed.

3. Dilute some rennet in water and then incorporate it into to the milk. Once the rennet is incorporated maintain 90℉ covering it and leaving it aside for 2 hours.

4. After 2 hours take a knife and make a cut all the way down to the bottom of the pot and another cut gently lifting up to check if it is done. If it is ready cut the curd into 1 inch strips. Once the curds are cut let it rest for 15 minutes. Gently stir to break up the curds and rest 15 minutes more, until the curds sink to bottom of the pot.

5. Now add in a pinch of Penicillium Roqueforti into the curd. Take the curd and ladle them into a form, reserving the whey. When adding the curd into a form, add little at a time. As the form reduces in size keep adding all of the curd and whey. Let it drain for 8 hours.

6. After 8 hours flip it out so that it is evenly forming. Flip it every 8 hours for 24 hours. After 24 hours, sprinkle some salt on both sides.

7. Take the cheese and place it in the aging container and store it in a 55℉ environment flipping it every day for 10 days.

8. You should see a lot of blue mold growing around the cheese that's when you know it is aging well.

9. On day 10 using a sterilized knitting needle, pierce the cheese all the way through a couple of times vertically and horizontally to let the blue mold grow inside. Place it back in the aging box without flipping for 10 days and there is no need to flip every day just leave it in the aging box. Place the aging box back into a 55℉ environment for another 10 days.

10. After 10 days repeat the process of piercing again. At this point you have two choices you can place the cheese in the aging box with the lid on in a 55℉ environment for a moist less intense flavor or with the lid off in a high moist environment that will give it a very creamy, intense, and a little more dry flavor. Whichever you choose to do, place the cheese in the aging box and place it in the refrigerator for another 4-6 weeks.

11. After 4-6 weeks, take it out of the aging box, cut it up, and serve it with whatever you like it's good with crackers or even salad.