Well, not the way I tried.
Usually I do not consider cheeses that turn out a little different to be failures. They will still taste nice and are just as good as the cheese I intended to make. But this one I really classify as a failure.
In the past I made Stilton before. It is not my favorite blue cheese but I try to make many different ones to find out which I like best. In the book of Tim Smith there is also a recipe for a white Stilton. I don’t know why, but it grabbed my attention and I wanted to make it for a long time.
The main difference is that blue Stilton is blue, and white Stilton is white.
And there is the problem. Blue Stilton is blue because you give it P. Roqueforti. When these bacteria start growing they protect the inside of the cheese by forming a blue rind. In the white version you have to avoid all the bugs that may have an appetite for cheese. There is no real protection.
As a matter of fact the recipe states that you should clean the cheese every week with a mild brine solution.
And that is where everything went wrong. The outside of the cheese is already a bit moist and soft and by washing it every week you create the perfect conditions for B. Linens. The creator of stinking cheeses.
I was hoping that it’s influence would be limited to the outside but it was no good. White Stilton is fresh, and acidic and the B. Linens odor does not suit that taste at all.
To be honest; I was sad. I did not want to eat it but I also did not want to throw it away. I am very bad at throwing things away in which I invested a lot of time.
So I left it in the refrigerator. And it improved. More and more it turned into a stinking cheese. The inside is becoming a bit more creamy and it is ok. Not great, but not bad.
Unfortunately I don’t have a solution for the problem. I will not be able to make this cheese under home conditions. Fortunately I don’t think it would be one of my favorite cheeses so I will consider it a lesson and not make it again.
However if I would try it again I would make it just like the blue version but I would not pierce it, so the outside is blue and the inside remains white.
But I am not going to try again.
Hans
