French Chaource Cheese: The Perfect Intermediate Recipe For Home Cheese Makers

Sanitize your equipment.

Fluff up the bag to get rid of the cream.

Heat 4 L (1 gallon) of cow's milk to 25°C (77°F) using a precision cooker and water bath.

Add 1/8 teaspoon of aromatic mesophilic culture to the milk.

Sprinkle 1/32 teaspoon of penicillium candidum over the surface of the milk.

Sprinkle 1/32 teaspoon of geotrichum candidum over the surface of the milk.

Allow the molds to rehydrate for 5 minutes.

Stir in the starter culture and molds into the milk.

Add 1.25 ml (1/4 teaspoon) of calcium chloride diluted in 1/4 cup of non-chlorinated water to the milk.

Add the rennet solution and stir for no more than 1 minute.

Cover the pot and allow the curds to set for 12 hours.

After 12 hours, check for about 1 cm (1/2 inch) of whey on the surface of the curds and that the curds have pulled away from the sides of the pot.

Remove the heat from the precision cooker.

Place four small baskets on a mat on a large board.

Ladle off the excess whey and pour it down the sink.

Take slices of the curd using a skimmer and transfer it to each basket evenly until all curds are used up, which may take about 1 hour.

Allow the curds to drain overnight, covering with an umbrella.

Remove each cheese and flip them over, then put them back into their baskets to create an even surface.

Allow the cheese to drain for 24 hours to firm up.

After 24 hours, flip each cheese over again and put them back in their baskets.

Salt the top of each cheese with 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized salt and allow 1 hour for the salt to be absorbed.

After 1 hour, flip the cheeses over and salt the other side with 1/4 teaspoon of salt, allowing another hour for absorption.

Cover the cheeses again with the umbrella.

Place the cheeses into a ripening box and allow them to drain overnight.

The next day, pour off any accumulated whey and flip the cheeses over again, placing them back into the ripening box.

Cover with the lid and ripen at 10-13°C (50-55°F) for 2 weeks, turning daily and removing any whey that accumulates in the bottom of the box.

After one week, check for mold growth over most of the cheese and flip them over again.

Continue turning daily to prevent the mold from sticking to the mat.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Allergens