Tomme

David Asher (modification by looking at the Gavin Webber recipe)

Ingredients

  • 8L full cream milk
  • culture:
    • 1/8th t (dash) of Thermophilic Culture
    • or 90ml active kefir
  • 2ml (1/4 t) calcium chloride in 60ml cup non-chlorinated water
  • double dose of rennet
  • salt
  • wire whisk
  • ladle
  • container for whey
  • colander
  • bamboo mat for drying

Ingredients (3L version)

  • 3L full cream non-homogenised milk
  • or 40ml active kefir
  • 0.75ml calcium chloride in 30ml cup non-chlorinated water
  • double dose of rennt
  • salt
  • wire whisk
  • ladle
  • container for whey
  • colander
  • bamboo mat for drying

remove freezer Ingredients

heat milk to 32C

  • dissolve rennet tablets in water (double dose according to packet)
  • prepare calcium chloride (2ml in 60ml, or 0.75ml in 30ml for 3L)

add culture

  • sprinkle culture on top of milk and let stand for 5 mins
  • mix the kefir (or yoghurt) with some of the milk, then mix into all of it

stir in the culture

stir in calcium chloride

  • 2ml in 60ml water
  • or, 0.75ml in 60ml for 3L

cover and set for 1 hour at 32C

  • Magimix set to 33C, speed 1

Stir in rennet for 1 minute

  • set magimix to speed 5, 1 minute, and add rennet

incubate for 1 hour

  • or until clean break
  • magimix set to 33C

cut the curds to size of lentil

  • wisk like crazy with a wire whisk for 1-2 mins
  • stir the curds to check that there are no large pieces
  • Magimix:
    • cut curd roughly, then turn on magimix to speed 3, 44C for 30 mins

cook the curds to 43C while stiring

  • do this for 30-60 mins, or,
  • until they bounce back when pressed between fingers

allow curds to settle for 5 mins

pour off the whey

  • save 1L for washing brine

put the curds into cheese basket

– press lightly (5kg?) for 5 mins

make the washing brine

  • 1T (15ml) salt in 1L of warm whey
  • refrigerate

flip the cheese, rewrap and press a little harder

  • do this every 10 mins for the next hour

let air dry overnight

surface salt the cheese

  • 1T (15ml) for 4L of milk (Asher)
  • 2t (10ml) for 8L of salt on the top
    • stand at room temp for 24 hours
    • flip and thing rub in another 2t on the other side
    • stand at room temp for another 24 hours

air dry flipping every so often until there is no visible moisture

place in cheese cave

  • 16C, 85% RH

wash the rind every other day for 1 week.

flip weekly as it ages for at least 6 weeks (at least 6 months is better)

  • can also vacuum pack at some point to avoid moulds and reduce maintenance