Black Gouda with Cuttlefish Ink
A source of protein and calcium, black gouda with cuttlefish ink has a unique flavor, perfectly combining saltiness and marine notes. This dish is rich in healthy fats and probiotics that promote gut health.
Preparing and coloring the milk
Use milk (8 l) with about 3.2-3.5% fat and pasteurize it at 72 °C for 15 seconds. Pour 300-500 ml of the hot milk into a separate container, stir in cuttlefish ink (10 g) until smooth and dark with no lumps, then return it to the main milk.
Judge by the milk color: it should become gray, not necessarily black. The aged cheese will develop a much darker cut surface. Cool the milk to 32-33 °C.
Curd and cheese grain
Prepare water (2.6 l): about 1.6 l is used for washing the grain, and 1 l for the brine. If needed, add calcium chloride (0.8 g) to the milk, then sprinkle mesophilic culture (manufacturer rate), Lactobacillus helveticus (manufacturer rate), and protective starter culture LPRA (manufacturer rate) over the surface. Lipase (manufacturer rate) may be added for a stronger flavor, but it is optional. Let the cultures hydrate, stir, and leave for 30-40 minutes.
Add rennet (6.4 ml), stir, and stop the milk movement. Aim for a flocculation point of 10-15 minutes; for gouda, use a flocculation multiplier of 3. If flocculation takes 12 minutes, the total set time from adding rennet is 36 minutes.
Cut the curd into 0.7-1 cm cubes, let it firm for a couple of minutes, and cut horizontally. Stir gently for 10-15 minutes without heat, cutting large cubes and avoiding rough handling.
Remove about 35% of the whey, about 2.8 l for 8 l of milk. Add boiled water at 45 °C, about 30% of the remaining volume, and begin very gentle heating. Stir to 38-39 °C for about 30-45 minutes. The grain is ready when it sticks together when squeezed but breaks back into separate grains with light pressure.
Water hotter than 45 °C can scald the grain: a dense surface layer forms, and the cheese will release moisture poorly.
Forming, brining, and aging
Form the curd slab under whey: tilt the pot for about 5 minutes, cover the grain with folded cheesecloth, and gently press it under the whey into a compact wheel. Transfer the wheel into a lined cheese mold.
Press for 30 minutes with about 1 cheese weight. Turn and press for 60 minutes with 2 cheese weights, then for another 60 minutes with 3 cheese weights. After the next turn, press with 4 cheese weights for 60-180 minutes or until pH 5.3-5.2. Without a pH meter, use about 12 hours from adding the cultures to brining at a room temperature of about 22-23 °C.
Make a saturated brine: for water (1 l), use table salt (350 g) and calcium chloride (0.1 g). Chill the brine to 12 °C and, if using a pH meter, acidify it to pH 5.3-5.2. Brine the cheese for about 70 minutes per 100 g of cheese.
After brining, dry the cheese in the refrigerator at 80-85% humidity. When the surface is dry, coat the cheese with cheese latex, drying the sides between coats. Age at 10-12 °C for at least 60 days; after 60 days, you can apply one extra latex coat each month. At three months, black gouda should be soft and pliable, with a closed texture or a few small openings. Cuttlefish ink gives color but should not add a noticeable flavor.
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