Triple Cream Baby Brie

This one is going to require a bit of equipment and, what may seem, some unusual ingredients.  First off you will need a place for this to age.  I built a cheese cave from an upright freezer and a remote thermostat from Johnson Control however, there are many other ways of improvising a cheese cave using a cooler or other suitable container.  The bottom line is it must maintain a temperature of 54°F and a relative humidity of 85%.

Other equipment needed are the molds.  I use a 5 1/4" diameter molds.  You will need three of these for a two gallon make and at least four mesh screens to put under them and use to flip them.  A quick search on the internet will turn up a multitude of places you can purchase these molds as well as the other "cheese related" products you'll need.  Here's the molds I use as well as one of the sites for supplies. http://cheeseandyogurtmaking.com/cheese-making-supplies/cheese-making-molds/cylinder-cheese-making-molds/cheese-making-mold-13-open-cylinder.html

You could also improvise these by using plastic bottles with the top and bottoms cut off straight and some small 1/8" holes poked about every inch around the outside.  The diameter does not have to be exact.

Now for the ingredients.  You will need two gallons of whole pasteurized milk and two pints of heavy whipping cream.  This is very important, DO NOT BUY ULTRA PASTEURIZED MILK OR CREAM.  It will not make cheese.  You may use raw milk but I don't recommend it for fresh cheeses such as Brie.  Because of the extra cream the cheese will not likely become runny but stay firm and require warming prior to eating.  I use the milk and cream from Albertson's as they have one of the only heavy creams I know of that isn't ultra-pasteurized.  If you buy their "Shopper's Value" whole milk it will make better curd than the more expensive stuff on the top shelf.

In addition to the milk and cream you will need a few, rather different, ingredients.  Don't get alarmed as they are perfectly safe and, if you've ever eaten cheese, you've been eating them your entire life.  First off you will need rennet .  You can buy this as a liquid or in tablet form.  Calf's rennet is taken from the stomach of calve's whereas most of the tablet forms are a vegetable base.  I prefer the latter simply because it's easier to measure and store.

Your next items are of the mold and chemical variety.  You will need a mesophilic starter, at least one mold powder, some kosher salt, NEVER USE IODIZED SALT, and some calcium chloride.  Don't get intimidated by all of this as all of these are household items to those of us, and there are thousands, that make cheese at home.  Any and all of these can be purchased at http://www.thecheesemaker.com/ as well as many other sites.  Rather then explain all of the reasons and complexities of mesophilic versus thermophilic cultures and the multitude of different ones available, and there are many, I will endeavor to simply explain what is needed for this recipe.  There are a lot of great books out there by a lot of folks who know a great deal about this subject and I would highly recommend you get your hands on one and read it.  The best all around one I've found to date is this one http://www.amazon.com/200-Easy-Homemade-Cheese-Recipes/dp/0778802183.  Now back to the recipe.  I use a mesophilic starter called Flora Danica as it gives a buttery taste to the cheese and can be used for a multitude of other cheeses as well as make cream cheese over night from half and half.

In addition to this you will need a mold powder to ripen the cheese.  For this cheese, as well as camembert, cambozola, and many others, you will need penicillium candidum.  This is the white you see on the outside of those store bought Bries you've been eating.  You have an option of also adding a speck, and I do mean speck, of geotrichum candidum to add a bit of character and a slight tartness to the flavor nuances.  For now though, let's stick to the basics.

As with most things there are a multitude of these molds available on the market.  Having tried several, I've found that the Choozit PC SAM 3 LYO 10D works best for me.  The only remaining essential ingredient is calcium chloride.  It seems that this is necessary for the milk to ripen into curd as the pasteurization process actually removes it from the milk.  We simply have to put some back in.  You will want a 33% solution.  Now for an important note.  All of these molds and rennet must be stored in the freezer.  The calcium chloride and liquid rennet can be stored in the refrigerator.  The last thing you will need is cheese paper.  This is a very special paper which allows the cheese to breath so don't substitute.  Here's the one I use.  http://cheeseandyogurtmaking.com/cheese-making-supplies/cheese-making-packaging/waxed-kraft-paper-for-wrapping-cheese.html  I also use wooden containers for my cheeses once I remove them from the cave to the refrigerator.  Keeps them nice and looks good.  If you decide to use these you will need the large ones listed here for this size cheese.

  http://www.thecheesemaker.com/products/Round-Cheese-Gift-Boxes-%252d-10-pack.html

Now that you have everything gathered and are eager to get started make sure you run all of the molds, pots, ladles, and anything else that will be used to make the cheese in the dishwasher and run hot to sanitize.  You can also accomplish this using a little bleach in some water to sanitize everything.  You won't want any molds or fungi in this cheese that you don't put there.  With everything clean add two gallons of milk and two pints of cream to a stainless steel pot over a low heat.  Now sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of SAM 3 PC and 1/4 teaspoon of the Flora Danica on the surface of the milk.  Do not stir at this time.  Now place a single rennet tablet into a 1/4 cup of cool water to dissolve.

Place a thermometer into the milk and monitor the temperature carefully.  When it reaches 87f  you will need to stir the milk gently from bottom to top with a whisk or ladle.  After stirring for 2 minutes let the milk set, undisturbed, for 30 minutes.  At the end of that time add 1/2 teaspoon of calcium chloride diluted in a 1/4 cup of cool water.  Stir this in the same manner as before and wait 5 minutes before adding the dissolved rennet.  Stir in the rennet in the same up and down motion for two minutes and let rest, undisturbed for 90 minutes so the curd can set firm.

In the meantime set up any area over your sink using a large sheet pan or chopping board where you can sit your molds to fill them.  This is probably going to get messy so prepare yourself for a possible catastrophe when flipping the molds.  Been there, done that, it does get better with practice though. I originally used these mini chopping boards to flip with but found that they slide way too easy and were hard to manage.  

I now use these bottom sections from tupperware containers.  If you have a Cash & Carry around you can buy them there separate from their containers.

You will find it much easier to get your fingers under them, with their little legs, and the slots make them drain better.  You will still need the mesh mats over these though.

Okay, with your time up and your molds all ready you will need to test your curd.  I know the milk looks the same but, you will find that you can now cut it with a knife.  Just do a simple test cut to make sure your curd has set.

First time I did this I was amazed that the milk had actually turned into a giant pot of pudding.  That, however, is not the case.  What you now have is a 2 gallon pot of curds and whey.  You will need to move this as close to the molds as possible.  (For a special treat you can boil 1 tablespoon of herb de provence in 1 cup of water and add to the curd gently stirring it in before filling the molds.) Once there use your largest ladle to fill the molds in a round robin fashion with the largest lumps of curd you can manage.  The bigger the better.  Continue filling until they are heaped full. If you still have curd left keep it warm and wait for the molds to settle a bit so you can add it until you have nothing left but liquid whey.

As you can see some will leak out of the bottom until it seals itself but the idea is to get the liquid whey to drain off leaving the curd in the molds.  Once full allow them to sit for two hours.  At the end of that time you must flip each one over.  Do this by placing that fourth mesh mat, and a fourth tupperware bottom if you have one, over the top of the mold and flip it upside down.  The curd in the mold will slide to the bottom.  You can now use the mesh and bottom you just took off of that mold to flip the next and so forth.  Like I said, messy.  You will need to flip again after two hours and then after four hours.  By this time the curd should be fairly solid in the molds and much easier to handle.

You will need to leave the curd in the molds at room temperature flipping twice a day for the next two to three says until the curd pulls away from the sides of the molds and becomes rigid enough to remove the molds.  At that time you can sprinkle about a teaspoon of salt over each side of each cheese.  This will soak in and salt the cheese throughout.  It is now time to move the cheeses to your cave.  Set them on clean mesh mats and flip them twice a day.  After about five days you will notice the penicillium candidum growing on the outside.  It rather resembles white fur.  You will need to gently pet this down on the top each time you turn the cheeses.

Continue this flipping and patting down for five days after which you will need to wrap the cheeses in your cheese paper, shiny side out.  They will still need to remain in the cave for a further two to three weeks.  In a fridge for 6 weeks. The third week in the cave will give them a slightly stronger taste preferred by many people.

After your aging period is over you may move them to your refrigerator where their ripening process will slow due to the lower temperatures.  To serve simply remove to a warm room and allow the cheese to reach room temperature.  If you're in a rush simply set on a plate in a warm oven to speed the warming being careful not to melt them. At that time the inside will become very soft and delicious.  Your efforts will be well rewarded as you can't buy cheese this good outside of a true artisan cheese shop.  Enjoy!!