All about Camembert cheese. Energy value, vitamin and mineral composition. Why is this product useful and why should you eat it in moderation? Gourmet recipes with Camembert. The history of cheese comes from France.
Camembert is a soft French cheese that belongs to the fatty varieties. From above it is covered with an elastic crust formed thanks to the microorganisms Geotrichum candidum and Penicillium camemberti. Inside is an ivory-colored liquid mass. Camembert has a very specific scent, which the French novelist called very aptly and poetically "the smell of the feet of God." The history of cheese dates back to 1791. There is a legend according to which a peasant woman named Marie Arelle saved a monk who was hiding from persecution, and he, as a token of gratitude, told her a secret culinary recipe for this amazing cheese. Camembert gained particular popularity during the reign of Napoleon III. However, today he has not lost fame, this French cheese is adored all over the world not only for its amazing taste, but also for its beneficial properties.
Features of making Camembert cheese
Cheese is made from cow's milk. The production process is very complicated and has a lot of subtleties and tricks, however, according to a simplified scheme, Camembert can be prepared at home on your own, and, according to amateur cheese-makers, the taste will turn out to be as perfect as that of a true cheese from France.
Camembert is a cheese with a short ripening period, which is definitely a plus for home cooking. After 5-6 weeks, you can already eat it.
However, of course, you cannot do without special equipment and components. To prepare Camembert, you will have to purchase additionally: a cheese mold, a thermometer for quick measurement of liquids, starter cultures, mold cultures Penicillium and Geotrichum Candidum, calcium chloride and an enzyme that curdles milk.
Let's take a look at how to make Camembert:
- Pour milk (3 liters) into a saucepan, salt to taste and heat to 32 degrees - control with a thermometer.
- When the milk is hot, pour in the mesophilic starter solution (75 ml), add both types of mold (on the tip of a knife) and mix gently.
- Pour in calcium chloride (10% solution, 10 ml), stir and wait 7-10 minutes.
- Add the milk curdling enzyme (0.1 g), previously diluted in warm water (50 ml), leave for half an hour.
- Cut the resulting curd mass into cubes of 1-2 centimeters and wait another 10 minutes.
- Heat the mass to 32 degrees, "cook" the cheese, according to Camembert's recipe, controlling the temperature (if it rises higher, turn off the heat), 15-20 minutes.
- Drain all the whey, and put the curd mass in a mold, trying to tamp the "grains". Leave it on for 2 hours.
- Turn the cheese over, then wait half an hour and turn over again. Repeat the procedure 7-8 more times.
Camembert is almost ready, it only has to mature. To do this, transfer the head to a plastic container, previously covered with napkins. Turn the head over and change the napkins every day. After 10-12 days, Camembert at home is evenly covered with mold, wrap it in foil and refrigerate for 4 weeks.
True Camembert is prepared only in Normandy, and there are a lot of subtleties in the production. Due to certain temperature conditions, cheese is prepared only during the cold season - from September to May.
Watch the video about Camembert cheese:
Camembert is one of the most original cheeses in the world, hard on the outside and soft on the inside, with a multifaceted taste and specific aroma. It has many uses in cooking, but if you want to taste it, just serve it on a cheese plate with fruits, nuts and white wine. The product contains many vitamins and minerals, in moderate doses it is beneficial for health. You should not abuse Camembert, it is absolutely necessary to avoid it in the diet with lactase deficiency, overweight and diseases involving a strict diet.
