Dunlop cheese: preparation and recipes

2024 Author: Arianna Cook | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:23

How is old Scottish Dunlop cheese made? Useful properties, possible harm when used. Use in culinary recipes and the history of the variety.

Dunlop is a Scottish cheese that changes texture as it ripens. Young - soft and crumbly, mature - firm, firm, with a smooth texture. The initial taste is soft, sweet, buttery, with a pronounced nutty, gradually changing to spicy and spicy. The aroma is pleasant, creamy; the pulp is light yellow. The crust is smooth, dense, brownish, covered with white fluffy mold. It is produced in the form of tall cylinders, with a diameter of 30 to 55 cm and a height of 18-22 cm. The average weight of the heads is from 2 kg. The popularity of the product is hindered by the change in weight during maturation: as the moisture evaporates, the mass decreases, so retail chains prefer another variety of the same group - Cheddar.

How is Dunlop cheese made?

The recipe for making the variety is not original. According to the traditions of Scotland, Dunlop cheese is prepared like some varieties from the Cheddar group, repeating almost all the processes, but with natural curdling and the use of whey left over from the previous batch, yogurt, buttermilk or blueberry juice as a sourdough. From the 15th to the middle of the 20th century, it was made from raw whole milk, but now pasteurized milk is often used. From 5 liters of raw materials, 800 g of the final product is obtained.

Making Dunlop cheese according to an old recipe:

The feedstock is heated to the temperature of fresh milk yield and, maintaining the temperature, they wait until the cream rises, and then they are removed and the contents of the boiler are left to acidify without closing the lids.
After curdling, the skimmed cream is returned to the kettle.
Since the souring takes a long time and the boilers are not closed, “foreign” fungal cultures are introduced into the feedstock through the air. It is to them that Dunlop owes its characteristic taste.
Then the kale is expected to form, but it is not cut. Due to the fact that the cream is injected separately, the texture is softer, "airy" and plump. Raise the temperature very slowly to 36 ° C and begin to knead until they are broken into separate pieces. This process sometimes takes up to 3 hours. Rotate the stirrer so vigorously that some of the whey spills out.
For salting, special salt is used - from the salt baths of the town of Saltcotes, which is located in the North of Scotland. It contains a high amount of magnesium sulfate. The curd layers are laid on top of each other, left for 3 hours, rearranged, turned over and only then pressed into molds.
When pressing, the future heads are turned over, but the weight of the load does not increase, so the structure of the young Dunlop is crumbly. Dry at room temperature.
For ripening, a special microclimate is required: temperature - 12-16 ° C, humidity - 70-85%. Dunlop cheese requires coolness and relatively dry air to make.

It is worth noting that everything is done by hand, without using a tissue to express the liquid. The layers are shifted with their hands, squeezed, laid out in shapes and compacted.

The modern way of making Dunlop cheese is different from the old recipes. DVI culture is used as a starter culture, and calf rennet is used for curdling. That is, a modern product is not vegetarian. Boilers, in which souring, formation of cala and "rest" of intermediate raw materials occur, must be closed. Cut the cheese layer into large pieces (edges of 6-8 cm) and remove the whey with stirring.

The formation and overturning steps are repeated. But when salting, the cheese mass is broken into large pieces. That is why modern cheese is salted evenly.

To speed up the separation of the whey, use a cheese cloth or muslin. Leave in forms under pressure for 12 hours. Repeat salting in brine (66 ° C) and put it again under a press, after changing the cheese cloth. Then they leave to dry and set to ripen. The microclimate in the chamber is the same as recommended in the old recipes.

Cheese heads cannot be left unattended - they have to be approached every day. The first weeks the cheese needs to be turned over 2-3 times a day, and after 3-4 months - 1 time is enough. They taste no earlier than 6-12 months later, since the young Dunlop is absolutely tasteless, "cottony".

When foreign mold cultures appear, the heads are wiped with brine. If the growth of dark bloom repeats, the cheese is discarded.

According to the ripening period, 3 subspecies of the variety are distinguished:

Soft, crumbly - Mild (from six months to 10 months);
Dense, fragile - Reif (up to a year), the most popular;
Spicy, easy to cut - Extra reif (1-1.5 years).

The low popularity of the variety is explained by the need for constant turning during ripening, its duration and weight loss due to moisture evaporation - on average by 150-200 g per head. The same Cheddar is cheaper, does not require constant "care", matures within 2-4 months, and the mass of the heads remains unchanged. Moreover, it does not deteriorate during transportation.

The composition and calorie content of Dunlop cheese

The dry matter fat content of a fermented milk product rarely drops below 50%. In most cases, it is estimated at 54-55%. With aging, the indicator rises due to the evaporation of moisture and an increase in the amount of carbohydrates.

The calorie content of Dunlop cheese is 363-393 kcal per 100 g, of which:

Proteins - 19-24 g;
Fat - 26-33 g;
Carbohydrates - 1-3, 6 g.

Fats per 100 g:

Saturated fatty acids - 19.7 mg;
Monounsaturated fatty acids - 9 mg;
Cholesterol - 105 mg

Nutrients prevailing in this type of fermented milk product: vitamins A, K, group B - B1, B2, B3, B5, B9; minerals - potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, zinc and selenium. Dunlop cheese contains nonessential and irreplaceable acids - most of all leucine, valine, lysine, tryptophan, glutamic acid, proline.

The health benefits of Dunlop cheese

When making cheese according to a classic old recipe, the likelihood of developing an allergy is minimal - it contains only whole milk, and nothing else. In addition, the development of mold during ripening is monitored especially carefully, the heads are constantly turned over and discarded if the crust is covered with an "extraneous" fungal culture. The possibility of contracting an intestinal infection is low.

Dunlop Cheese Benefits:

Quickly saturates, replenishes the vitamin and mineral composition of the body.
Increases the strength of bone tissue, prevents the development of age-related changes - osteoporosis and arthrosis, improves the quality of teeth, skin, hair and nails.
Supports the vital activity of beneficial intestinal flora, increases the body's defenses, helps to resist the introduction of pathogenic bacteria.
Increases the overall tone of the body.
Helps to cope with nervous breakdowns, calm down, overcome depression.
Increases the production of hemoglobin, promotes recovery from anemia, weakness and decreased activity caused by an irrational diet or temporary malnutrition.

Young Dunlop can be introduced into the diet of people who need to monitor their weight. The taste is not pronounced, the appetite does not increase, and a piece of 50 g saturates in the morning and helps to avoid snacks. But the mature subspecies excites the taste buds, stimulates the production of digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid. Digestion of food and metabolic processes are accelerated.

Read about the health benefits of Bergkese cheese

Contraindications and harm of Dunlop cheese

Despite careful control during maturation, the variety should be introduced with caution in the diet of children under 5 years of age, pregnant women and women during lactation. Mold crops suppress the vital activity of the beneficial intestinal flora and can provoke the development of dysbiosis.

Dunlop cheese can cause harm in case of allergy to whole cow's milk, in case of hypertension. Overeating should be avoided in obesity, a tendency to gout and problems with urination, exacerbation of chronic pancreatitis, cholecystitis or peptic ulcer disease. Given the salinity of the fermented milk product, they reduce or temporarily refuse to use it for kidney disease or frequent edema.

Because of the tryptophan in it, a pleasant dinner with a bite of Dunlop can end up with headaches, nightmares, or insomnia. Therefore, it is advisable to feast on the "dosage" in the morning. If the product has not been heat treated, then 30-50 g per day for women and children and 80 g for men.

Dunlop Cheese Recipes

A subspecies of the Mild cultivar is eaten on its own, generously seasoned with spiced cream or mustard. It is customary to grind the loose pulp to a pasty consistency and smear it on bread instead of butter. The same paste can be used to season traditional oatmeal. Soft cheese is not added to dishes - it melts poorly.

Ripe Dunlop is used as an ingredient for dishes, served with fresh fruits and nuts, washed down with strong and weak alcohol and ale. Popular for canapes and salads, it can be used as a substitute for Cheddar in casseroles and fondues. The Scots believe that the flavor goes well with fried bacon.

Dunlop Cheese Recipes:

Potato millefeuille … The muffin pan is liberally greased with butter or spread out in pieces. Spread thinly sliced bacon or jamon - 250 g. Spread generously with soy sauce, so that the meat slices are soaked. Cover everything with a layer of potatoes, cut them into thin slices, and spread the butter again. Sprinkle with cheese and repeat the spread until the ingredients run out. Wrapped very tightly in foil, baked at 180 ° C for 1.5 hours. Serve warm. Can be baked in the sleeve.
Chicken and cheese salad … Boil 300 g of chicken breast, cut into equal cubes and fry for a few minutes in a pan, in butter, so that they become denser. In the same frying pan, a loaf cut into the same cubes is fried until golden brown. Rub the cheese on a coarse grater, mix all the ingredients together, supplementing with canned corn - 2/3 of the can. You can season with olive oil, salad yogurt, mayonnaise, sprinkle with pepper and salt, if necessary.
Baked mussels … Preparation begins with dressing - combine 1 tsp. soy sauce, 2 tbsp. l. sour cream, 100 g of very finely grated ripe Dunlop, 2 crushed garlic prongs and a third of a medium bunch of chopped parsley, sprinkle with pepper to taste. The mussels are thawed, cut with a knife near the sink, dividing in 2 halves, and filled with cheese sauce. Bake in convection mode or grill at 200 ° C. Place lemon slices on a plate when serving.

Interesting facts about Dunlop cheese

This variety is special. It got its name not from the place where it was made, but from the name of the cheese maker who developed the recipe. It was a woman, Barbara Gilmore (Dunlop after marriage), who had to leave her place of residence (Overhill Farm) when the persecution of Protestants began. She returned only after the revolution of 1688.

While hiding in Ireland, she analyzed a variety of cheese recipes and, based on them, decided to brew a variety from whole milk, adding cream to it. It was bold at the time. Locals believed that controlling natural processes, even in relation to milk, was akin to witchcraft. It can be considered that she miraculously escaped being burned.

The superiority of manufacturing is still disputed. Theories are put forward that the first cheese was cooked by a farmer from Strathhaven, or the variety was sold by a merchant from Glasgow, and later the wife of farmer Dunlop only repeated the cooking algorithm.

Dunlop cheese production declined by the early twentieth century. If in 1837 25,000 heads were made a year, then by 1899 they were made 3 times less. This is due to the fact that the new varieties - the same Cheddar - could be transported by rail over long distances, and they did not deteriorate. Subspecies Mild and Reif must be refrigerated.

Industrial production of the variety ceased in 1940. When World War II broke out, only Cheddar was brewed. The revival of the variety began in 1989, and a woman, Anne Dorward, also took over the return of the cheese. She also restored the number of "suppliers" of raw materials - Ayrshire cows, large, red, short-legged. Their milk is high in protein.

In 2007, the industrial production of cheese began at the Dunlop Dairy Products food factory, which is located near the farm of the founder of the variety. Later, it began to be produced on farms on the islands of Scotland.

Now the variety has received PGI status. That is, they fixed the traditional recipe and gave a guarantee that Dunlop is produced only in a certain region (by the way, since the 17th century the place has been called Dunlop). Currently, this fermented milk product has taken a worthy place in the country's economy: it is produced for domestic consumption and exported to Europe.