Making Gorgonzola Dolce

I haven't had much time for cheesemaking lately, but I did start a Gorgonzola Dolce. I've tried to make a Stilton 3 times so far, and none have succeeded. The first 2 Stiltons accidentally got bug infected while I was out of town, and the third is just bitter. That turns out to probably be a function of the pasteurizing temps of the milk.

For the gorgonzola, I was able to buy some fresh goat milk (real milk!) for the make. The recipe I used is from here.  The only problem I've had so far is that the initial molding calls for removing from the mold and turning every hour for the first four hours. Since I didn't start making this cheese until 2PM, the last turns were long after my bedtime.

Because I couldn't stay awake, the very last turn of the cheese when the alarm went off resulted in it being hung on the top of the mold, which I didn't see at the time. The next morning the cheese was not only lopsided, but part of it was stretched when the mass hung up on the top of the mold. So, it's funky looking! I cut off the top wedge although not quite as level as I thought.

Here are the curds ladled into the mold. I only had a gallon and a half of milk although the recipe called for 2 gallons. I just scaled back the cultures and rennet appropriately.

Here's the cheese after the overnight, lopsided molding. The top of the cheese in the photo above looks like a lack of curd knit... that's where the cheese stretched when it hung up on the top of the mold. It will be okay, just not pretty!

The cheese is in the cave now, at 55ºF temp and as close to 95% humidity as I can get. The photo above and at the top of the page shows the cheese just beginning to grow the blue culture (penicillium Roqueforti) before it went in the cave to age. I will pierce it after a week or ten days so the interior can grow some blue...

Update
Pierced this cheese yesterday, 10/5. Blue is growing nicely, and the paste didn't feel soft enough to close up the pierced holes. The wedge is also growing some nice blue mold. I'm hoping I can scrape some of it off later for another blue cheese.

Wish me luck... I am determined to make a blue cheese!