Cheese Reblochon

Reblochon cheese comes from the French region of Savoy (located near the Alps). There is a legend about the origin of this variety of cheese. In ancient times, taxes were regularly collected from people, and in those days when it was necessary to pay tax once again, the owners of cows did not completely milk them out so that the amount payable was less.

The tax authorities left, and the milking procedure was resumed. The result was secondary milk, which became the catalyst for the preparation of Reblochon cheese. The name of the cheese also came directly from the procedure itself – Re-blocher (second milking – from French).

Reblochon is a soft type of cheese with a “washed rind”. For production, only cow’s milk with the highest level of quality is used.

The basic principle of the technology is pressing with further repeated washing of finished heads in a special brine. The cheese matures for at least two to four weeks.

Ready cheese heads have a round shape with a height of four centimeters and a diameter of not more than fourteen centimeters. The weight of one head is approximately four hundred and fifty to five hundred and fifty grams.

Rebloshon is an exotic variety of cheese, the production of which is launched exclusively in licensed French cheese dairies.

Features of an exotic product

Of the main characteristics, it can be noted that the cheese has a piquant aroma, a sharp and exotic taste of the rind. During the production process, the crust is washed with brine every other day. In order for the product to have a delicate creamy taste and a uniform crust as a result, Brevibacteriumline bacteria are used in the preparation process.

Chemical composition

The product contains a huge range of useful substances, including vitamins E, PP, groups B and A, as well as a large number of trace elements: copper, zinc, calcium and potassium. The product also contains natural fats that stimulate the immune system and have a beneficial effect on the state of the body as a whole.

Regular addition of Reblochon cheese to the diet stimulates the speed of metabolic processes, increases muscle tone, positively affects the state of vision and strengthens bone tissue.

Benefits of using

Among the useful properties of Rebloshon, one can note its nutritional value and usefulness. The product saturates the body with calcium, which in turn has a positive effect on the condition of bone tissue. It stimulates the work of all systems in the body, rejuvenating and healing it as a whole. Regular use in a special way improves the functioning of the immune system, the gastrointestinal tract and the cardiovascular system.

Table of calories and BJU

The product is quite high-calorie, therefore, it should be consumed in a limited amount – in case there is a desire to lose extra pounds or watch your figure and count the calories consumed per day.

Making Reblochon at home

To prepare the product at home, you will need the following equipment:

• a special container for ripening cheese;
• press (2 pcs.) – at least 2,5 kilograms each;
• two molds for making Reblochon (two one-kilogram goudas);
• container for drainage (fine grate with a drainage mat);
• ten liter pot.

For cooking, you will need the following ingredients: eight liters of milk, one fourth of a teaspoon of milk starter, 0,05 grams of Brevi bacterium lines bacteria, one fourth of a teaspoon of liquid calcium chloride, one fourth of a teaspoon of liquid rennet, two teaspoons of fine crystalline salt. As a result of cooking, two heads of cheese of seven hundred and fifty grams are obtained.

It is important during the cooking process not to heat the milk to more than seventy-five degrees, and pasteurized store-bought milk is not suitable for cooking, only fresh milk with a decent level of fat content.

Let’s get down to the recipe for making Reblochon cheese. The first thing to do is pour the milk into a pre-prepared pan and heat it up to a maximum of thirty degrees. Remove from burner. Add the starter and B.lines bacteria to the warmed milk. Let the milk rest for three minutes so that enough moisture is absorbed into the powder. Using a large spoon or slotted spoon, gently mix the contents of the pan (no need to rush at this stage). Cover with a lid and let stand another fifteen minutes.

While milk is infused, you need to take a small bowl, pour fifty milliliters of water into it and dissolve calcium chloride in it. The same manipulation must be carried out with rennet. Add the two resulting liquids to the milk, mix everything slowly. Cover the pan with a lid and leave in a warm room for half an hour. An even clot should form on the surface, which should lag one centimeter from the edges of the pan. The clot must be cut into even pieces one centimeter in size.

Put the container with the cheese mass on the fire and heat it to thirty-five degrees. Heating should be slow and gradual, during this period you need to gently mix the mass. Stop stirring and let it brew for five minutes so that the formed grains settle. Drain most of the whey (but not completely). Two forms must be placed on a previously prepared drainage. With the help of a large spoon or slotted spoon, the resulting mass must be carefully transferred to the molds, evenly distributing. Cover the molds with a lid and let them self-compress for thirty minutes.

Next, you need to turn the heads every half hour for the next two hours. Put a press on the lids and leave to infuse for another eight hours. Ready heads need to be pulled out of the mold and sprinkled with each salt (one teaspoon) and put them back on the drainage system for two hours. Salt provokes the production of the remaining serum. In a previously prepared container for brine, you must first put two napkins on the bottom, two layers of mats for drainage, on top of the head of cheese, and keep at a temperature of eight degrees for five to six weeks. Every two days, the heads need to be turned over and washed with a cloth with brine. It is this procedure that will allow a specific orange crust to appear.

After six weeks, the cheese acquires a characteristic smell, color and sticky savory rind. When pressed in the center of the head, it will be soft, and when cut, the consistency is creamy, but not liquid. The finished product must be wrapped in two-layer paper (special for storing moldy cheeses) and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of three weeks (the product perishes quickly, therefore, it must be consumed quickly).

How to prepare a brine? To do this, take one liter of water at room temperature and dissolve two hundred grams of salt in it. To check the consistency of the brine, place a potato or an egg in it, if they float on the surface with a half-immersion, the consistency is correct.

Rebloshon cheese in cooking

The product is already ready for use as a separate independent product. It goes well with dry or semi-sweet white wine. Cheese allows you to more widely reveal the flavor bouquet of wine and complements it with unsurpassed creamy notes. Also, the product can be added to pastries and other dishes: casseroles, salads, snacks, pizzas, etc. In the homeland of Reblochon, it is most often added to a sandwich, which consists of: homemade bread, prunes and smoked brisket, combined with exotic cheese.

“Tartiflet” – for cooking you will need one kilogram of potatoes, three hundred and fifty grams of raw smoked bacon, two white onions, one hundred and fifty milliliters of dry white wine, two hundred milliliters of cream, four hundred grams of Reblochon. Peel the potatoes and cut into even pieces (if desired, cubes or circles), boil the potatoes for seven minutes in salted water (the potatoes should be half-cooked). Peel the onion and cut into half rings, sauté it in sunflower oil, add chopped bacon, fry until the bacon is golden brown.

In a baking dish, lay out a layer of onions with bacon, potatoes on top, again onions with bacon and the remaining potatoes. We’re getting ready to ship. Add wine to the cream, add salt and pepper, pour into the mold. Cheese should be cut into thin plates and completely cover the potatoes. Place the form in an oven heated to 180 degrees for twenty to thirty minutes (the main thing is not to overdo it, otherwise the cheese will be hard and the potatoes will crumble). Everything, the dish is ready!

This cheese is very difficult to find on the shelves of our supermarkets or shops, but everyone can cook such an exotic one on their own, the main thing is to want to. Fill your diet with a variety of healthy foods. Enjoy your meal!