Okay, so I saw this “putrescent knight cheese” thing trending, and I was like, “What the heck is that?” I had to try it. So, I did some digging.
First Steps: Find the Recipe
First I gotta find what I need, So I Googled around a bit to find out. Most places seemed to agree on the basic stuff.
- Milk: I just used regular whole milk from the grocery store.
- Starter Culture: You can buy this stuff online, it is like a powder stuff.
- Rennet: Okay, this was the weirdest one. Supposedly makes the milk clump up. Got some online too.
- Salt: I mean, duh. Used my regular table salt.
The “Putrescent” Part
Now for the fun stuff! This is where things get interesting. To be honest, I find out it is about letting the cheese age and, well, kind of rot, in a controlled way. This is what it said:
- Mold: You can introduce specific molds, I guess? I skipped this. Seemed too complicated.
- Time: This is the key. Just letting it sit.
- Environment: Apparently, you need a cool, humid place.
My Experimental Setup
I found an old plastic container and did it, but I didn’t have a “cheese cave” (who does?!), so I used my basement. It’s generally cool and a bit damp.
First tried put the cheesecloth in to make sure it could “breathe.”
The Cheesemaking Process
I followed a basic cheesemaking guide, I’m not gonna lie, it was a lot of steps.
- Heating the Milk: Warmed it up slowly on the stove. Didn’t want to burn it.
- Adding the Culture: Sprinkled that powder in and stirred.
- The Rennet: This stuff was liquid. A few drops, and more stirring.
- Waiting…: Seriously, a lot of waiting. It started to look like yogurt.
- Cutting the Curd: Once it was solid-ish, I cut it into cubes with a knife.
- Draining the Whey: Used a cheesecloth to separate the solid bits (curd) from the liquid (whey).
- Salting: Mixed in some salt with the curds.
- Pressing: I put the curds in my container and put a heavy book on top to press out more whey.
The Waiting Game (The Putrescent Part)
This is where I really had to embrace the “putrescent” idea. I put the pressed cheese in my makeshift basement “cave” and…waited. I checked on it every few days. It started to smell, well, cheesy, and a bit funky. To be honest, I was a little scared.
The Result (Was it Cheese?)
After about two weeks, I decided to try it. It looked…interesting. Kind of like a crumbly, slightly yellowish block. It smelled pretty strong. I cut off a tiny piece and tasted it.
It was…intense. Salty, tangy, and definitely had a “funky” flavor. I wouldn’t say it was delicious, but it was definitely an experience.
So, did I make “putrescent knight cheese”? Maybe? I definitely made something weird and cheesy. Would I do it again? Honestly, probably not. It was a lot of work, and the result was…challenging. But hey, at least I can say I tried!
