Author
Monsieur Fromage
There is a particular kind of disappointment that comes from a Camembert that has decided not to be one. It looks fine on day one. It looks fine on day three. On day five you open the lid of the ripening box and find, instead of a serene white carpet of Penicillium candidum, a sort of patchy, resentful fuzz with brown edges, and you think — ah.
Camembert fails quietly. No dramatic collapse, no obvious smell. Just a rind that won't commit.
What I'd got wrong
Three things, in descending order of shame:
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Humidity was too low. My ripening box — a plastic sandwich box with a sushi mat inside — was drying out between daily checks. P. candidum wants 90–95% relative humidity. I was giving it about 80. The mould did its best, but the surface was crusting faster than the hyphae could colonise it.
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I hadn't salted evenly. I'd rubbed salt onto the top and bottom and, in my haste, forgotten the sides. The sides were where the problem mould grew. Not Mucor, thankfully — just opportunistic ambient yeast and a hint of pink that I didn't want to identify too precisely.
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The room was too warm. Camembert wants to ripen at around 11–13°C. My garage in late April was drifting up to 18°C during the day. The mould ran hot, went patchy, and started to compete with things I didn't invite.
The fix
- A cheap hygrometer inside the ripening box. £6. Pays for itself the first time you use it.
- A small tray of water in the box to buffer humidity. Refresh every couple of days.
- Salt the sides. All of the sides. I know it sounds obvious. Do it anyway.
- Move the box somewhere cooler, or get a wine fridge. Wine fridges are the single biggest upgrade a serious home cheesemaker can make, and they are available second-hand for less than a good dinner out.
The philosophical bit
Bloomy rinds are forgiving of skill and unforgiving of environment. You cannot technique your way to a good Camembert in a warm, dry room. The mould is doing all the work; your job is to set the conditions and then, mostly, leave it alone.
If you want the long version, Soft-Ripened Cheeses Explained walks through the whole style family — what's happening, why it's happening, and how to read the signs when it isn't.
The fourth Camembert was, I'm pleased to say, beautiful. I still keep the photo of the third one on my phone, as a kind of small cautionary icon.