Bel Paese – A Great Beginners Cheese

Bel Paese, meaning ‘beautiful country’ in Italian, is a semi-soft cheese from the Lombardy region. It was formulated by Egidio Galbani in 1906 who wanted to invent a product that would compete with French Alpine cheeses.

Bel Paese has a milky aroma infused with a mild buttery flavour. The taste can be compared with Mozzarella and St. Paulin. The cheese is hard to spread but soft enough to slice. It is wrapped in a waxed, foil or plastic rind.

Bel Paese Recipe

Makes about a 1.2 kg wheel of cheese.

Ingredients

• 8 Litres (8 qt) Full Cream Cow’s Milk, preferably pasteurised/unhomogenised.
• ¼ teaspoon (Tad) Thermophilic Culture (MOT92)
• 2.5 ml (½ tsp) Calcium Chloride in ¼ cup non-chlorinated water
• 2.5 ml ½ tsp) Liquid Rennet in ¼ cup non-chlorinate water
• Saturated Brine solution 18%

Equipment

• 165 mm Cheese basket
• Cheese drying mat or Bamboo mat
• Ripening Box
• Dairy Thermometer
• Stainless Steel Ladle
• Stainless Steel Stirring Spoon
• Mini measuring spoons (for cultures)

Method

Adding Ingredients

1. Sanitise all of your equipment.
2. Heat milk to 42°C/108°F. Turn off heat.
3. Sprinkle Thermophilic starter culture over the surface of the milk and allow to rehydrate for a few minutes. Stir culture through milk using an up and down motion for 1 minute.
4. Add Calcium Chloride and mix thoroughly.
5. Add Rennet solution and stir for 1 minute. Cover and allow to set for 30 minutes.
6. Check for a clean break. If necessary, wait another 10-15 minutes then test again.

Cutting the Curd

1. Cut the curd into 0.9 cm/ 3/8 inch cubes. Allow curds to rest for 5 minutes to heal.  Gently stir for 30 minutes.
2. Let curds stand for another 5 minutes.  They should sink to the bottom of the pot.
3. Using a sieve and ladle, remove whey down to the level of the curd.  Gently stir the curd for a few minutes to break up the curd mass.

Pressing and Brining the Cheese

1. Ladle the curds into the basket/mould.  Place the lid/follower on the top of the curds.  You will not need a cheesecloth.
2. Let drain for 6-7 hours, turning hourly.  This cheese does not need a cheese press and forms using its own weight.
3. Take out the cheese from basket/mould and place in the brine solution for 7 hours, flipping at the 3-hour mark.

Air Drying and Maturation

1. Remove from the brine solution and pat dry with a lint-free cloth.  Place on a cheese mat in the ripening box and ripen at 4°C/42°F and 80-90% humidity.  The kitchen fridge will be fine for this cheese.
2. Turn the cheese every second day, removing any collected whey and wipe the box dry with paper towel.
3. After about 10 days, the cheese will feel slimy to touch.  Wash the cheese twice weekly with a cloth dipped in the brine solution to keep the rind clean.
4. After 3 weeks, remove cheese from the ripening box and clean with brine solution and then dry thoroughly.
5. Eat and enjoy!  You can wrap the cheese in foil to store in the refrigerator.

This Italian cheese goes well with fruits like apples, pears and figs. As it has a good melting capacity, it is often used in casseroles, hot Panini, focaccia or on a pizza. It can be eaten with fruity wines, such as dry red or white.

I found Bel Paese to be quite a surprisingly creamy, yet firm cheese that delighted my palate. It’s now a house favourite.

You can pick up supplies for Bel Paese at our shop https://www.littlegreenworkshops.com.au. I recommend the Italian Cheese Kit for newbie curd nerds as it contains most things you need to make this cheese.