Tomme au Marc Cheese Making Recipe (2024)

Heat & Acidify Milk

Begin by bringing the milk to 91F then add starter culture and ripening for 45 minutes.

Coagulate with Rennet

After ripening, add 2.25 tsp (11ml) single strength liquid rennet, for a quick set in 12-18 minutes.

Cut & Cook Curd

Once a curd has formed it can be cut into small 1/4-3/8 inch cubes. Let the curds rest for 2-5 minutes then gently stir for 10 minutes.

Continue stirring gently and begin raising the temperature slowly to 98F over 30 minutes.

Continue stirring curd until the TA% rises to .12 the curds will be sweet at this point, more acidity will develop in the molds in the following steps

Form Curds

Line the cheese molds with cloth and pour warm water or whey overtop to prepare them for the curds.

Now transfer the curds into the lined molds. Notice the clarity of the whey, this indicates very little fat has been lost in handling the curds.

Pressing

within a few minutes of filling the molds, the curd can be flipped and placed back into the molds. Notice here how quickly the surface has come together

After the first flip add 8 lbs of weight for 30 minutes

After 30 minutes, flip the cheese and place back in molds again. Add 25 lbs of weight for 4-6 hours.

While pressing, keep the temperature at about 90-95F to encourage the proper acid development

After pressing a smooth surface will have formed and the acid should be developing nicely to a pH of 5.6.

Leave the cheese in the mold overnight to develop, the pH should be about 5.3 next A.M.

Salting

You will need a saturated brine prepared for salting this cheese, find all of the details you need on brining here.

A simple brine formula is:

• 1 gallon of water
• 2.25 lbs of salt
• 1 Tbs calcium chloride
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• Bring the brine to 50-55¡F before using.

The cheese can be placed in brine for 12 hours, flip the cheese after 6 hour for an even brine.

Initial Aging

After the brine take the cheese to an aging space to allow the surface to harden for 1-2 weeks.

Final Aging

The Tommes are now ready to be buried in the marc and anointed with a healthy splash of merlot. Once covered, the top should be sealed.

The cheese should age at 50-56F for at least 2 months before they are unveiled.

The Tomme will have many skins and seeds embedded, leave them be and allow the Tomme to dry out for a few days since it will have quite a soft surface at this point.

You will be pleasantly surprised at the complexity, the flavor of the wine and skins play a big part in this cheeses flavor profile.