Intermediate Cheesemaking: Beyond chevre

[Henrietta23]

Page 21, post #205 is where I posted about using 25% cow's milk in my goat cheddar recipe. I just opened it, early, because it had formed black and red mold under the wax. I figured it was a total loss, and started slicing into it for the pigs....but the center smelled good. So I tasted. I got dh to taste. It was quite good! It was mild, though, as it hadn't aged enough to develop any real sharpness.

The most important thing is....the texture was lovely! Very smooth and creamy, like store bought cow's milk cheddar....and it was still mostly made from raw goat's milk. I think I found my compromise.

And.....I have another wheel that I made later, using the same recipe and the same percentage of cow's milk, and there isn't a speck of mold lurking under the clear wax on that one. So it has a chance of aging into a very nice cheddar! Woohoo!!!!

Meanwhile, we will eat up this lovely mild, creamy cheddar. Yum!

I can bring the gluten free crackers!!

 

[freemotion]

I am preparing my culture and supplies order and thought I'd let you all know what I learned by talking to the nicest lady at The Dairy Connection.

She said she got a newsletter that said that goat's milk mozzarella doesn't stretch because of the type of proteins in it.....except milk from 100% Nubian does, which often has the correct type and amount of protein to get the stretch! I need to buy more does!

She told me what to order for the "aroma meso culture" that appears in the 200 Recipes book. I will post my final order if anyone is interested in seeing what I am getting. I need to take my recipe book to bed and flip through the recipes to make sure I'm not forgetting anything before I order. She said my neige mold, stored in the freezer, should be fine for another year. She also said that the rennet should be fine, too, but I may need to add more since it is a year old. It is so cheap that I will just chuck it and get a new bottle. Why risk a batch, huh? When a 2 oz bottle is under $7 and lasts the entire season with leftovers.

I'm going to branch out into the bacterium linens cheeses and asked for the version that makes the sharpest cheeses, as I love a strongly flavored cheese.

 

[RockyToggRanch]

Yay cheese time again. I recieved my supplies in early February...I was bored

I used 4 bottles of rennet last yr! 3 calf and one vegetable.

Interesting mozz info. I did 2 batches. The first one was great (and stretchy) the 2nd one was like a melamine plate :/

 

[RockyToggRanch]

Let me share this link from an email I recieved today...

http://www.thecheesemaker.com/great_world_wide_photo_competition.htm

It sounds like fun. It may be what I need to motivate myself to try some "harder" recipes

 

[Damummis]

I did it! I made a batch of Mo Jack. I have 2 gallons of milk waiting in the fridge for me to make the next batch of some type of hard cheese. I am thinking Parm.

 

[freemotion]

Yay, a contest I can enter!!! I hope I remember to......it looks like fun, and ALL the prizes are ones I'd use. Sometimes those types of contests have lame prizes or stuff that I already have....this one is great. I'd be thrilled to win last place. Getting my creative juices flowing....now I just need the milk to be flowing!

Yay, mo jack, and wow, 4 bottles of rennet!!!! I used a bit more than an ounce, that is it!

 

[Bimpnottin]

Ok, I live in WI and I know cheese curds. Don't make them, but we have a ton of little cheese factories around here and you know what days they have fresh curds.

Pretty much, a cheese curd is baby cheddar/colby before it cheddars into a solid. Super fresh, like made that day, and a little bit extra salty (yeah that reads weird!) and you can have them sprinkled with dill, or hot pepper, or just as is. They are so fresh, and you don't put them in the fridge, that they squeak when you bite into them.

If you can't get through them all at once, and we never have a problem with 5 people, then you can put them in the fridge, and then heat them up in the microwave for like 7 seconds, and they will squeak again. YUMMMMMMMMMMM

 

[freemotion]

Yum! I always eat a few curds before pressing the cheddar. I guess I should make a batch this year and not even bother pressing it....they are so good!

 

[RockyToggRanch]

Cheese curds here are not like what most people think. It's fresh cheese...and not really a bi-product of another cheese. I make entire batches into "cheese curds". I took 9 lbs to our family picnic and they were devoured. I'll make mostly cheese curds and feta this yr and skip the daily batch of chevre to keep up. Still have 20-30 lbs of chevre in the freezer to feed to the chickens:/

I promise to try some aged cheese....I will conquer my fears

 

[Henrietta23]

I plan to go to WI someday just to try cheese curds...
I haven't braved aged cheese yet. I'm waiting for the right time to try feta.