Made neufchatel

[trebello]

I thought I might report on my attempt making neufchâtel from the Jersey milk I buy locally.  Because I am a nervous Nellie (and a microbiologist), I home-pasteurized by heating the milk to 60 degrees C, a temperature known to kill common pathogens.  Because the weather is quite toasty here in GA, it took a very long time to cool to the 80 degrees F called for in Home Cheesemaking.  I had ordered a Farmhouse starter from Hoegger, a company reasonably local to me, so I used it in place of the mesophilic one recommended in the book.  Those were my only deviations from the instructions (well, I cheat on draining but results are same).  I mixed some pineapple I had canned into some - my daughter LOVED it for breakfast.  The rest I stirred in some chopped chives.  This is definitely a recipe I will make again.  Georgia is so hot and humid that most cheesemaking isn't practical without a lot of equipment, but this stuff is delicious with some homemade baguette (sourdough or plain), and also with crackers or veggies.
Note - I did add store-bought cream for the pint called for in the recipe.  I just can't justify trying to skim that off multiple gallons of milk, as I don't like skim milk except as buttermilk.

[Awnry Abe]

I love neuf. Holstein milk cows?

[Otter]

Trebello, skim away!
Whole cow milk right from a dairy tank is a totally different creature than store bought, and you will never - as in it is literally impossible - be able to hand-skim it down to "skim" milk.

Milk comes from the cow at somewhere between 3 (unusually low) and 12 percent butterfat. When you buy milk from the store every last drop of it has been mechanically separated to storebought skim. Then, during the homogenization process, either 2 or 4 percent of homogenized (broken down into particles too small to rise) butterfat by weight is added back into the milk.

Milk right from a dairy tank is usually about 6 or 7 percent butterfat, more if it is a Jersey dairy, and even if you let it sit for a day and skim what rises, you'll still have milk that is the equivalent of "whole" milk from the store.

Congrats on the cheese!