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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2015 4:35:58 GMT
I've never ventured into the world of cheese making...until I stumbled upon this book at Amazon.com: "One-Hour Cheese -- ricotta, mozzarella, chevre, paneer, even burrata. Fresh and simple cheeses you can make in an hour or less!" by Claudia Lucero
This past Saturday, a friend and I made the author's recommended beginner's cheese. Here's the recipe:
First-Timer's Cheese in 5 Steps (20 to 30 minutes from start to finish) -- makes about 1/2 pound
Supplies -- 2 quart saucepan or stockpot slotted spoon or small mesh strainer 1 quart glass bowl
Ingredients -- 1 quart cow milk, any type (EXCEPT ultra pasteurized) * we used whole milk purchased at local grocery store 1/8 cup vinegar (basic white, white wine or apple cider) OR 1/8 cup lemon or lime juice * we used white distilled vinegar 1/4 tsp salt to taste (sea salt, flake salt or any salt you like) * we used sea salt Ground pepper and/o r herbs of your choice (dry OR fresh will work) * we used a variety of dried herbs available in my pantry
Directions --
1. Pour the milk into the saucepan and heat it on medium as you stir, constantly. Look for foam around the inside edges of the pot as well as little simmer bubbles coming from the bottom -- not a rolling boil, but close.
2. When you see the bubbles, as described, start slowly pouring in the vinegar (you may not need it all) and stir gently to incorporate it until you see the clear separation of curds (white solids) and whey (clearish liquid). The separation you see is called coagulation.
3. When you see coagulation and the liquid no longer looks like plain milk, turn the heat to low and stir the curds very, very gently as you cook them for 2 more minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and use the slotted spoon, or strainer, to scoop the curds into the bowl, while leaving behind, in the saucepan, as much whey as possible. When you have all of the curds, drain any whey that has collected in the bowl. 5. Add salt and pepper (and herbs, if you like) to taste. Stir them into the curds evenly and...
Viola. YOU MADE CHEESE. To be specific, you made a directly acidified farmer-style cheese. It will taste great crumbled onto salads, pizza, tacos, and chili, or just eaten simply with crusty bread and ripe tomatoes.
* Our first attempt at making cheese was a huge success and my friend and I were so pleased.
If you'd like to learn more about the "One-Hour Cheese" cookbook, you can find it here: www.amazon.com/One-Hour-Cheese-Mozzarella-Paneer--Even-Burrata/dp/0761177485/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451277290&sr=1-1&keywords=one-hour+cheese
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Post by Awnry Abe on Dec 29, 2015 4:26:00 GMT
DW made her first batch of Ricotta last week. Turned out great. We've never been real happy with our mozzarella. We end up with bouncy balls instead.
My favorite "one hour" cheese is chèvre. It really isn't one hour, but is a simple as dirt. It just takes an over-night.
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Post by solargeek on Dec 29, 2015 4:33:17 GMT
DW made her first batch of Ricotta last week. Turned out great. We've never been real happy with our mozzarella. We end up with bouncy balls instead. My favorite "one hour" cheese is chèvre. It really isn't one hour, but is a simple as dirt. It just takes an over-night. Recipe please?
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Post by Awnry Abe on Dec 29, 2015 4:37:52 GMT
As often as we have made it, I should have it memorized, but the goats have been dry for several months. I'd probably leave out a detail if I went from memory. I'll try to remember to look it up for you. (If I recall, we started with a recipe found online. And have tweaked slightly using other cultures)
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Post by barefootfarmer on Dec 29, 2015 19:07:11 GMT
solargeek , I'll share my recipe that I use for ricotta. It isn't technically a true ricotta, but my husband is Italian and he says it's better than any true ricotta that he's ever eaten. It's quick, simple and has a high yield, generally. I start with my own milk and skim off the cream for other uses. You can leave it whole if you'd like. You can double, triple, etc with this recipe. My last yield was 2 gallons of skimmed milk returned 3.25lbs of ricotta. My cow was 5 days fresh. 1 gallon of milk 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar per every gallon of milk used. 1. slowly heat the milk to 180 degrees stirring to keep from scorching. 2. As soon as it is 180, stir in 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar. Give it a quick swirl around. you should see it starting to coagulate right away. 3. Remove from heat, put a lid or a plate over the pot and let sit for at least 1hr. I usually go 2hrs. 4. Gently scoop out curds into a large mesh strainer placed over a second pot. 5. Let the curds drain for at leas an hour. The longer it drains the drier your ricotta will be. That's it. Sometimes I leave it overnight at step 3 on my counter. Sometimes I let it drain overnight- in my fridge at step 5. Other times I need it right away and just give it a quick drain, then use it in my recipe. It's very forgiving, tastes great- no taste of the ACV in the end result.
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Post by barefootfarmer on Dec 30, 2015 0:20:20 GMT
Question ...... Can I use milk that is not fresh? Not too old but perhaps a couple days past the "sell by" date? I haven't used store bought milk in ages so I'd say try it. With my raw milk, I usually take the milk that is a week old and turn it into ricotta just to use it up. Of course, I've got milk on tap and I'm just trying to keep it all rotated. I know a lot of good cheese makers say to use the freshest milk possible when making cheese. I think my ricotta recipe is one that doesn't need to be made from fresh milk.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2016 6:33:33 GMT
@christianwoman, wow thanks for the awesome rec! I looked through the "inside look" and really liked it. I like how fool-proof she (they) make it with pictures and explanations (such as what to look for when starting with store bought milk, the different muslin cloth etc). My favorite part though is where she provides a recipe for a cheese and then a recipe USING said cheese, simply brilliant!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2016 16:13:18 GMT
Rather than ultra-fine weave cheesecloth, I've discovered nylon nut milk bags...the gusseted bag, that I found, is 8"x11" and stands upright for ease of use. These bags are easily cleaned, by hand, and are reusable for an extended period of time. I'm so glad that cheese making has become my latest venture. As with anything else, the right supplies make for an easier, and more successful, outcome.
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Post by comfortablynumb on Jan 23, 2016 6:36:09 GMT
Yes what you made was Queso Blanco, or mexican bathtub cheese.
The more lemon juice or vinegar you use, the firmer the curd will be. If you use white vinegar, you can wash the curd with cold water to flush off the acid to make a very mild sweet cheese. If you cut back on the acid a bit and make the curd a little soft, you can press it into a wheel or a block for slicing. The slices fry up nicely as this cheese wont melt.
I suggest you bring the milk to an actual rolling boil, when you denature the milk this way the curd forms better and faster.
But depending on how soft or hard you want the cheese... not boiling and less acid will make you curd soft enough to be creamed to make cream cheese. You just add a bit of cream and mash stir it until you get.. cream cheese.
Its a very versatile basic cheese. Good job!
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Post by shin on Jan 23, 2016 12:14:16 GMT
This reminds me of the recipe from a little cheese kit I was given as a gift. I was quite happy to have made it.
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