Learn To Make Cheese

I used to say the most important thing in making cheese is milk.  Then I starting saying that the most important thing to have is patience.  But one thing I left out is the importance of being able to discuss the trials and tribulations of your home cheesemaking adventures with others.   Whether you can meet in person with other cheesemakers directly, or you congregate at online cheese discussions and websites, it’s great to be able to learn from others’ successes and, um, not successes.

For this reason, we were thrilled to come across Forging Fromage, and their post on cottage cheese making at home.  Readers shared photos of their efforts, all of which looked delicious and rewarding.

forging fromage: Rounding up Cottage Cheese results…from our first Forging Fromage adventure!.

Life is Better Barefoot grabbed cheesemaking by the horns after taking part in a cheesemaking workshop.  Since then, she’s had some great experiences making feta (start early!, a simply divine ricotta and a minted haloumi.  Here she is on ricotta cheese making:

“Whole milk ricotta is divine and oh so easy. All you need is a thermometer and some white vinegar or lemon juice. Unfortunately, the yield is not so great, so I don’t tend to bother making it. Whey based ricotta though is perfect. Creating something out of the feta leftovers is a fantastic bonus. I can’t believe that they didn’t teach us this one during the workshop! OK, so the taste is not so rich and creamy as the whole milk ricotta. Served fresh though, with cinnamon sugar, or honey and nuts, especially while still warm – yummo, what a treat!”

Let’s wish her luck in her upcoming mozzarella making efforts!

Check out the photo evidence and more details after the jump.

Life is better barefoot: Making Cheese.

I can’t believe we’ve never before come across the fabulous blog, Cheese A Day, a site dedicated to home cheesemaking and other slow food pursuits.    And they’ve had yet another successful experience with Ricki Carroll’s 30 minute mozzarella recipe.   (We really need to try it ourselves).  Photos prove it after the jump!

“I used Ricki Carrol’s 30 minute recipe with the microwave, and for a first success I’m happy with the results. It does look kinda funky since I wasn’t exactly sure how to shape it, but it is absolutely string Mozzarella. I pushed out a lot of the whey so it won’t be as creamy on a pizza as I could have made it, but the mechanical properties–the grain, so to say–are spot on. It’s going to be fun trying different kinds of milk to see what results I get.’

Cheese A Day: Mozzarella!.

In the Alchemical Kitchen, Catalyst Magazine writer discusses her first experiences with cheesemaking at home.  While initially, the idea of cheesemaking seemed daunting, Brenner now makes her own cheeses on a weekly basis.   We’re talking ricotta, mozzarella, cream cheese, kefir as well as some non-dairy cheeses.

Brenner’s cheesemaking began with the 30 minute mozzarella kit from the New England Cheese Supply Company.  In her article she provides a list of basic cheesemaking equipment as well as her recipes for ricotta, cream cheese, kefir cheese and more.

Following up on yesterday’s vegan cheese discussion, we’ll share with you her cashew cheese recipe, with more real cheese recipes and more after the link.

Cashew cheese
1¾ cup of raw cashews
2 tablespoons of tahini
5 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon of salt

2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1. Place cashews in glass bowl, cover completely with water, and allow to soak overnight.
2. Drain cashews and rinse.
3. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until very smooth – about 8 minutes (less in a Vita-Mix).
4. Return mixture to glass bowl, cover loosely with a towel, and let sit 12-24 hours. The texture of your cashew cheese will be very smooth and creamy. Great for spreads and dips.

Catalyst Magazine – The Alchemical Kitchen: Cheese-Making.

We’re not too hard core about the definition of cheese.  So we appreciate how vegans look for ways to emulate the rich creamy taste of cheese, without the dairy.

We’ve tried about every “cheez” we could get our hands on, but have never found the right flavor of orange rubber to satisfy us.  That said, we’ve never tried to make our own.

On the Vegan Reader, we came across this great recipe for vegan cheese, developed by a long time vegan with fond memories of real grilled cheese sandwiches.   It’s a thoughtful combination of flavors like tahini, vinegar, olive oil and herbs that results in a soft cheez that sounds flavorful and versatile.

Here’s a description.  Full recipe after the jump.

“What Does This Homemade Vegan Cheese Taste Like?
That’s what I’d want to know first, too. There is something about the combination of the nutty sesame that’s in tahini, the tang of the sharp rice vinegar and the cheesiness of the nutritional yeast, with the addition of salt, that tastes quite a bit like cheddar cheese, but I find it’s not quite ‘enough’ on its own. Frankly, tahini is so delicious, it’s good all on its own, but we’re striving for a real cheesiness here and I find that the addition of the olive oil is very important, as it mimics the high fat content in conventional cheese (without the cholesterol!) Finally, the inclusion of fresh herbs makes the finished vegan cheese most akin to those herbed gourmet soft cheeses that people pay big money for and serve at parties.”

» Vegan Cheese Recipe – Make Your Own Dairy Free Cheese Vegan Reader: Thoughtful Reading For A Compassionate Planet.