Learn To Make Cheese

If you live in upstate New York, you’re in luck, because the Finger Lakes Artisanal Cheese Open House is this weekend.   Cheese enthusiasts and aspiring cheesemakers are finding culinary tours like this one as a way to learn how artisan cheeses are made.  If you’re interested in cheesemaking, research locations like the Finger Lakes where wines are produced, as there may be a dairy farm community in these areas as well.

Some regions like Upstate New York are also home to beautiful fall leaves and winemaking, which makes for an idyllic fall trip.  Here’s a sneak peak at what you’ll find there this weekend.

“The farms’ offerings are as delicious as they are unique. Joining Side Hill Acres on the free, self-guided tour (you’ll need to drive) are Finger Lakes Farmstead Cheese Co. in Mecklenburg, where former reporter Nancy Taber Richards crafts aged Gouda-style cheeses on the 700-acre farm her paternal grandfather started in 1919, and Sunset View Creamery in Odessa, home to a tasty selection of cheddars, cheddar curds, and Monterey Jacks that Carmella and Ron Hoffman make in a 290-gallon vat imported from Holland.

In nearby King Ferry, Finger Lakes Dexter Creamery will tout its farmstead kefir cheese, cultured with living kefir grains and handcrafted with raw milk from grass-fed Irish Dexter cows.

“It’s an opportunity to get out and see the farm,” Ross says of the open house. That, and sample a little cheese in the process.”

Cheese Peepers

Gourmet Sleuth has dozens of recipes for every kind of cheese.  they’re a good first stop when wanting to make a new cheese.  You can try your hand at blue cheeses, cheddars, chevres, ricotta, yogurt cheeses and more.   Even better, you’ll find that within a section like ricotta, they have six different ricotta recipes so you can compare them and see what works for you.  They also have great cheesemaking videos.

Here’s a sample recipe they provide for Michael Chiarello’s version of ricotta.

Napa Style Ricotta Cheese
This recipe is Chef Michael Chiarello. Visit the Napa Style website.

I N G R E D I E N T S
(Makes about 4 cups)

1 gallon whole milk
1 quart buttermilk
Instant-read or candy thermometer
Cheesecloth or clean muslin, rinsed

I N S T R U C T I O N S
Select a sieve or colander with a wide surface area so the curds will cool quickly. Rinse a large piece of cheesecloth or muslin with cold water, then fold it so that it is 6 or more layers, and arrange it in the sieve or colander placed in the sink.
Pour the milk and buttermilk into a large nonreactive saucepan. Place over high heat and heat, stirring the mixture frequently with a rubber spatula and making sure to cover the whole pan bottom to prevent scorching. Once the mixture is warm, stop stirring. As the milk heats, curds will begin to rise and clump on the surface. As the curds begin to form, gently scrape the bottom of the pan with the spatula to release any stuck curds.

When the mixture reaches 175° to 180ºF, the curds and whey will separate. The whey looks like cloudy water underneath a mass of thick white curds on the surface. Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Working from the side of the pot, gently ladle the whey into the prepared sieve. Go slowly so as not to break up the curds. Finally, ladle the curds into the sieve. Lift the sides of the cloth to help the liquid drain. Resist the temptation to press on the curds. When the draining slows, gather the edges of the cloth, tie them into a bag, and hang the bag from the faucet. Continue to drain until the dripping stops, about 15 minutes.

Untie the bag and pack the ricotta into airtight containers. Refrigerate and use within 1 week.

Michael’s Notes: I often make ricotta in winter and use it to fill ravioli for the freezer. Typically, I’ll boil the ravioli straight from the freezer, then simmer them briefly in chicken stock with some chard from the garden.

GourmetSleuth – How To Make Cheese – Cheese Making Recipes.

If you’re a beginning cheesemaker making batch after batch of fresh cheese, you may be running out of ways to preserve, marinate and give it away as gifts.  We love seeing simple new recipes like this one that take advantage of the season’s ingredients as well as highlighting your delicious cheese.

Pacific Northwest Cheese Project: Blueberry Fromage Blanc Parfait.

Haven’t made your cheese yet?  This is Emeril’s recipe for fromage blanc.  It could be a lot simpler, but we’re sure this will yield lovely results.  (about 1 pound). (more…)

Ok, it may be three ingredients, and you do need to purchase cheesecloth, But we found this very straightforward homemade ricotta recipe on the Washington Post’s website and had to share.  You’ll essentially make your own whey, using a combination of buttermilk and whole milk.  The whole milk portion can be all cow or cow and goat’s milk if you like. (Though Italian tradition dictates that sheep milk is best). (more…)

Fresh mozzarella cheese is one of the most popular cheeses that people are making at home.  It is a quick, fairly easy process that requires minimal equipment.

The basic things a beginner needs to make homemade mozzarella cheese at home are:

• fresh mozzarella cheese curds
• sea salt
• large pot for boiling water
• large and flat-bottomed stainless steel bowl
• wooden spoon
• latex gloves (unless you like immersing your bare hands in painfully hot water)

If you don’t have a cheesemaking supply store nearby, there are plenty of online sources such as the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company. Or, they offer fabulous cheesemaking kits for mozzarella, ricotta, goat cheese, mascarpone and more in a range of prices.  They include recipes, gadgets like thermometers, vegetable rennet, even instructional dvds.