forging fromage

2011-09-07T20:00:00.000-04:00

It's time for a well-deserved break for some hard-working forgers. We hope to come back inspired and revitalized. Visit us at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies and girlichef to see what we're up to in the meantime.

"Blessed are the Cheesemakers." ~Monty Python

August Forges: Four Weeks of Savoury Delights!

2011-08-01T12:21:00.004-04:00

Pic credit - Kotanyi

We are mixing it up this month at FF, doing a weekly spotlight on some savoury delectables. Last month was all about the sugar, this month is about the spice. Are you ready? Let's roll up our sleeves and get savoury!

Week One

Pic credit - Woman's Day

We know, you are hot. Wanna get hotter? Of course you do! The first project is going to incinerate you, but in a good way. Let's heat it up!

Habanero Hot Sauce
Rick Bayless
Makes about 2 cups

5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/2 cup peeled, roughly chopped carrot (you'll need 1 medium carrot)
1/2 cup roughly chopped white onion (you'll need about half of a small onion)
12 medium (about 5 ounces) orange habanero chiles, stemmed
1 cup apple cider vinegar
About 2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Directions

Roast the garlic in a skillet over medium heat, turning regularly until soft and blackened in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool and peel.

In a small saucepan, combine the carrot, onion and habanero chiles with the vinegar and 1 cup water. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the carrots are thoroughly tender, about 10 minutes. Pour into a blender jar, add the roasted garlic, salt and sugar. Blend until smooth. Thin with a little additional water if you think your hot sauce is too thick. Taste and season with additional salt if you think necessary.

Pour into jars or bottles and store in the refrigerator until you're ready to add some dazzle to a dish.

*Bonus Challenge for our intrepid forgers - Add some pineapple to that sauce! Smoked, grilled, fresh, juice, or canned - the choice is yours!

Optional Spicy Vinegar!
Because you want to use up your pineapple rinds, don't you? ☺

Vinagre
Spicy Pineapple Vinegar
yield: ~4 c.

"A bottle of this spicy condiment is found on every table of every fonda in Puerto Rico. It is, easily, more popular than ketchup." ~Daisy

2 ripe pineapples
1/2 lg. Spanish onion, thinly sliced
20 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
6 habañero chiles, stemmed & coarsely chopped
1 Tbs. cider vinegar, plus more as needed
1 Tbs. smashed fresh oregano leaves
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. kosher or fine sea salt, plus more as needed

Directions

Peel the pineapples and set aside the peel for use. Save the pineapple for eating or use in something else. Put rinds in a pot large enough to hold them comfortably, pour in enough cold water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Adjust heat so liquid is at a gentle boil and cook until rinds are very tender, ~30 mins. If water dips below rinds, top off as necessary to keep them submerged.

Meanwhile, put onion, garlic, chiles, vinegar. oregano, peppercorns, and salt in a large jar (or two smaller) w/ tight fitting lid. Strain pineapple liquid into large measuring cup or bowl. Pour into the jar of seasonings. Taste and add a little salt or vinegar if you think it needs it. Can be used as soon as it cools, but will get better as it sits. Keep in fridge for up to 2 months.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Week Two

Ready to get a little corny?

Sweet Pepper and Corn Relish
by Karen Soloman author of Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It
Makes about 6 cups (3 pints)
Time commitment about 1 day

I drink the brine on this one. I kid you not. This is a super old-fashioned pickle so self-consciously retro that it’s modern again—ready for its place on your Aunt Bitty’s relish tray alongside the three-bean salad and the pickled beets. Just FYI, I actually prefer frozen corn to fresh here because—well, forgive my shallowness, but frozen corn is just prettier than anything I’ve ever been able to cut off the cob, and the strong flavors in this mix don’t merit the extra effort. (Oh, and thanks to my intern, Sam, who showed me how awesome this is baked with salami on a pizza.) Note that it’s natural for the brine to get cloudy as the corn releases its starch.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3¾ cups diced red bell pepper (3 or 4 peppers)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
4 cups fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
1¾ cups diced red onion (1 very large onion)
1½ cups apple cider vinegar
1½ cups sugar
½ teaspoon ground turmeric

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and salt and sauté for approximately 12 minutes, stirring often, until the peppers soften and begin to caramelize. Add the corn, stirring to combine, and cook the vegetables for 3 to 4 minutes longer, until the corn is hot. Turn off the heat and add the onion to the pan; stir well.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the vinegar, sugar, and turmeric and stir just until the sugar
dissolves, about 2 minutes.

Pack the vegetables tightly into 3 clean pint jars, and pour the warm brine over the vegetables to cover completely, discarding any unused brine. To can the relish for longer storage, process the jars according to the instructions below. Otherwise, cover tightly, and let the relish sit at room temperature for 1 day before moving it to the refrigerator.

How to Store It: Refrigerated, this will keep for up to 6 months. Canned, it will keep for up to 1 year.

How to Can It: Place an empty canning pot or stockpot on the stovetop (don’t turn on the heat yet). Place as many jars in the pot as will fit without touching one another (you may have to process the jars in multiple batches). Fill the pot with cold water to cover the jars by at least 1 inch. Put the lid on the pot and turn the heat to high. Bring the water to a boil and let the jars boil for 15 minutes.

Put a kitchen towel on your counter. Turn the heat off and carefully remove the jars from the hot water
bath with tongs or canning tongs and place them on the towel (don’t let the jars touch). You will likely hear some of the jar lids pop, indicating that they have been properly sealed (they can still be properly sealed even if you don’t hear the pop). After the jars have cooled for about 10 minutes, check the seals: press down on the center of each lid; it should not bounce back. If it does, move the jar to the refrigerator once it’s cool and eat within a week.

Excerpted from Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It by Karen Solomon Copyright © 2011 by Karen Solomon. Excerpted by permission of Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

And now to get our Bayless on!

Week Three

Chipotle Steak Sauce
Makes 1 1/2 cups sauce
Recipe from Season 7 of Mexico - One Plate at a Time
Rick Bayless

Ingredients

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
3 canned chipotle chiles en adobo
OR 8 to 10 dried arbol chiles
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican oregano
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
Salt

Directions

In a food processor or blender, combine, the tomatoes, garlic, chiles, oregano and vinegar. Process until smooth. Pour into a small (2-quart) saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer 15 minutes, remove from the heat and stir in water, if necessary, to give the sauce the consistency of steak sauce. Taste and season highly with salt, usually 1 1/2 teaspoons. Cool, pour into a bottle and refrigerate until needed.

Week Four
Slow Roasted Garlic Mojo

Mojo de Ajo
Makes about 3 cups mojo de ajo (made with 2 cups of oil)
Recipe from Season 7 Mexico - One Plate at a Time
Rick Bayless

Ingredients

4 large heads garlic
OR 10 ounces (about 1 3/4 cups) peeled garlic cloves
2 or 3 cups fruity olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fresh lime juice

Directions

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Break the heads of garlic apart, then mash each clove (a fist against the side of a knife is what I do) to release the clove from its papery skin; if using already-peeled garlic, scoop the cloves into a heavy plastic bag and use a rolling pin to mash them slightly.

Stir together the garlic, oil and salt in an 8x8-inch baking pan (make sure all the garlic is submerged), slide it into the oven and bake until the garlic is soft and lightly brown, about 45 to 55 minutes.

Add the lime juice and return to the oven for 20 minutes for the garlic to absorb the lime and turn golden brown. (If you’re using the larger quantity of oil, ladle off 1 cup—no garlic cloves—and store it in a cool dry place for use in salad dressing or sautéing.)

Using an old-fashioned potato masher or large fork, mash the garlic into a coarse puree. Pour the mixture into a wide-mouth storage container and refrigerate it until you’re ready to enjoy some deliciousness. The mojo will last for up to three months as long as the garlic stays submerged under the oil.

Do you have to go in order? Of course not! We are laid back and easy-going forgers. Have fun with it!

1. Natashyas Hot Sauce and Vinegar!	2. Alicias smoked Twilight hot sauce	3. Heathers Hot Sauce

1. Natashyas Hot Sauce and Vinegar!

2. Alicias smoked Twilight hot sauce

3. Heathers Hot Sauce

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July's Forge: Italian Prune and Cardamom Conserve or Brandied Red Cherry!

2011-07-02T16:50:00.003-04:00

It's July and we have gotten over the shock of kids being out of school. Fresh fruit abounds and it is time to can some of the bounty up for winter! I know, I said winter. When you are Canadian, it is hard to forget about the cold.

But trust me, you'll thank me in those frosty months when you have some bottled up summer to graze on.

Time to fire up the canner! Choose one or both of the featured canning recipes from The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook to forge this month. Link up your forges to share!

Italian Prune & Cardamom Conserve

From The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook by Rachel Saunders

The term conserve typically refers to a jam involving both fresh and dried fruit, often with the addition of liquor, spices, and nuts. These preserves are traditionally served alongside savory dishes or with cheeses, as well as for breakfast. In this delicious fall conserve, Italian prune plums are accentuated by dried currants and a generous splash of plum brandy.

Ingredients:
4 pounds pitted and halved Italian prune plums
1 1/2 pounds white cane sugar
3 ounces strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 ounces slivovitz or other dry plum brandy
2 ounces dried currants
1/2 teaspoon white cardamom seeds

Day 1
Place the prune plums, sugar, lemon juice, slivovitz, and currants into a glass or hard plastic storage container. Stir well to combine, cover tightly, and refrigerate for 48 to 72 hours, stirring once each day.

2 to 3 Days Later
Place a saucer with five metal teaspoons in a flat place in your freezer for testing the jam later.

Transfer the plum mixture to an 11- or 12-quart copper preserving pan or wide nonreactive kettle. Place the cardamom seeds into a fine-mesh stainless steel tea infuser with a firm latch and add it to the mixture.

Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently with a large heatproof rubber spatula. Continue to cook, monitoring the heat closely, until the conserve thickens, 35 to 45 minutes. Skim off any surface foam with a large stainless steel spoon. Scrape the bottom of the pan often with a heatproof rubber spatula, and decrease the heat gradually as more and more moisture cooks out of your conserve. For the final 10 to 15 minutes of cooking, stir the conserve nearly constantly to prevent burning.

To test the conserve for doneness, carefully transfer a small representative half-spoonful of conserve to one of your frozen spoons. Replace the spoon in the freezer for 3 to 4 minutes, then remove and carefully feel the underside of the spoon. It should be neither warm nor cold; if still warm, return it to the freezer for a moment.

Nudge the conserve gently with your finger; if it seems thickened and gloppy when you nudge it, it is either done or nearly done. Tilt the spoon vertically to see how quickly the conserve runs; if it runs very slowly, and if it has thickened to a gloppy consistency, it is done. If it runs very quickly or appears watery, cook it for another few minutes, stirring, and test again as needed.

When the conserve is ready, remove the tea infuser, then skim any remaining foam and discard. Pour the conserve into sterilized jars and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions or as directed on page 52.

Approximate Yield: five to six 8-ounce jars
Shelf Life: 18 months

Brandied Red Cherry Conserve

From The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook by Rachel Saunders

Even at the very beginning of summer, I keep the cooler months in the back of my mind, always trying to stash away a few wintry jams when the occasion presents itself. Cherries are particularly suited to spice, and this is one preserve I love to make in mid-May, when the first flush of summer cherries arrives. Its flavor is very concentrated, almost like mincemeat’s, and it makes a staggeringly good holiday pie filling. This recipe may be varied any number of ways: Use a different combination of dried and candied fruits, or replace the plum brandy with plain brandy or cognac. But the combination of citron, cloves, and plum brandy is my favorite: Christmas in a jar.

Ingredients:
3 pounds pitted sweet red cherries, divided
1 1/4 pounds white cane sugar, divided
3 ounces strained freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
2 ounces dried currants
1/2 pound chopped candied citron (see page 91)
2 1/2 ounces slivovitz or other dry plum brandy
3 to 4 drops almond extract
3 cloves

Place a saucer with five metal teaspoons in a flat place in your freezer for testing the jam later.

Combine 1½ pounds cherries with 10 ounces of the sugar and 1½ ounces of the lemon juice in an 11- or 12-quart copper preserving pan or wide nonreactive kettle.

Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently, and cook until the cherries have softened, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the cherries rest for 5 minutes. Put them through the fine holes of a food mill, scraping any fruit that will not go through back into the resulting puree.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cherry puree with the remaining cherries, sugar, and lemon juice, and the currants, citron, brandy, and almond extract, stirring well to combine. Let the mixture macerate at
room temperature for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 45 minutes, transfer the mixture back to your preserving pan. Put the cloves into a fine-mesh stainless steel tea infuser with a firm latch and add it to the mixture, pressing down on it to be sure it is submerged.
Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring often.

Boil vigorously, gently scraping the bottom of the pan with your spatula every minute or two to be sure the mixture is not sticking. Continue to cook, monitoring the heat closely, until the conserve acquires a darker, shinier look, about 20 minutes. At this point, remove from the heat, discarding any cherry pits that may have found their way into the mixture, and test the conserve for doneness. While you are testing, use a metal spoon to carefully scrape all the stiff white foam from the top of the mixture and discard.

To test the conserve for doneness, carefully transfer a small representative half-spoonful of conserve to one of your frozen spoons. Replace the spoon in the freezer for 3 to 4 minutes, then remove and carefully feel the underside of the spoon. It should be neither warm nor cold; if still warm, return it to the freezer for a moment.

Tilt the spoon vertically to see how quickly the conserve runs; if it runs slowly, and if it has thickened to a gloppy consistency, it is done. If it appears watery, cook it for another couple of minutes, stirring, and test again as needed. When the conserve is ready, remove the mesh tea infuser. Stir the conserve briefly to evenly distribute the cherries, then pour it into sterilized jars and process according to manufacturer’s instructions or as directed on page 83.

Approximate Yield: six 8-ounce jars
Shelf Life: 8 to 10 months

1-Cherry & Kirsch conserve

2-Natashyas Plum and Cardamom Conserve

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May's Forges ---> Queso Oaxaca & Chorizo

2011-05-01T17:00:00.002-04:00

With a nod to the victory at the Battle of Puebla by Mexico, we are going south of the border this month to forge both Queso Oaxaca and fresh Chorizo. As always, you are welcome to use any recipe you choose, but we'll provide you with one for each, if you'd like to use it.

We'll be making the fresh version of chorizo this month, which is commonly referred to as Mexican Chorizo. I make it and store it in bulk, but if you want to stuff it in casings, then go for it. I do plan on trying this one day so that I can hang it and dry it, but until then..this recipe for chorizo is the one I adapted from Antojitos and use all the time.

Homemade Chorizo

adapted from Antojitos via girlichef

yield: ~1 1/2 lb.

3 chiles de árbol

7 pasilla chiles

1/2 c. onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bay leaf

1/2 c. white vinegar

1 Tbs. kosher salt

2 tsp. cumin, ground

2 tsp. Mexican oregano, dried

1 1/2 tsp. cloves, ground

1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

1 lb. ground pork

Layer the chiles, onion, and garlic in a non-reactive bowl or shallow dish. Add the bay leaf. Pour in the vinegar and cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside, at room temp, for 1 hour.

Remove and discard the bay leaf. Transfer the chile-vinegar mixture to a blender and process to form a rough paste. If it is too thick to move easily through the blender, add ~1 Tbs. of water at a time 'til it moves freely.

In a bowl, mix together the chile paste, salt, cumin, oregano, cloves, & pepper. Add the pork and mix until the paste and spices are evenly distributed.

Put the raw chorizo in a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to 5 days. If keeping longer than 5 days, transfer to freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.

*If you want to test for seasoning before letting it age in the fridge, simply cook a little blob in a skillet and taste the cooked product. Adjust seasoning as necessary.

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I had a bit of a problem finding an actual recipe for Queso Oaxaca...and can't quite figure out why!? BUT. Since Queso Oaxaca is basically mozzarella (like string cheese) rolled long and formed into a "knot" shape, I figured we could go with a mozzarella recipe...adapting it to the classic Oaxacan cheese shape. I have seen some knots that are tighter and some that looks loose, but once they are chilled, you are able to either slice them or pull stringy cheese chunks from them. If anybody does know of an actual recipe for Queso Oaxaca, then by all means...do share!!

photo credit: jlastras via flickr

Queso Oaxaca

adapted from (the microwave mozzarella recipe in) The Home Creamery

1 gallon whole or low-fat milk

2 tsp. citric acid powder

1/4 tsp. liquid rennet

1/4 c. cool water (55°-60° F)

Pour the milk into a large, heavy-bottomed pot and add the citric acid, stirring for 2 minutes. Bring the milk to 105° F. (It doesn't matter whether you stir.) Check the temperature with a thermometer. Remove the pot from heat.

In a small cup, dissolve the rennet in the water. Add this mixture to the milk and stir for 30 seconds. Cover the pot and let stand for 15 minutes.

Using a wide, shallow ladle, scoop the curds carefully into a microwave-safe bowl and pour off and press out the excess liquid.

Microwave on high for 1 minute. Pour off excess liquid, being careful because it will be very hot. Turn curd and microwave on high for 30 seconds longer. Remove cheese from microwave. Drain off excess whey. Repeat process, draining and pressing off excess whey... until no whey is left.

Using a wooden spoon (or your hands...super careful, it's hot), stir and stretch the cheese for about 10 minutes or until it's stringy and shiny. If itcools too much, it will become hard to stretch. If this happens, reheat the cheese for 30 second intervals until it becomes pliable again.

Pull, stretch, and shape into a knot by wrapping the strings around each other. Refrigerate.

------------------------------------------

If you find or have any recipes that you already use...or try and like...please feel free to leave links in the comment section. Now let's forge!

1. Natashyas Chorizo	2. queso oaxaca

1. Natashyas Chorizo

2. queso oaxaca

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April's Forging Challenges!

2011-04-03T13:24:00.004-04:00

Happy Spring!

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the land is slowly coming back to life.

This month we are forging Lamb Sausage. Perfect for Easter fare or spring grilling season. And with sausage, we need some really zingy accompaniments! Our challenge to you is to make the lamb sausage and the pickled garlic, and we have added in optional sides of tzatziki and radish salad to complement your awesome meal!

Lamb Sausage
adapted from Michael Symon, Live to Eat
Makes about 2 lbs

2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup minced shallot
½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1½ lbs lamb shoulder, cubed
½ lb pork fatback, cubed
2 tsps smoked sweet paprika
½ Tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1 Tbsp kosher salt
½ tsp sugar

Directions:

Sweat garlic and shallots in the olive oil in a medium pan until translucent, about 2 minutes.
Let cool completely.
Combine all the ingredients, the chilled meat and fat with the seasonings, well. Cover and let chill 24 hours.
Grind (twice, if you like) in your meat grinder. If you don't have a meat grinder, pulse in small batches in a food processor, but a meat grinder will give you a better consistency.
Allow to chill half an hour after grinding, before stirring to combine well.
Make into patties or logs.
Optionally: purchase hog casings and stuff with sausage stuffer.
Keep refrigerated for up to 1 week, or freeze.
Cook until you reach an internal temp of 150°F.

Pickled Garlic
MarthaStewart.com

    * Yield Makes 1 quart

    * 6 heads garlic
    * 4 cups white-wine vinegar (I only needed 2 cups for this recipe)
    * 4 tablespoons sugar
    * 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
    * 4 whole cloves
    * 2 small dried chile peppers
    * 1 dried bay leaf
    * Rind of 1 lemon

Directions

   1. Trim garlic heads, leaving stem intact and peeling off all but one layer of papery skin. Set aside.
   2. Combine vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, cloves, peppers, bay leaf, and lemon rind in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat; boil 2 minutes more. Add garlic; boil 4 minutes. Remove from heat; cover, and let sit overnight in refrigerator. Garlic may be canned, placed in a sterilized jar, or stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 1 month.

Tzatziki and Radish Salad
Recipe courtesy Michael Symon, CookingChannel.com
Show: Cook Like an Iron Chef Episode: Secret Ingredient Lamb Chops

TZATZIKI:

    * 1/2 English cucumber
    * 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
    * Kosher salt
    * 2 cups Greek yogurt
    * Juice of 1 lemon
    * Freshly ground black pepper
    * 1 small bunch mint, leaves picked and chiffonade (about 1 cup)

RADISH SALAD:

    * 1 shallot, minced
    * Kosher salt
    * 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
    * 8 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves picked and sliced (or more)
    * ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    * 2 bunches radishes with greens
    * 1 English cucumber

For the tzatziki:
Grate the cucumber over a wire mesh strainer placed over a bowl. Add the garlic and salt. Set aside to drain for 15 minutes.

To another bowl, combine 2 cups Greek yogurt, juice of 1 lemon, freshly ground black pepper, pinch salt, and mint. Set aside.

Squeeze out the excess moisture of the cucumbers and add to the Greek yogurt mixture. Stir to combine.

For the radish salad:
To another bowl, add the shallot and season with salt. Add the red wine vinegar, oregano, and whisk in about 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Taste and re-season, if needed.

Remove the greens from the radishes and wash the greens in salted iced water. Place into a salad spinner to dry. Set aside. Thinly slice the radishes and add to the dressing. Halve the cucumber lengthwise. Thinly slice the cucumber into half-moons.

Tear and then add the dry radish greens to the vinaigrette and toss to combine.

Happy Forging!

1. Natashya's Lamb Sausage Fest!

2. Heather's Lamb Sausage

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March's Challenge - Double your Pleasure, Double your Fun!

2011-03-01T15:08:00.005-05:00

We are all of us getting a little winter-weary and dreaming of spring.

And with spring comes re-organization.

Even here at Forging Fromage!

Yes, we are expanding in our repertoires.

Not only will we be encouraging each other in our fromage forging, but in other DIY kitchen projects such as growing, preserving, charcuterie, and fermenting as well.

This is our year forgers - we are moving forward!

This year we are witches and goddesses and earth-mamas of our kitchens.

(And all the necessary masculine equivalents for those gents who want to play along!)

Are you ready? Great!

March's Forging Challenges:

Goat's Milk Faisselle and Spiced Orange Slices

We are making a fresh goat's milk cheese and serving it with our own (water-bath) canned orange slices. Delicious!

Goat's Milk Faisselle

Ingredients:

6 goat's cheese moulds
Flat-bottomed baking dish

1 quart goat's milk
Pinch mesophilic culture
2 drops liquid rennet

Sterilize all equipment. In a large ss pot over medium heat, warm milk to 86°F, stirring gently to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.
Sprinkle culture over surface of milk and let stand for about 5 minutes to rehydrate. Using skimmer and an up-and-down motion, gently draw culture drown into milk without breaking surface of milk.
Dilute rennet in 1 tbsp col water. Add to milk and, using the same up-and-down motion, draw rennet down into milk until well blended. Cover and let set at room temp in a draft-free location for 12 hours.
Place moulds in a flat-bottomed baking dish. Using skimmer, gently ladle curd into moulds, taking care not to bread up the curd. The whey will begin draining out of the holes in the moulds right away and will collect in the dish.
As soon as the curd has drained down below the tops of the moulds, cover the dish and place in the refrigerator. The faisselle is ready to use ans soon as it has drained to your desired texture. The longer it drains, the firmer it will become (because the moulds are sitting in the whey, it will stay fairly moist). Store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To remove, unmould onto a plate.

Makes 6 cheeses, each 3-4 oz.

Moulds - I am going to use my couer a la creme moulds and line them with cheesecloth.

And to go with it....... A seasonal canning recipe...

Spiced Orange Slices

Ingredients:
4 large oranges
8 cups hot water
1 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup lightly packed brown sugar
½ cup each: cider vinegar and water
¼ cup corn syrup
8 whole cloves
4 cardamom pods
4 cinnamon sticks, 3 inches long
½ tsp peppercorns

Combine whole unpeeled oranges, 8 cups hot water, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until fruit is tender. Drain oranges, discarding liquid, and cool.
Cut oranges in half crosswise and then into very thin slices.
Combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, vinegar, water, corn syrup, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and peppercorns in a large saucepan. Stir over high heat until sugars have dissolved. Reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes. Add orange slices, cover, and cook gently for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove and discard cardamom and cinnamon.
Remove hot jars from canner. Remove orange slices from liquid with a slotted spoon; pack into jars. Pour liquid and whole cloves over oranges to within ½ inch or rim (headspace). Process 10 minutes for ½ pint (250ml) jars and 15 minutes for pint (500ml) jars as directed for water bath canning.

Makes 4 half-pint (250ml) jars.

New to canning? Get the safety facts down before starting.
Information on safe canning here.

Recipe sources:

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1. Natashyas Spiced Orange Slices and Faisselle

2. Heather's Faisselle & Spiced OJ Slices

3. Foodycat

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January's Dairy Challenge - Homemade Sour Cream

2011-01-02T16:18:00.004-05:00

We hope you had an excellent holiday and are ready to get back to forging!

Don't worry if you are behind on anything, you can always link up past forges when you get around to them.

We are starting off the year lightly - with Homemade Sour Cream.

From About.com:
Make your own homemade sour cream from heavy cream and buttermilk or more sour cream. Plan ahead to give the sour cream 24 hours to thicken up and chill.

Prep Time: 24 hours
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 24 hours, 5 minutes

Ingredients:

* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1/4 cup buttermilk

Preparation:
Mix heavy cream and buttermilk in a screw-top jar, cover, and let stand at room temperature about 24 hours until very thick.

You can find alternative Homemade Sour Cream recipes here.

And, we are still forging Queso Fresco, recipe here, in case the holidays took up all your time!

1. Natashyas Queso Fresco!

2. Heather's Queso Fresco

3. Natashyas Sour Cream

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December '10 LINKY...add your Forges Here!

2010-12-01T12:00:00.030-05:00

We are just going to continue on this month...everybody is very busy with the holidays, so if you have any past or current forges to link up, then please do so here. Different homemade cheese and dairy is always welcome, as well. We wish everybody a safe and peaceful holiday season...

If you happen to make any fun holiday cheese creations (cheese balls, logs, etc.) feel free to link to those this month, as well!

Here's a bit of inspiration for you from the American Egg Board:

picture courtesy CCF

Holiday Cheese Log

3/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped roasted pecans
1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper
3 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
6 hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1 dash red pepper sauce

In small bowl, combine first 3 ingredients. Set aside. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese and blue cheese until blended. Stir in eggs, onions, garlic, and red pepper sauce until blended. Shape mixture into a 10-inch log. Roll in reserved parsley mixture. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Serve with crackers. (makes ~2c.)

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No forgers this month :( The holidays got the best of all of us...let's start again in the new year :)

Our November Cheesy Challenge: Queso Fresco

2010-11-04T11:26:00.001-04:00

With the holidays dominating most of our time for the next couple of months, we've decided to keep the cheesin' simple and go with another fresh cheese this month...and we're heading to....

...and who better to take us there than my kitchen idol, Mr. Rick Bayless himself? Yup, his newest book Fiesta at Rick's has a fabulous recipe for Queso Fresco...one of my favorites and staple in our house at all times. I must admit, though...I haven't made my own in quite some time. Better get back to it...there's nothing like it!

*Bayless notes that he likes to use the buttermilk in this recipe as a starter...to let the milk culture for a few hours before moving on to the cheesing process. The flavor reminds more of the artisanal cheeses that he knows and loves. Good enough for me! BUT, if you don't have the time...or the buttermilk...then you may skip this step. And I imagine sacrifice some depth.

Queso Fresco

from Fiesta at Rick's by Rick Bayless

makes ~1 lb.

1 gallon whole or 2% milk (remember, the richer the milk/flavor, the better the cheese)

2 c. buttermilk

1 tsp. Citric Acid (sometimes called sour salt, sometimes found in kosher section of grocery stores)

1 c. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. salt (pure, fine-ground sea salt works best)

1. Culture the milk. Pour milk into a very large pot over med-low heat. Stir in buttermilk. Bring milks to 75° F, turn off heat, cover pot and let sit for 3 to 4 hours.

2. Set the curd. If using citric acid, stir it into ¼ c. cold water, continuing to stir until dissolved. With lid off pot, turn heat to medium and stir dissolved citric acid or lime juice into milk mixture. You will immediately see small curds start to form. Every couple of minutes, stir slowly, gently, & thoroughly over entire bottom of pot until milk reaches 195°F, ~20 minutes. At this point the curds will be very obvious, floating in the milky-transparent whey. Remove from heat, let stand five minutes without stirring so all the curd can rise to the top.

3. Drain the curd from the whey. Wet a large piece of cheesecloth and line a large colander with it. Set colander in sink (or over bowl if saving the whey). Carefully ladle all of the curd into the colander. Gather the cheesecloth around the curd and gently squeeze to expel a bit more whey. Unwrap curd onto a plate, break it up, and sprinkle w/ the salt...working it in with a spoon or your fingers.

4. Gather the cheese curds into a 1" thick disk, transfer to a plate, cover, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

...and can I just add...THEN GO USE IT IN A FABULOUS MEXICAN RECIPE! Or sprinkle it on tacos, tostadas, enchiladas, gorditas...you name it! I cannot get enough Queso Fresco!

As always, if there's a different Queso Fresco recipe you'd like to use, then please do so. Link up your posts (or any past forges) to this months linky, which you can find through the sidebar, in the top rh corner!

Cheese on, Forgers!

November '10 - link your FORGES here!

2010-11-04T11:00:00.012-04:00

Hello Forgers!

This month we're forging Queso Fresco! We also have Colby and Cheddar from the past few months ripening...possibly...

Link any of those cheeses, or any PAST forges that you post in November

RIGHT HERE!!

We can't wait to see what you forged this months!

Rebecca's Mizithra

Sue's Mizithra & Roasted Aubergine Salad

Mizithra @ girlichef

Natashyas Cheddar!

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How to Make a Mesophilic Starter Culture

2010-10-18T08:52:00.000-04:00

Sometimes a cheese recipe will give you the option of using a starter culture, rather than a direct-set starter. Here is how you do it!

PREPARATION OF MESOPHILIC STARTER CULTURE

Sterilize a clean 1 litre mason jar and lid in boiling water for 5 min. Cool, then fill jar with fresh skim milk leaving a ½ inch head space. Secure lid firmly into jar.
Place the jar into canning pot and fill with water to the same levels as the milk in the jar.
Bring the pot to a rolling boil and hold for 30 mn
Remove jar of sterile milk carefully from the canning pot and allow to cool to 20-22 C or 72 F. To check if the milk in the jar is adequately cooled, hold the jar next to your cheek and it should feel tepid or just slightly warm. It takes about 6-8 hrs after removing from hot water bath.
Innoculate the sterile milk by adding 3/8 tsp of the freeze dried mesophilic starter culture to the 1 litre mason jar of sterile milk. Sprinkle the culture evenly on the surface of the milk and quickly re-secure the lid. Allow the culture to dissolve for 2 mn and gently agitate the culture into the milk until fully dispersed. To ensure the culture is adequately mixed, look at the bottom of the mason jar to see if there is any yellow granules. If so, continue to rock the jar until they have disappeared, as this represents culture powder that has not dissolved into the milk.
Place the jar in a warm place where the temp. is stable at 72 F or 22 C, up as high as 77 F or 25 C. Keep it there for 12-24 hrs until the milk has thickened. The most ideal location is in the cupboard over the refrigerator, the jar wrapped in a hand towel.
After 12 hrs from the time of innoculation, check to see if the milk has coagulated or thickened. This usually takes about 16 hrs under favorable conditions but it can be sooner if the temperature is warmer. When the culture has the consistency of a good firm yoghurt you have reach the coagulation point.
Chill the culture immediately by placing the jar in the fridge. It will keep as a fresh active culture for 3-4 wks. The fresher your culture the better your cheesemaking results. The culture can be used for cheesmaking right after the coagulation point is reached. 10 grams of mesophilic culture can be made into 10 litres of mother culture. Do not freeze your prepared culture!!!
Keep the unused portion of your culture package in the freezer where it will remain active for 3 years.
It is not necessary to prepare a culture in order to make cheese. The freeze dried cultures can also be used as a direct set culture at the recommended rate of the recipe. You can prepare cheese by adding the powder into your cheese pot or vat for direct inoculation.
The above procedure can be used to prepare mesophilic and aroma cultures only.

information from Glengarry Cheesemaking Co.

October's Cheesy Challenge - Greek Island Mizithra

2010-10-01T14:39:00.000-04:00

Greek Island Mizithra
adapted from 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes

3 quarts whole milk
1 tbsp pickling (canning) or kosher salt
½ tsp liquid rennet

Sterilize all equipment.
In a large stainless steel pot, heat milk gently to 90°F, stirring gently to prevent scorching.
Remove from heat and stir in salt

Dilute rennet in ¼ cup cool water. Add to milk and, using an up-and-down motion, draw rennet down into milk until well blended. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour, or until a firm curd has formed.

Using a whisk, gently break up curd, stirring until curd pieces are approximately ½ inch in size. Let stand for 2-3 minutes. Using skimmer, stir gently for 5 minutes.

Gently pour curd into a cloth-lined colander and let drain for 1 hour. Scrape cheese into center of cloth. Gather the four corners of the cloth together and tie to create a bag. Hang the bag and let drain over a bowl or the sink for another 5 hours at room temperature. Place a colander in a bowl; place bag in the colander and let drain in the refirgerator for another 12 hours. Twist the cloth tighter from time to time to aid draining.

Remove cheese from cloth and place in a bowl. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

There you have it! October's cheesy challenge. Here is a link to the book if you wish, you can use the recipe we provided or one of your choosing. There are many variations of Mizithra.

Link up to the October linky when you have some great cheese to share!

Want to suggest recipes for Forging Fromage? Just let us know!

email us at forgingfromage at live dot com

How are your colby and cheddar doing? Mine are still hanging out, suffering benign neglect in my beer fridge. The colby should be ready soon!

Link up your October forges HERE!

2010-10-01T13:36:00.001-04:00

Hey Everybody!! This is the place to link up anything you forge during the month of October! Can't wait to see what everybody comes up with!!

Homemade Ricotta - two batches for the price of one

Paneer ~girlichef

Natashya's Colby!

Natashyas Greek Island Mizithra!

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Challenge: Ricotta Salata

2010-09-02T10:07:00.000-04:00

Our newest Cheesy Challenge is going to be Ricotta Salata. Ricotta Salata is a sliceable cheese with a texture similar to Romano, but it is not nearly as complex...as it doesn't get better with age. It should be eaten within a week or so. Basically you use the curds you get from making Ricotta (loose, fresh cheese) and press and salt them.

If you've never made a basic Ricotta, well then...this is your chance to knock out two cheesy challenges at once! As usual, you are welcome to use any recipe or method you choose...but I'll go ahead and give you one just in case you don't have one that you already like...or are just too lazy to go looking. No shame in that...it's like I'm talking to myself. I'll start with a Ricotta recipe...gotta start with the basics...and then move on to the Ricotta Salata. Lots of people who are already into making cheese make Ricotta with the whey left after making another cheese...great! Use your chosen method for making Ricotta...then skip down the the Ricotta Salata!

Ricotta Cheese

from jam it, pickle it, cure it by Karen Solomon

yield: 1¼ c.

8 c. whole milk

1 tsp. citric acid

¼ c. water

2 Tbs. half & half

1 tsp. kosher salt

Pour milk into saucepan. In small bowl, dissolve citric acid in water, then add it to the milk and set over medium heat. Stir to distribute the acid evenly. When temperature of milk reaches 190° F (~15-20 mins.), turn off the heat. Do not stir or disturb the milk and let sit for ~10 mins. to allow curds and whey to separate.

Gently strain solids from the liquids in a fine mesh sieve. Don't press or squeeze at all. Once most of liquid has dripped out, move the curds to a bowl and toss with cream and salt.

Store, covered, in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

fresh Ricotta is loose like this photo credit

NOW that you have fresh Ricotta cheese....let's turn it into Ricotta Salata!

Ricotta Salata

from jam it, pickle it, cure it by Karen Solomon
yield: 1 (6-8 oz) cheese

1 1/4 c. Ricotta Cheese Curds
4 tsp. kosher salt, or more if needed

Pour the cheese curds into a cheese press and press at room temperature for 3-4 hours, until solid. Once the cheese has come together, gently coat the exterior w/ 2 tsp.of the salt (or more), then wrap in a clean kitchen towel. Place wraped cheese on a plate, and refrigerate for 2 days.

Remove cheese from fridge, rub with 1 more tsp. salt and replace cloth with a clean cloth. Let sit another 2 days. Repeat once more; cheese should be quite firm.

Once it's ready to eat, brush off as much of the salt as possible, and slice from center out-as you would a pie. Enjoy immediately.

Ricotta Salata photo credit

*Okay Forgers...Cheese on!

Link up to the current month's linky post (which can always be found via link on sidebar) once you've made it and posted on your blog!

September 1st Round-Up! What we Forged in the August Heat..

2010-09-01T16:34:00.007-04:00

Yeah, it has been hot! But that does not stop our intrepid Forgers - just look at what everyone made this month - great forging!

August

Ap269 made some glorious cultured butter and fell madly in love with fresh buttermilk.

And she also made some homemade cottage cheese with Tuscan herbs, yum!

And, on a roll, Ap269 also made some delicate Brousse - and check out the delicious potato cakes on her post!

Poppyseed took a break from her peach-fest to make creamy yogurt cheese. Beautiful!

My partner in crime, Heather, made three delicious variations of the cultured butter.

Elizabeth made yogurt cheese to go with her delicious grape pie and it is making me very hungry.

Try, try, again - Ree made some gorgeous feta!

Lexi made garlic bread with her homemade cultured butter!

Foodycat delighted us with fresh cultured butter on homemade cherry and buttermilk scones.

I (Natashya) loved the whole cultured butter making experience!

Rebecca made homemade cultured butter, and came up with inventive ways to agitate the cream!

Veena made some delicious oregano cultured butter for her daughter.

Thanks, everyone, for forging with us, can't wait for September's challenge!

*A note*

It occurs to us Forging Fromage Folk that now that we have the super-handy-way-cool-linky-with-photo .. that the monthly round-up is a little redundant. Let's let the linky do the work for us, so we can spend more time ~~drinking~~ ~~eating~~ forging!

September '10...What did you FORGE this month?

2010-09-01T00:00:00.001-04:00

This is the spot to link up any current or past FORGES!!!

Current Cheesy Challenges:

Cheddar

Colby

Ricotta Salata (and in turn, Ricotta!)

Remember, we always welcome your links to any of the things we've forged in the past. For a list, check out the sidebar!

Please link back to either the posted challenge you've completed or to the Forging Fromage main page. We have buttons on the sidebar if you'd like to add one of those to your post or your sidebar. Don't be shy...join in at any time!

Please be sure to leave a comment after adding your link, so that we know you've linked up.

Linky will be open until the last day of the month 11:59 pm Eastern time!

CHEESE ON!

ap269 - Ricotta and Ricotta Bread

Fresh cultured butter and buttermilk

Ricotta Salata (& Ricotta)

Birth of a Cheesemaker! Forging Ricotta Salata At A Moderate life

ap269 - Ricotta Salata

ap269 - Mascarpone

Natashya's Fresh Ricotta - Herbed!

Sailing the Seas of Cheese

Natashya's Ricotta Salata

Rebecca's Ricotta Salata

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August Cheesy Challenges - Colby and Cultured Butter!

2010-08-02T11:20:00.005-04:00

Happy August everyone! Can you believe that summer is winding down?
We have two cheesy challenges this month, or dairy challenges I should say. One long term project - Colby Cheese and one short-term challenge - Cultured Butter!
It's going to be a fantastic and dairy-licious month, Heather has set up a thumbnail linky for all your cheesy challenges for August here.
Recipes are below, use the ones we provide or your own. Happy Cheesing!

Colby Cheese
Glengarry Cheesemaking
Batch size: 12 litres (milk)
Expected yield: 1.2 kg
Milk source: Whole milk, raw or pasteurized
Production time: 2 and ¾ hours

Warm milk to 30 degreesC.

Add ¼ tsp of annatto cheese colorant diluted in ¼ cup of cool water to the milk. Mix in well using the top and bottom stir technique.

Add 200 ml prepared mesophilic starter culture or ½ tsp of powdered culture directly into the milk pre-mixed in a little milk from the cheese pot. Mix in well.

Allow the milk to ripen for 1 hour at 30 C, using the warm water bath to ensure constant temperature.

Add 1 tsp of liquid rennet diluted in ¼ cup of cool water mixing well into the milk using the top and bottom stir technique. Maintain temperature at 30C during renneting. The milk should set in 30-45 minutes.

Test the curd for a clean break, then proceed to cut the curd into ½ inch cubes. Stir gently while reducing the curds and at the same time proceed to cook the curds over the next 40 minutes to reach a temperature of 40C. Stir during the entire cooking process to avoid matting of the curds. The curds will reduce in size to the equivalent of half a peanut. Once the final cook temperature has been achieved, hold the curds at this temperature for 15 minutes.

Proceed to "wash" the curds by removing whey until you have reach the levels of the curds. Replace the whey with warm tap water at the same temperature as the whey (40C). Stir the curds gently so that they float freely in the whey/water mixture. Hold them in the diluted whet for another 15 minutes.

Allow the curds to settle to the bottom of the pot and then drain them in a cheesecloth lined colander. Drain for approximately 5 minutes.

Transfer the drained curd to a lined hoop press and press moderately for 1 hr.

Remove the cheese from the press and dress the entire cheese with cheesecloth. Press firmly for 12 hrs or overnight.

Remove the cheese from the press and float it in heavy brine for 24 hrs. Heavy brine consist of 6 cup of coarse salt in 4 litres of boiling water.

Remove the cheese from the brining pail and air dry at room temperature until the cheese rind feels dry.

Coat the cheese with cream wax and transfer it to a ripening area for at least 4 weeks. Hard wax this cheese approximately 2 weeks after production date. This cheese will not get excessively sharp if ripened longer. Ideal ripening conditions are 10-12 C with relative humidity of 75-90%.

This is a wonderful grating and melting cheese and it combines well with other cheeses to create nice blend flavors. It is a very good cheese for beginners to make as it can be eaten soon after production. The flavor is related to the taste of a mild cheddar.

And for our second dairy adventure this month, we are joining in with Gaarp in making Cultured Butter! If you are on Facebook, you can also join in the cultured butter party here.
Cultured Butter
Ingredients

One quart heavy cream
1/3 cup whole milk yogurt (make sure whatever you use doesn’t contain any gums or stabilizers)
Salt, to taste

Directions

Mix the cream and yogurt in a clean glass or ceramic bowl. Avoid plastic, which can harbor bacteria in any scratches or imperfections. Cover and let rest for 12 -18 hours, until the mixture has thickened slightly and tastes somewhat tangy. If your room is cool (i.e., less than the mid-70s), it may take longer to culture.
Once the mixture has cultured, cool it slightly by placing in the refrigerator for an hour or so, or by submerging the bowl in a sinkful of ice water for a minute or two. The ideal temperature is around 60° F.
Prepare a bowl of ice water, which you will use to clean the butter.
Put the cream mixture in a mixing bowl. If using a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment. Beat the mixture on high until stiff peaks form, then reduce the speed to low. Watch closely at this point, as the cream mixture will soon break, separating into butter and buttermilk. If you have a splash guard on your mixer, you might want to use it so you don’t have buttermilk flying everywhere. Once the mixture breaks, turn off the mixer.
Pour the buttermilk into a clean container. You can use this just as you would commercial buttermilk for drinking or baking. If you aren’t going to use it within a week or so, it can be frozen and used later for baking.
Press the butter with a spatula, spoon, or your hand to remove as much buttermilk as possible.
Pour water from the bowl of ice water over the butter to cover. Rinse the butter by kneading it under the water, then dump off the water. Continue to add water and rinse until the water you pour off is clear. It is necessary to remove all the residual buttermilk in order to keep the butter from spoiling too quickly.
Once the butter has been cleaned thoroughly, knead it on the counter for a minute. If you want to salt the butter, press the butter out on the counter, sprinkle lightly with salt, then knead it in. To store the butter, you can press it into ramekins or, as I prefer, roll it into logs. Cover the ramekins or wrap the logs tightly in plastic wrap. If you make two butter rolls, you can freeze one for later use.

Yields two cups buttermilk and about 12 ounces butter.

AUGUST '10 ...what did you forge this month!?

2010-08-01T22:00:00.002-04:00

This is the place folks!

Have you attempted, made, and blogged any of the current or past Forging Fromage challenges? If so, simply add the perma-link to your post from August at the bottom of this post. We'll round 'em all up at the beginning of September and then get cheesy all over again!

Forge On, cheesy ones!

*Please leave a comment once you've added your link...we don't want to miss anyone!

ap269 - Cottage Cheese

ap269 - Cultured Butter

ap269 - Brousse

Cultured Butter @ girlichef

Yogurt cheese

blue grape pie with yoghurt cheese

I came, I forged, I conquered!

Cultured Butter

Natashyas Cultured Butter!

Foodycats butter & cherry scones

Cultured Butter

Grongar Blog

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Rounding up the CHEESE ...forged in July!

2010-08-01T00:00:00.191-04:00

Hello Forgers!!! I don't know about you, but July seemed to fly by for me....zooooom! We had three current challenges on the board, and of course forging any of the past cheesy challenges is always encouraged! I am so excited to welcome a new forger to the line-up this month, too! Let's not waste any more time...I'm excited to share all of the wonderful cheesiness we forged in July!

First up we have Andreas from Delta Kitchen forging Yogurt Cheese! He strained his yogurt overnight and then stirred in a bunch of finely chopped chives to spread on his Whey Bread (which he made with the whey that resulted from making the yogurt cheese!!)...a perfect food for a summer day!

Next up is ap269 from Family & Food & Other Things...a first time forger (with us) this month...welcome! She forged both one of our past challenges and one of our current ones. First up she brings us her Paneer, saying "I’ve never heard of Paneer before – it is a fresh cheese common in South Asian cuisine. This cheese was really easy to make. It reminded me a lot of making tofu. You just curdle heated milk with lemon juice or other food acid." And I, for one, am totally intrigued by the idea of making my own tofu...hmmm.

Ap269 also brings us her Yogurt Cheese this month and then "used the yogurt cheese for making muhammara which is a roasted red bell pepper & walnut dip". YUM! She then served it up with some homemade Turkish flatbread.

Next up we have Alicia of Foodycat, who brought us both Yogurt Cheese AND Gouda...rolled into one fantastic, cheesy post! FC started off by saying "Now, yoghurt cheese, or labneh, is just about as easy as a cheese can get. You take a pot of yoghurt, drain it until it is really thick and then eat it. Seriously, that is all there is to it. No cultures, no thermometers, no weights. Just a bit of time and a bit of gravity." So true! She then proceeded to use it in a salad, marinate it, use it to stuff things...top things...you name it!

FC's gouda also turned out fabulously in the baby gouda mold that she purchased just for this challenge. Despite challenges posed by weighting and wiping away mold, in the end she thought "It was really good. It was very pale in colour - South African gouda tends to be a lot yellower than mine turned out; I think they add annato colouring - but the texture was a perfect sliceable, fine-grained hard cheese, and the flavour was just spot on. Very gratifying!" Nice.

Now, we have Rebecca of Grongar Blog who bringing us her Yogurt Cheese. Rebecca used Goat Milk Yogurt (awesome!) to make her yogurt cheese and let it hang overnight tied onto the faucet in her sink. "The resulting cheese was tangy and goaty, soft and spreadable, delicious spread on bread. It even made a respectable dip for tortilla chips. I imagine if I had added some onion, it would have almost made a home-made french onion potato chip dip!" Sounds mighty tempting, if I do say so myself!

Rebecca's Gouda is nothing short of beautiful! Seriously, I am super impressed with her wheel of cheese...I want to hang a picture of it in my kitchen! She pressed it in a mold that she bought on eBay and then "or the next 25 days, we turned it daily, and rubbed all the surfaces with a salt water solution. From time to time, a tiny amount of blue/green mold appeared on the rind — just a few spots — but we rubbed that away with the salt water and the mold never progressed beyond that." How exciting...and gratifying!

Next up is my cheesing-partner-in-crime, Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies and her Gouda. A bit frustrated by the fact that she didn't have a flat-bottomed mold... "I realized the hard way that I really needed to start pressing my cheese in something with a flat bottom - because every time I had to flip this one over and re-press it, it got a little crumbly with the reshaping. Ultimately that gave mine a porous texture, and I would like to try it again with a different mould, but the flavour was mature and very tasty nonetheless" ...she did NOT let that stop her! She forged on and made a major-tasty looking cheese...she added mustard seeds to hers...mmmmm. And not one to be easily deterred...she went out and MADE w/ the help of her handy hubby herself some molds!! Be on the lookout for them in her Cheddar-ing post!

And I (Heather) of girlichef am bringing up the rear with my Yogurt Cheese. Okay, it may be simple...but I am completely enamoured by it! It's like cream cheese...only tangier...it can be used in place of cream cheese (which I've actually made before, but probably won't again since this is the easiest thing on earth to make)...it's fabulous shmeared on a bagel or a sammie...YUM! If you're wondering why I'm taking the easy road and sticking with the simple cheeses, it's because we're a bit low on funds right now since I'm not longer (regularly) working. I haven't been able to replace my cultures, but I'll catch up one of these days and include those in future round-ups...that's the beauty of being able to link up any of the past challenges during any given month!!! Oh. You weren't wondering. Well, there ya go, anyway ;-)

Everybody did an absolutely amazing job...I am sooooo impressed! Also, I want to thank everybody who forged this month for continuing to fuel my fire for Cheese, Glorious Cheese!!! I look forward to seeing what everybody forges next month! And if you are new here or haven't yet joined in...what are you waiting for!? We'd love to forge with you!

***Natashya & I have decided to add a monthly post that will contain the LINKY for you to add your link from any cheese you forged during the current month. It will follow this post later on today...and will always be accessible from the sidebar via one click! Watch for Natashya's next challenge...coming soon!!

Assignment: Yogurt Cheese!

2010-07-10T21:24:00.002-04:00

Hi all!! Did you think we left you in the lurch with two semi-tough assignments (gouda & cheddar)? Not to worry. For those of you still a bit nervous about making your own cheese...and those who want to forge something between lengthy assignments, we promised we'd keep adding some quicker/beginner cheeses to the mix!! And this assignment couldn't be any simpler...Yogurt Cheese. All you need to make it is...can you guess?...yup, yogurt! Well, yogurt and a few various odds and ends for draining and forming. This recipe comes from my new favorite book jam it, pickle it, cure it. Seriously, this book is my new boyfriend. I can't get enough of it!

The books author, Karen Solomon, says "Yogurt cheese- sometimes called strained yogurt, Greek yogurt, or labneh- is a sharper alternative to cream cheese, but it has a similar consistency and thus can easily take its place atop bagels or toast, stirred into mashed potatoes, or plaing the starring role in cheesecake. Other attributes of this cheese include its utter simplicity to make, all the health benefits of yogurt, and a tangy personality."

Yogurt Cheese
adapted slightly from jam it, pickle it, cure it by Karen Solomon

1 (32-oz.) container plain yogurt

Instructions: Line a large bowl with a clean, think cotton or linen towel, positioning the middle of the towel in the bottom of the bowl. Pour the yogurt into its center. Gather together all 4 corners of the fabric and twist lightly; cloudy whey should be leaking out of the bottom. Tie the bundle up securely and hang over a large bowl or the sink. Let hang, undisturbed for at least 8 hours or overnight.

You'll end up w/ ~12 oz. of whey in the bowl and a very thick, spreadable tangy cheese in the cloth. Transfer cheese to small container w/ lid. Refrigerate covered for up to 2 weeks.

Variations:
Lemon Yogurt Cheese: Add 1 tsp. kosher salt and the juice of 1/2 lemon to cheese.
Garlic Yogurt Cheese: Add 1 clove garlic, minced, and 2 Tbs. fresh chopped dill to cheese.
Chive and Black Pepper Yogurt Cheese: Add 2 Tbs. fresh chives and several grinds of fresh black pepper to cheese.
Cranberry and Green Onion Yogurt Cheese: Add 1/4 c. chopped dried cranberries and 1 minced green onion to cheese.

Here is Karen herself showing just how easy it is...seriously, the video is under a minute....

So, no excuses okay? It doesn't get much easier than this...come forge with us! Feel free to ask any questions about any cheese or process either in the comment section of that cheese assignment or by email. Since this is sooooo easy, it'll be due July 30!

*Also, we're gonna try something new. We're going to add a linky at the bottom of each assignment post. If you've made the cheese and posted it, please add the link to the bottom of the appropriate post. We'll still do roundups for each assignment...this'll just make it easier to submit your cheesy adventures! Also, please leave a comment once you've linked up so we know to head over and check out what you've done! But, you are alway welcome to email in your link if you do not have a blog or if you can't figure out the linky.

Andreas - Whey Bread & Yoghurt Cheese

ap269s Paneer

ap269s yogurt cheese

girlichef~ yogurt cheese makes a good sammie

Foodycat

Natashyas Gouda

Rebeccas Yogurt Cheese

Rebeccas Gouda

This linky list is now closed.

Get your own FREE Linky Tools

July's Cheesy Challenge - Cloth-Banded Cheddar!

2010-07-02T12:10:00.003-04:00

Image from MyRecipes.com

That's right, this month's cheesy challenge is Cheddar! Time to roll up our sleeves and conquer that perennial favourite - let's show cheddar who's boss!

From Wiki:
Cheddar cheese has been produced since at least 1170. A pipe roll of King Henry II from that year records the purchase of 10,420 lb at a farthing per pound (£3 per ton). One suggestion is that Romans brought the recipe to Britain from the Cantal region of France, where it was adapted. Cheddar cheese traditionally had to be made within 30 miles (48 km) of Wells Cathedral.
Cheddaring refers to an additional step in the production of Cheddar-style cheese where, after heating, the curd is kneaded with salt, then is cut into cubes to drain the whey, then stacked and turned. Strong, extra-mature Cheddar, sometimes called vintage, needs to be matured for up to 15 months. The cheese is kept at a constant temperature often requiring special facilities. As with production of other hard cheese varieties in other regions worldwide, caves provide an ideal environment for maturing cheese; still, today, some Cheddar cheese is matured in the caves at Wookey Hole and Cheddar Gorge.
The curds and whey are separated using rennet, an enzyme complex normally produced from the stomachs of new-born calves (in vegetarian cheeses, bacterial-, yeast- or mould-derived chymosin is used).

Cloth-Banded Cheddar
adapted from Making Artisan Cheese, Tim Smith

Ingredients:
2 gallons whole milk (7.6L)
1/4 tsp mesophilic direct-set culture (2mL)
1/8 tsp calcium chloride diluted in 1/4 cup cool water (60mL)
1 tsp liquid rennet (5mL) diluted in 1/4 cup cool water (60mL)
2 tbsp cheese salt (I just use pickling salt) (30mL)

Prodecdure:
Heat the milk to 86F (30C), then stir in the starter, cover, and ripen for 45 mins. Add calcium chloride. Maintain 86F (30C), add the rennet to the milk and stir for 1 minute. Cover and let it sit at 86F (30C) for forty minutes or until you can get a clean break. Make one cut with a curd knife to test for a clean break.

Maintaining the target temperature, cut the curds into 1/4 inch (6mm) cubes, and let them rest for 5 minutes. Slowly heat the curds to 100F (38C), stirring occasionally to prevent the curds from matting. This should take thirty minutes. Once you reach the target temperature, hold for an additional thirty minutes, continuing to stir. Let the curds rest for 20 minutes at the target temperature.

Drain the curds into a cheese cloth-lined colander and let them sit for 15 minutes at room temperature. You now have a large block of curd. Cut the block into 1/2 inch (about 1cm) thick strips, and lay then in an 8"x8" (20cm x 20cm) cake pan in a crisscross pattern. cover with a kitchen towel, and put the cake pan into a sink filled with 100F (38C) water, to a depth that comes just to the top of the pan. Make certain that the water does not get into the pan. Keep the curds at 100F (38C). Rotate the curds top to bottom every 15 minutes for two hours. Be sure to drain the whey from the cake pan every time you flip the curds. By the end of the two hours, your strips should be smaller and tough, with a smooth, shiny finish on the sides. Tear your curds into 1/2" (about 1cm) pieces, and put them back into the pan. Cover and let them sit in the pan in the 100F (38C) water for an additional thirty minutes. Stir the curds frequently to keep them from matting.

Blend in the salt by hand, and let the curds rest for 5 minutes at room temperature.

Pour the curds into a 2-lb (900g), cheese cloth-lined mould. Press at ten pounds for 15 minutes.

Take the cheese out of the mould, and peel off the cheese cloth. Turn the cheese over, rewrap it in the cheese cloth, and press at forty pounds for 12 hours. Repeat this procedure, and press at fifty pounds for 24 hours.

Take the cheese out of the mould, and let it air-dry on a cheese board for two to three days. Turn the cheese several times daily to allow for even drying.

Yield - 2lbs. (900g)

Banding Cheese
Cloth banding is the traditional way to form a rind on Cheddar cheese. The advantage to cloth is that the cheese can breathe more effectively than when covered in wax, and proper breathing gives the cheese a richer, fuller flavour. Cloth banding is easy to do, and it gives your cheese an authentic look.

Procedure:
Place the cheese on a clean sheet of cloth, trace the top and bottom of the cheese, and cut out four circles that are each wide enough for the cheese cloth to cover the sides of the cheese. Rub a thin coat of vegetable shortening on the cheese, covering the entire cheese. Lay the cheese cloth on the top and bottom of the cheese, adhering to the shortening. Repeat the process, layering a second coat of shortening between the two layers cloth.
Cover with the second layer of cheese cloth, and rub the fabric smooth to form a solid seal. Ripen at 55F (13C) for three to six months at 80-85% humidity, turning weekly.

Artisan Advice
The process of cheddaring occurs when the cheese maker takes the mass of drained curds, lays them out flat, cuts them into blocks, and then stacks them on top of each other. Over time, the curd blocks will shrink in size and become firm in texture as they continue to lose whey. The end result is a cheese renowned for its flaky texture and pleasantly tangy flavour.

Image from Mama Earth Organics

So! You may have noticed that this is a cheese that takes some time. I won't announce a finish date for the Cheddar at the moment, we will keep in touch in the comments and see how everyone is coming along with this challenge and decide together when we are ready to unwrap our treasures. Get started as soon as you can, so we are all cheddaring together. We will do other dairy challenges in the mean time whilst the cheddar rests.

Don't forget, we are still working on June's Gouda! Using the recipe we provided or your own, email in your gouda challenge by July 31st.

*Not too many of us have pro equipment. I personally use a slow cooker for my heating and tend to use whatever I can find for pressing. I am thinking of hitting up the Home Depot this month to see if I can find some good shapes in the plumbing supply section to make homemade moulds out of. Cheesing can be creative business.
Please let us know any tips and tricks that you have come across in your home cheese-making or if you would like to write a guest post for Forging Fromage. (Involving cheese, cheese-making, or dairy of course!)

Happy Cheesing!

Feta Roundup!

2010-07-01T10:53:00.002-04:00

Salty, pungeant, glorious....Feta! A month ago, I proposed a challenge...a challenge to forge Feta. Goat's milk feta was the original plan, but many places have extremely highly-priced goats milk (like my place...Northern Indiana)...so in the end, whether the milk came from goats, cows, sheep...the important thing was turning into that tangy delight! Feta had some fabulous results...let's take a look, shall we?

Let's begin with a Rebecca of GrongarBlog...this is her first month forging with us, and she knocked it out of the park! She was able to use Goats milk...she rigged up an awesome draining contraption in her cool basement, and was met with success. She says "After it was rinsed, the taste was great: mildly goaty, slightly salty. The texture was firm while still being creamy, and not at all “squeaky” like many store-bought fetas." I think she's a natural...just look for yourself!

Next up is my original cheesing partner-in-crime, Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. Natashya thought she'd have to forge using simply cows milk, "... but at the last minute hubs came home with a little of both. Goat's milk does make for lovely, tangy, and delicate cheese. Cow's milk is cheap. We compromised." And with delicious results, I might add! Check it out...

Next up is Alicia of Foodycat. She was also able to use goats milk for her feta, which "was a success"...brain-shaped and all wink, wink. She says "I jumped the gun a bit - we ate the first half of the cheese a day early because I just couldn't resist. We had it in a Greek-ish salad of cucumber, tomato, avocado and red onion, dressed with oregano, basil, olive oil and white wine vinegar. It was delicious! Not too salty, not mushy, not too crumbly, with just the right hint of goaty tang." Nice. See....

And bringing it all home is me (Heather) of girlichef. Now, although I proposed this challenge, I ran sorely behind. As a matter of fact, I haven't even posted it yet because I'm in the midst of making it RIGHT THIS MINUTE! *UPDATE~ Okay, even though I'm late to the party I like to make a fashionable entrance, I've finally linked up my Feta! I, too, used cow milk because I wasn't ready to mortgage my house to obtain the goat milk. I loved the final result...salty, tangy, feta-ey!! Since I had a few people ahem who worked through the kinks before me, I used Natashya's adaptations to make mine.

Everybody did a fabulous job forging Feta this month...thanks so much for joining us, ladies!! I'm looking forward to Natashya's soon-to-be-announced challenge...and don't forget, we're still working on forging Gouda! Please feel free to forge with us...jump in!

Gouda AND Goat's Milk Feta...2 new cheesy adventures!

2010-05-16T12:00:00.123-04:00

Yes, you heard me right...we are announcing 2 new adventures! We talked it over a bit and decided that we were ready to move on to a more intermediate level in our forging. Making fresh cheese was delicious...it was a great introduction and learning experience...but, we're ready to try our hands at something new and challenging and honestly, a bit scarey! Wait. You say you're just building up the courage to start cheesemaking? You haven't taken the plunge and joined in any of our beginning forging yet? Don't freak out! We're still going to have a monthly beginner/fresh/easier cheesier (okay, not cheesier, just felt right) adventure, as well! Since intermediate level cheeses can require more time to finish, we thought we'd make those "due dates" individual to each cheese while still having a simpler monthly challenge! By the way, have you checked out our adventures in Halloumi!?

Shall we begin with our "harder" cheese? Okey dokey...I'd like to give a warm welcome to one of my personal favorites...Gouda! This is a recipe that I found on the internet...the one I'm going to have a go at. Feel free to use this or any other Gouda recipe you wish. I'm hoping I actually get the opportunity to smoke it, as well...ahhhhh, smoked gouda...how I love thee...dream of thee... "Gouda is a yellowish Dutch cheese named after the city of Gouda. The cheese is made from cow's milk that is cultured and heated up until the curds separate from the whey."*

Gouda (a semi-hard cheese) DUE: JULY 30
found at gourmetsleuth

1 gallon Milk
~~4 oz.~~ 1/8 tsp.* Mesophilic Starter Culture *see comment section!!
1/4 tab rennet (or 1/4 tsp liquid rennet)
Warm the milk to 85 F (29.5 C).

Add 4 oz of mesophilic starter culture and mix thoroughly with a whisk, the culture must be uniform throughout the milk.

Dissolve 1/4 tab rennet into 3-4 tablespoons COOL water. Hot water will DESTROY the rennet enzymes.

Slowly pour the rennet into the milk stirring constantly with a whisk.

Stir for at least 5 minutes.

Allow the milk to set for 1-2 hours until a firm curd is set and a clean break can be obtained when the curd is cut.

With a long knife, cut the curds into 1/2 inch cubes.

Allow the curds to sit for 10 minutes to firm up.

Slowly raise the temperature of the milk to 102 F (39 C). It should take as long as 45 minutes to reach this temperature. During this time, gently stir the curds every few minutes so they don’t mat together.

Once the curds reach 102 F (39 C), allow the curds to settle, then carefully remove 3 cups of whey from the top surface.

Replace the lost whey with 3 cups of 102 F (39 C) water.

Cook the curds at 102 F (39 C) for another 45 minutes. Every 15 minutes remove 3 cups of whey and replace with 102 F (39 C) water.

At the end of the process, you will have removed whey three times.

Drain the whey by pouring through a cheesecloth lined colander.

Carefully place the drained curds into your cheesecloth lined mold.

Press the cheese at about 20 lbs. (9 kg) for 45 minutes.

Remove the cheese from the press and flip it.

Press the cheese at about 40 lbs. (18 kg) for 3 hours.

Remove the cheese from the press, careful it is still very soft.

Float the cheese in a COLD brine solution** for 3 hours. Be certain to flip the cheese over every 45 minutes or so to ensure even rind development.

Pat dry the cheese, you will notice the outer surface has begun to harden.

Place the cheese in your refrigerator to age for 25 days. You will need to flip the cheese over every day or it will dry unevenly.

-If too thick a rind begins to develop, place an overturned bowl on top of the cheese, or place it in a covered container. However, continue to turn the cheese daily and do not wrap it in plastic.

-Inspect daily for mold. Should mold develop on the cheese surface, simply remove it using a paper towel dipped in white vinegar.

-At the end of 25 days you can age it further by waxing it or you may use it immediately.

-If you wax the cheese, continue to flip the cheese every 3 days or so.

** BRINE SOLUTION
Dissolve 1.5 cups of salt into one quart warm water.
Cool the brine in your freezer, some salt will precipitate out.
To use the solution, simply place it in a bowl and place your cheese into it.
After you are done with the brine, you can store it in a container in your freezer.
With each new cheese, you will need to add additional salt so that the solution is saturated.
The solution is saturated with salt when no additional salt can be dissolved no matter how long you stir.

That doesn't sound so bad. Does it!? I hope you join us in taking this next step...but if not (or in addition to), our second adventure will be Goat's Milk Feta...again, use this or any recipe you choose... "Feta is a classic curd cheese in brine whose tradition dates back to Greece thousands of years ago. It is traditionally made exclusively from goat's and sheep's milk, but cow's milk varieties are readily available in some areas."*

Goat's Milk Feta (a fresh cheese) Due: June 29
from The Home Creamery
yield: ~1 lb.

1 gallon goat's milk
1/4 c. cultured buttermilk
1/2 tsp. liquid rennet
1/4 c. cool water (55-60 degrees F)
coarse salt

1. Warm the milk to 88 degrees F over low heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Check the temp. with a thermometer. Stir in the buttermilk. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. Remove the pot from heat.

2. In a small cup, dissolve the rennet in the water. Add this mixture to the milk and stir for 30 seconds. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour longer to coagulate.

3. Using a knife, cut the curds into 1" cubes. Stir gently for 15 minutes, keeping curds at 88 degrees F.

4. Pour the curds carefully into a butter muslin-lines colander, tie together the ends of the muslin to make a bag, and hang in a cool room or in the refrigerator to drain for 4-6 hours.

5. Remove the cheese from the muslin, slice the cheese ball in half, and lay the slabs of cheese in a dish that can be covered. Sprinkle all the surfaces with coarse salt, cover, and allow to set at room temp for 24 hours. After 24 hours, salt all the surfaces again and let the cheese rest for 2 hours.

6. Place the cheese in a covered dish and refrigerate up to 2 weeks of freeze for future use.

BEST OF LUCK, FORGERS!!! EMAIL US A LINK TO YOUR POST ON EITHER OF THESE BY THEIR DUE DATES AND THEN WATCH FOR THE ROUND-UPS SHORTLY FOLLOWING THOSE DATES!

*Source: CrosswordEase

Halloumi Round-Up!

2010-05-15T08:39:00.007-04:00

We came, we saw, we halloumi-ed!
Three of us took the challenge this month, and what a challenge it was!

This cheese called for more ingenuity than the previous cheesy challenges - gaps in the recipe and the need to construct shaping, weighting, and draining methods at home meant that we were forced to think on our feet.

And think we did! Each of us came up with creative ways to form our halloumi and each of us had great success! Click on each name to read their full halloumi adventures on their blogsites.

Heather of Girlichef used foil-wrapped dumbbells to weight her cheese, and created a mould out of a colander for shaping.

And ended up with this beautiful fried halloumi with chili oil to share with her family.

Foodycat also used barbell weights to press her halloumi, after a wild adventure procuring cheese making supplies. She also created this ingenious draining mat.

Her results were tender, salty halloumi - perfect for pairing with pasta.

And over at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, I frightened said puppies by creating a falling tower of bricks to press my cheese. After the first mishap the pups were ushered into the back bedrooms for their own safety. Cheese making can be dangerous business.

And I made some delicious fried halloumi with harissa and roasted red peppers. Yum!

From reading their posts, I gather mine was dryer than Foodycat's or Girlichef's. I'm not sure why, but with cheese making results can vary.

So, are you inspired to take a cheesy challenge? The next fabulous cheese dare will be posted tomorrow.

Stay cheesy!

Free Cheese Pairing Guide

2010-04-16T17:39:00.000-04:00

Free Cheese Pairing Guide from Beemster! I received this cool offer via email...looks like anyone can order a free one! Click HERE!

Are Your Ready for April's Cheesy Challenge? Halloumi!

2010-04-03T17:43:00.005-04:00

Photo of Grilled Halloumi Cheese - Squidoo.com

After exploring lots of easy and delicious fresh cheeses lately, we have stepped up the challenge this month - and are making Halloumi!

Halloumi - Wiki

Halloumi or haloumi (Greek χαλούμι, Turkish hellim, Arabic حلوم ḥallūm) is a traditional Cypriot cheese that is also popular in the rest of the Middle East and Greece, and is now made the world over. It is made from a mixture of goat's and sheep milk, although some halloumi can be bought that also contains cow's milk. It has a high melting point, and so can easily be fried or grilled. Halloumi is set with rennet, and is unusual in that no acid or acid-producing bacterium is used in its preparation.

Cypriot halloumi

Halloumi cheese originated in Cyprus and was initially made during the Medieval Byzantine period, subsequently gaining popularity throughout the rest of the Middle East region. Industrial halloumi contains more cow's milk than goat and sheep milk. This reduces the cost but changes the taste and the grilling properties.

The cheese is white, with a distinctive layered texture, similar to mozzarella, and has a salty flavour. It is stored in its natural juices with salt-water, and can keep for up to a year if frozen below −18 °C (0 °F) and defrosted to +4 °C (39 °F) for sale at supermarkets. It is often garnished with mint to add to the taste. Traditionally, the mint leaves were used as a preservative, the use serendipitously discovered when the fresh Halloumi was kept wrapped for freshness and flavour from the mint leaves. Hence, if you look closely, many packaged Halloumi will have bits of mint leaf on the surface of the cheese.

It is used in cooking, as it can be fried until brown without melting due to its higher-than-normal melting point, making it a good cheese for frying or grilling (such as in saganaki), as an ingredient in salads, or fried and served with vegetables. Cypriots like eating halloumi with watermelon in the warm months, and as halloumi and lountza - a combination of halloumi cheese and either a slice of smoked pork, or a soft lamb sausage.

The resistance to melting comes from the fresh curd being heated before being shaped and placed in brine.Traditional halloumi is a semicircular shape, about the size of a large wallet, weighing 220-270 g. The fat content is approximately 25% wet weight, 47% dry weight with about 17% protein. Its firm texture when cooked causes it to squeak on the teeth when being consumed.

Traditional artisan halloumi is made from unpasteurised sheep and goats milk. Many people also like halloumi that has been aged; it is much drier, much stronger and much saltier. It is easy to find this traditional product in shops. It is kept in its own brine. This cheese is very different from the milder halloumi that Western chefs use as an ingredient.

Although it is made worldwide and is of rather disputed origin due to the mixed cultures in the Levant and East Mediterranean, halloumi is currently registered as a protected Cypriot product within the US (since the 1990s) but not the EU. The delay in registering the name halloumi with the EU has been largely due to a conflict between dairy producers and sheep and goat farmers as to whether registered halloumi will contain cow’s milk or not and if so, at what ratios with sheep and goat’s milk. If it is registered as a PDO (Protected designation of origin) it will enjoy the same safeguard as 600 or so other agricultural products such as feta and parmesan cheese.

Halloumi - Making Artisan Cheese, Tim Smith

Ingredients
2 gallons whole milk
1/4 tsp mesophilic direct-set culture
1/8 tsp calcium chloride, diluted in 1/4 cup cool, unchlorinated water
1/2 tsp liquid rennet, or 1/4 tab dry rennet diluted in 1/4 cup cool, unchlorinated water
1/2 cup cheese salt
Brine solution*
1 tsp dried mint, rehydrated in 1/2 cup boiling water

Procedure

Heat the milk in a double boiler to 86F (31C), then add the starter culture and blend for two minutes.

Maintaining the target temperature of 86F, add the rennet & calcium chloride, stir for one minute, and let rest for forty minutes, or until a clean break. To test for a clean break, use a curd knife to make one cut through the curds.

Cut curds into 1/2" (about 1cm) cubes, trying to keep them as uniform as possible.
Slowly heat curds to 104F (40C); this should take forty-five minutes. Continually stir the curds to keep them from matting. Once the curds reach target temperature, maintain the curds at that temperature for an additional twenty minutes while continuing to stir.

Drain the whey off curds into a cheese cloth-lined colander that is set in a catch bowl. Reserve the whey.

Blend mint into the drained curds with a spoon. Pour the curds into a 2-pound (900g) cheese cloth-lined mould. Fold a corner of the cheese cloth over the curds, and press at thirty pounds for one hour. Remove the cheese from the mould, and unwrap the cheese cloth. Turn over the cheese, and rewrap it with the cheese cloth. Press at forty pounds for one hour. The cheese should be firm with a spongy consistency.

Heat the reserved whey in a pan to 190F (88C). Take the cheese out of the mould, and cut it into 2" (5cm) thick strips. Put the strips into the heated whey, maintaining the target temperature for one hour.

The cheese should have a thick consistency. Drain it into the cheese cloth-lined colander, and let it rest at room temperature for twenty minutes.

Coat the cheese with 1/2 cup (145g) of cheese salt, and let it rest for two hours at room temperature.

Yield - 2 pounds (900g)

Notes
Use this or any recipe that you like for halloumi
Leave milk out of fridge for a couple of hours before starting the cheese-making.

Brine Solution
A brine is a supesaturated solution of salt and water, in which cheeses are literally bathed. (Brine solution consists of 2 pounds (905g) of salt stirred into and dissolved in 1 gallon (4.5 l) of water, heated to 190F (88C).
The types of cheeses that are usually brined are hard cheeses, such as Gouda and Emmental.
Brining occurs directly after a cheese is removed from the press. The cheese is literally dunked into this salty bath. Once in a the brine, the cheese begins to absorb salt, and the proteins begin to harden and form the rind.

This is a big one, lots of luck to all of us for mastering Halloumi!!

Brousse Round-Up!

2010-04-01T17:57:00.005-04:00

The verdict is in - we all had a good time making Brousse!

Three brave souls played with goat's and sheep's milk this month and created mild and delicate Brousse, perfect for pairing with stronger flavours to complement it.

Andreas of Delta Kitchen found some groovy new cheese moulds online,

and used his sheep's milk Brousse to make a delicious potato cake from a Nigel Slater recipe, which were like chunky rösti with a polenta crust and oozy cheese inside. Yum!

Foodycat, from the blog of the same name, used her unique and trusty egg ring, bamboo steamer and cheesecloth contraption as a mould.

"Over a couple of days I ate it drizzled with truffle honey, on toast (with more honey), alongside pears poached in red wine with peppercorns and thyme, on wholewheat crackers with fig and fennel paste, and a sprinkling of red-wine infused salt, on crackers with chopped raw garlic and a sprinkling of Maldon salt."

I made my Brousse, over at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, in in my small coeur a la creme moulds, lined with cheesecloth.

I served it with lots of fresh herbs, which were very nice with the delicate goat's cheese, and a sprinkling of Maldon sea salt. I found the cheese, like all cheese, definitely needed salt - next time I'll add salt whether it is the recipe or not.

There we go - three great versions of this fun, delicate, and easy cheese.

Thanks everyone for participating!

March's Cheesy Challenge - Brousse!

2010-03-02T13:37:00.004-05:00

Brousse is a fresh Provençal cheese made from goat's milk in some areas and sheep in others. It looks to be similar to a cross between chevre and ricotta. Traditionally it is eaten with honey or fresh herbs.

Photo from socialearth.org

Brousse
adapted from 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes

Tools
Cloth-lined colander
4 Brousse moulds

Ingredients
1 quart goat's milk (sheep is fine too)
1/4 cup white vinegar

1. Sterilize all equipment. In a stainless steel pot over medium heat, bring milk just to the boiling point, stirring gently to prevent scotching. Remove from heat.

2. Dilute vinegar in 3/4 cups cool water and add to milk, stirring quickly with skimmer. Continue to stir milk vigorously with skimmer or a whisk until it curdles and small flakes of cheese rise to the top of the pot.

3. Using skimmer, ladle curds into a cloth-lined colander. Let drain over a bowl for 2-3 minutes. Using your hands or a spoon, fill Brousse moulds, packing curd down. Pour remaining milk through a cloth to starin out any remaining solids and add these to the moulds. Tap moulds slightly to ensure they are completely filled to the bottom.

4. Place moulds in a basket or bowl so they stand upright. Let drain for about 6 hours. Place in the refirgerator and unmould cheese as you use them. Brousse must be eaten fresh, preferably within 24 hours.* Other sources say 3-4 days is fine

Notes
I don't have Brousse moulds and have no idea where to look for them. I think moulds could be fashioned from small plastic containers, perforated, and lined with cheesecloth. I might use my small coeur a la creme moulds.

We chose this recipe as it does not require harder to find ingredients for cheesemaking - but we are interested in what you might have access to.

Can you get your hands on:
Liquid rennet?
Rennet tabs?
Starter cultures? Which kinds?

There are many cheesemaking suppliers on the web, please let us know what you have access to and any cheeses you would like to try making in the future. Also, if you have any relevant cheesemaking links for the sidebar please send them along (and note which country they are from). We want to make cheesemaking accessible to everyone!

So, is everyone ready to make Brousse this month? Fantastic!! Can't wait to see your cheesy creations and how you serve it. Our Forging Fromage email address is on the sidebar - write to us with your finished product or with any questions or information you might like to share.

Happy Cheesing!

Paneer Round-Up!

2010-03-01T13:25:00.005-05:00

We came, we curdled, we strained, we pressed and we conquered!
Conquered the cheese known as paneer that is.
This month three brave souls learned that there is nothing to fear in making this simple cheese at home, in fact - we might even do it again.

Andreas of Delta Kitchen joined us this month with his picture perfect paneer.
"This seemed to be a logical step to take the fun of bread making to the next level. The Cheese Challenge for February was to make Paneer from scratch, which was very easy and straightforward. I put the paneer into a soup plate to prevent flooding the fridge during the overnight rest, but the paneer just firmed up without rendering a drop of whey.
The finished paneer will hold it's shape through the fry and simmer to make a spicy kashmiri dish which goes well with some basmati rice."
Check out his cheesy adventure here.

Simmered Kashmiri Paneer at Delta Kitchen

My friend Foodycat from across the pond knows a thing or two about Indian food
"I followed the recipe from Mirch Masala, reposted on Forging Fromage, but I also watched this fantastic YouTube tutorial from Show Me The Curry. It was all ridiculously straightforward, but from the ladies at Show Me The Curry I took the idea of suspending the curds in a jug, to let the weight of the curds themselves help drain them, and the jug catches the whey, Nifty, huh?"
"My paneer held together well as I coated the slices well in cornflour, and submitted patiently to being turned in the frying pan. Despite the slightly custardier texture when it was finished, it still had a bit of the chewiness and bite that commercial paneer has."
Check out Foodycat's cheesy adventures here.

Foodycat's Chili Paneer
~

And over at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, I made the Cumin Paneer and gave my paneer an extra day to firm up in the fridge.
"I am much too absent-minded to watch over a pot of milk. I use my slow cooker on high, lidded, with a probe thermometer in it - alarm set for 190f. It takes longer but you don't have to think about it."
"I let mine sit 2 days, and then pressed it even further between two cutting boards for a few moments, with me sitting on top!"
Check out my cheesy adventures here.

Natashya's Palak Paneer
~

There you have it! Three adventurous souls and three delicious dishes. Tomorrow we'll be posting March's challenge and Heather should be back from vacation in a couple of weeks.
Thanks so much for joining us, in the kitchen or in spirit.
May all your dreams be cheesy ones.

C'mon Here and Make Paneer!

2010-02-03T12:20:00.003-05:00

February's Cheesy Challenge is to make Paneer!

This is another simple cheese, requiring no specialty ingredients, and made characteristically firm by pressing overnight. The firmness of the cheese makes it a good candidate for frying and it is a feature in many Indian dishes.

Use any recipe you like to make Paneer - this recipe from Mirch Marsala our lovely guest cheese-poster, or one of the ones below, or any you might have at home.

Paneer
200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes

4 quarts whole milk
4 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, approx.

1. Sterilize all equipment. In a large stainless-steel pot over low heat, slowly bring milk to a boil, stirring gently to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.

2. Add lemon juice. Stir for 5 minutes or until milk begins to curdle and the solids rise to the top. If it does not curdle, add another 2 tbsp lemon juice and continue stirring.

3. Pour contents of pot into a cloth-lined colander. Let curds drain. Rinse curds with cold running water, then twist them in the cloth to remove as much of the water as possible.

4 Twist the cloth tightly around the cheese and place on a plate. Cover with another plate and place a 2-lb. (1 kg) weight on top. Place in the refrigerator overnight.

5. Unwrap cheese and place in a small bowl. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Variation:

Cumin Paneer

4 quarts whole milk
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp salt
4 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, approx.

1. Sterilize all equipment. In a large stainless-steel pot over low heat, combine milk, cumin seeds and salt. Slowly bring to a boil; boil for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring gently the whole time to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.

2. Add lemon juice. Continue to stir milk until milk curdles and the solids rise to the top. If it does not curdle, add another 2 tbsp lemon juice and continue stirring.

3. Pour contents of pot into a cloth-lined colander. Twist curds in the cloth to remove as much of the moisture as possible.

4. Twist the cloth tightly around the cheese and place on a plate. Cover with another plate and place a 2-lb. weight on top. Place in the refrigerator overnight.

5. Unwrap cheese and place in a small bowl. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

~
Both recipes deliver about a 10% yield. You will notice that the cumin variation has a longer fridge life - that is because of the salt.
~

Well, what are you waiting for? Get into the kitchen and make some Paneer! Use whatever recipe you like and try creating a fabulous dish like Saag Paneer or Palak Paneer with the cheese.

*Email your cheese-filled adventures by the last day of the month to forgingfromage at live dot com.

Happy Cheesing!!

Guest Post from Foodycat!

2010-01-26T13:55:00.003-05:00

Foodycat has graciously allowed us to post her recent cheese adventures here on Forging Fromage. We are so impressed with her homemade cheese exploits!

I'm inspired. For a while now I have been reading on Natashya, Heather and Simona's blogs about their forays into homemade cheese making. It has all sounded amazing and wonderful and I decided that I really had to have a go at it. I ordered some supplies from Leeners, bought a couple of litres of full-fat goats milk from the supermarket and got stuck in.

I

started with these recipes, following the method for cheddar because it sounded the most achievable. I didn't have the right sized mould for making a single cheese, so I used egg rings, lined with scalded cheesecloth and set in my bamboo steamer. 2l of milk made 4 cheeses. The curds didn't set up as firmly as I was anticipating, so I abandoned the idea of pressing them into a hard cheese, and just went where I was led, into a soft goats cheese.

After 2 days draining I turned them out of their moulds, onto a fresh piece of scalded cheesecloth, and let them mature for another 4 days before we sampled one. Isn't the pattern from the bamboo steamer pretty? It was delicious. Very mild and creamy, goaty but not intensely so and with an unmistakeable "cheese" texture - it definitely wasn't yoghurt. It had grown up.

The intention was to let the other 3 cheeses mature for longer to see how the flavour developed, but sadly they developed a nasty mould and had to be chucked. Oh well - for a first attempt I was happy!

Of course, when you make cheese at home, you end up with a lot of whey. In a lot of areas (well - Stilton and Parma) a thriving dairy industry has also led to a thriving pork industry, as they whey is fed to the pigs and they grow fat and flavoursome. But I don't have a pig.

The last scoop of the goats curd (which didn't fit into the moulds) and a little of the whey went into my blood orange syrup cakes instead of yoghurt.

The rest of the whey went to make ricotta. Now, making ricotta this traditional way is very, very low yield. But since it takes no effort and it is really a bonus yield from the cheesemaking, I wasn't too bothered. Remember I started with 2l of milk, got 4 x 10cm cheeses and 200ml of goats curd for my cakes. The 1/2 cup of lovely fresh ricotta was eaten almost straight away, in this pasta with artichokes dish. It was seriously delicious, but I kept thinking that it'd be even better in summer with fresh baby courgettes substituted for the artichokes.

So THEN the whey drained from the ricotta needed a home. Oh yes - I was very keen to make this milk go as far as possible! 1/3 cup went into the syrup for the orange syrup cakes - it added a slight tang and richer flavour than a plain citrus syrup. Some went into the freezer - I hear it makes a good marinade for meat - and some went into a version of this buttermilk syrup (I say "a version" because I used twice the amount of whey as the recipe calls for buttermilk, no corn syrup and no baking soda). Then THAT syrup went into this spelt porridge, which I portioned up and took to work for breakfast.

Spelt Porridge

250g pearled spelt
250ml water
1/4 cup golden flax seed
1/4 cup dessicated coconut
375ml whey syrup
60g dried cranberries
80g dried figs, cut into quarters
100g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Combine ingredients in a heavy bottomed pan. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently on a low heat for about 1/2 hour, stirring frequently, or until it is thick and gelatinous and the spelt is tender. Serve hot, with extra cold milk poured over. It's very filling and sustaining.

A Guest Post by Foodycat.

Featured Forger: Mirch Masala makes Paneer

2009-12-29T12:05:00.011-05:00

Yesterday I came across a fabulous home cheese making post over at Mirch Masala...and the incredibly talented Superchef was kind enough to allow me to share it here at Forging Fromage!
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Paneer / Cottage Cheese, the most versatile ingredient in Indian, especially vegetarian cooking is easily available in all Indian grocery stores. So, why bother making it at home??! Well, there are a couple of good reasons, at least for me. First of all, the ones that you get in stores has this rubbery texture to it. Even though you can live with it, the homemade paneer has a different fresh texture and taste and absorbs the flavour better than the store bought ones. Now especially with paneer, which doesn't have any particular taste to it, this is a very important factor. Second is the cost factor – you will easily spend 6-7 bucks for a block of paneer where as a similar quantity can be made at home with about a gallon of milk which is anywhere between 2-3 $. I know, I know its not a HUGE difference. But don't you feel good when you get better quality and better tasting product for lesser price and the best thing is the satisfaction of making paneer at home! Hope at least some of you agree with me :)You will need:
1/2 gallon 2% milk – whole milk will be better
2 oz (1/4 cup) distilled white vinegar ( you can use equal amount lime/lemon juice also)

A heavy bottomed pan
a colander
cheese cloth, to strain
heavy pans/canned food/other heavy things as weightsHeat the milk in a heavy bottomed pan/cast iron pan on medium heat. Keep stirring so that the milk doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Just when the milk starts steaming and just before it comes to a boil, add the vinegar to it. The milk will curdle and you will see something like whats shown in the photo below.Now strain this on a cheese cloth spread over a colander. If you want you can collect the whey (the liquid part) for later use. Wait for sometime till the water drains out completely and then take out the cheese cloth. Place a plate or a chopping board in the sink, place the cheesecloth folded on top it. Place another plate and put some cans of food or a heavy pan on top of it as weights. After about an hour – hour and a half, remove the plates and weights and take out the block of paneer. Chop into small pieces and store or store as it is in the refrigerator for later use. Here are some recipes using paneer :

Paneer Makhani / Paneer Butter Masala – An Easier Version
Paneer Butter Masala on a Pizza
Palak Paneer
Paneer Pulao
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Um, yeah...awesome, right!? Thanks so much for sharing your Paneer making method with us, Manju! And believe me, if you don't visit Mirch Masala already...you will get lost in this fabulous world of spices n' more!!

Our Cheese Dairy-filled Adventure for the month of December is...

2009-12-07T08:33:00.009-05:00

We figured since everybody is dealing with a little seasonal/holiday madness this time of year, it best to take it easy again. We chose Créme Fraîche this month...although it's not cheese, it is a dairy product, and we've decided to broaden our focus a bit to include other dairy gems such as this! Créme Fraîche translates to Fresh Cream. Are you familiar with it? It's thick, tangy and perfectly decadent! "It originated before the days of pasteurization, when refrigeration and fast transportation weren't available. The cream collected bacteria and fermented before it was able to make its way from French dairy farms to the markets. The French developed a taste for it and still enjoy the flavor today."* Um, me too. With an average of somewhere between 30-60% butterfat, is there any question why? I'm going to provide a recipe again, in hopes that we'll have a couple more people join us in our adventure this month...you don't have to use this recipe...but it's here if you need it! And who couldn't use a good container of this gorgeous cream to drizzle on their fish, poultry, vegetable and fruit on their holiday table? Finish a pan sauce with a blob for extra creamy richness. Throw in some herbs for savory dishes...or mix in some honey and vanilla to go with fruit! Top a baked potato or an omelet with a dab. Give it a go...you will be pleased!

Créme Fraîche
from The Home Creamery by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley (see sidebar to get your own copy)

1-2 Tbs. cultured Buttermilk
2 c. (1 pint) heavy cream do not use ultra-pasteurized (needs that good bacteria!)

1. Combine buttermilk and cream in medium saucepan and heat only to tepid (not more than 85 degrees F). Pour mixture into a clean pint jar. Cover partially and let stand at room temp (between 65-75 degrees F) for 8-24 hours or until thickened. Don't be scared of leaving it out...it is an essential step and so worth it. I've made it before. Really.

2. Stir and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before using. The cream will continue to thicken and develop flavor in fridge. It will keep for ~2 weeks.

We look forward to seeing your Créme Fraîche and what you've done with it this month! Once you've posted...or made and pictured...email us with a link or picture/text you'd like to be included in the roundup (by the end of the month). Forge!

*source The Home Creamery

Mascarpone RoundUp!

2009-12-05T16:00:00.008-05:00

We had 2 takers this month...or should I say 2 makers? Hmmm. 2 takers who were Mascarpone makers. 2 part-time bakers, they ain't no fakers, Autumn leaf rakers, who may or may not like the Lakers...and occasionally walk around nakers and are both early wakers. Sorry. So, this simple Italian-style Creamier than creamy cream cheese...Mascarpone! 2 ingredients used by 2 makers were all that were required. Just look at the end results! As you may have guessed, Natashya and I were the ones who made the cheese...and I'll include the links to our original posts so you can check out the methods we used.

Natashya's Mascarpone

girlichef's Mascarpone

Just look at these beauties that Natashya made with her mascarpone. Wowza!

And now, feast your eyes upon my lovely creation.

Oh, that's right. I'm a ~~slacker~~ super-busy girli with no time to use her Mascarpone. Ugh. It's in the freezer...I'll post an update in the future.

Watch for next month's adventure to be announced soon! And don't forget that if you make a cheese ball or cheese dip or something cheesy this holiday season to send us a link or picture and we'll round 'em all up in the new year!

Guest Post - Liptauer Cheese from Mary of One Perfect Bite

2009-11-17T13:35:00.006-05:00

I read this post for a savoury and delicious cheese recipe on my friend Mary's site, One Perfect Bite. It is a great way to use the fresh cheese we have been making here at Forging Fromage, or even with store-bought cheese, and she has kindly agreed to let us reproduce her post here. Can't wait to try this recipe!

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...
I know that early exposure helps us develop an affinity for certain foods. It's the only plausible explanation for my love of Central European food. I had my first taste of Liptauer cheese at the age of 4 and we've had an improbable love affair ever since. Lipto is a fresh Hungarian cheese that's made with sheep's milk. It has a very soft consistency, but it's so mild that it's almost flavorless. That's taken care of by the addition of herbs and seeds and spices that are used to flavor the food of the region. A little paprika, a few capers and a spoonful of caraway seeds help move the bland to "bingo." When we lived in Chicago, Lipto cheese was just a bus ride away. It became harder to find in the suburbs of New Jersey and I haven't been able to find it at all where we now live. This cheese spread is popular in Slovakia and Italy , where it's called Spuma di formaggio all'ungherese, as well as in Austria and Hungary. It's almost effortless to make and it's wonderful for those occasions where beer is the beverage of choice. Liptauer cheese spread can be made with any soft cheese. Cottage cheese, cream cheese, quark, and soft goat or sheep cheese are all great substitutes for Lipto. The cheese is mixed with sour cream, butter, and finely chopped onions. Spices like ground paprika, fresh parsley, and bruised caraway seeds are added to the mix along with mustard and anchovies. The cheese is served with crackers or dark breads such as rye or pumpernickel. Some folks serve it with vegetables and others use it to stuff vegetables. All in all, it's an amazingly versatile spread. If you add two or three extra tablespoons of sour cream to the mix, it becomes a dip that's not at all bad with chips or pretzels. Liptauer takes 10 minutes to assemble, but it's flavor improves if it's allowed to sit for a few hours before serving. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Liptauer Cheese Spread

from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
8 oz. of Lipto or cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup soft butter, softened
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 mashed anchovy fillets or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 teaspoon capers
1 tablespoon finely minced onion
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1-1/2 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds smashed or bruised to release flavor
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1) Combine cream cheese, butter, sour cream and anchovies in a small bowl. Mix well to combine.
2) Add capers, minced onions, mustard, paprika, caraway seeds and salt. Mix well.
3) Form a smooth mound. Make slight indentations in mound using tines of a fork. Sprinkle with paprika.
4) Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish as desired. Yield 1-3/4 cups.

Remember, November's cheese challenge is Mascarpone!
*Email your cheese-filled adventures by the last day of the month.

Bonus
If you make this liptauer, or any special cheese spread or cheese ball, before the end of the year, feel free to write to us. Send in a picture and a link if you post it, and we will post an extra round-up in the new year. I think it would be a wonderful holiday appetizer.
Please direct any entries or questions...or just write to say howdeedoo...to forgingfromage at live dot com

Our Cheesy Adventure for November is.....

2009-11-06T18:00:00.004-05:00

Yes...that is our cheese adventure for the month of November!!! This is so easy...2 ingredients!! I'm going to share the recipe that I will be using with you...it is from The Home Creamery by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley. Feel free to use any recipe you like, though.

4 cups (2 pints) heavy cream
1 Tbs. white wine vinegar

1. Pour the cream into the top of a large double boiler and slowly heat to 190 degrees F, stirring occasionally. Check the temperature with a thermometer.

2. Stir in the vinegar, and continue to stir until the cream begins to curdle. Remove the pan from the water, cover and let stand about 15 minutes or until the curds begin to firm.

3. Pour or ladle the curds into a butter muslin-lined strainer set over a large bowl. Let the curds cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for 24 hours to continue draining and to firm.

4. Discard the liquid and transfer the mascarpone to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Stir well before using.

Okay, make it and blog it and send me your link by the last day in November!! Good or bad, success or failure...share with us your cheesy adventure! And remember, if the urge ever strikes to do a guest post about a particular cheesy subject here at Forging Fromage...just say the word...and it's done! Feel free to ask any questions or make comments about MASCARPONE in the comments at the end of this post...hopefully we can learn how to do it...and what not to do...together!

Rounding up Cottage Cheese results...from our first Forging Fromage adventure!

2009-11-01T17:10:00.009-05:00

We did it!! We successfully made Cottage Cheese. AT HOME! Only 3 of us worked our way through this month's adventure...but I would say with beautiful and surprising results!!

First up is my cheese making partner in crime...Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. Natashya was the one who actually nudged me into starting a cheese making blog...and now I've nudged her into joining me! But we have been working our way through the successes and failures over the past few months anyway...now we can just share them with others! Look at her Cottage Cheese! Pretty, huh? She used a slightly adapted recipe from The Home Creamery by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley...allowing her to "make up" for the homogenization and pasteurization of her store-bought milk.

Next we have Susan from The Accidental Farmer...who actually posted her own recipe from many, many practice rounds right here on Forging Fromage! Her method was different in she let time (and the wonders of raw milk) do the work, instead of rennet!
And bringing up the rear is yours truly...originally posted over at girlichef. I became a convert...where I once was a bit suspicious of cottage cheese...I now cannot wait to make it (and eat it) again!! But I prefer it un-creamy. I also used The Home Creamery recipe...sans changes! See how easy that was!!!??? And super rewarding...seriously, it feels really awesome to produce your own cheese. Yes, I love cheese.

Stay tuned for Novembers Cheese Adventure...I promise you...it's SUPER EASY!!! And you can jump right in without any "special" starters or cultures. No better place or time to begin.....

The Accidental Farmer talks about Cottage Cheese

2009-10-17T20:15:00.007-04:00

One of my visions for Forging Fromage was to bring in guest posters...people who have something to offer (I bet we all have a little something hidden away) by way of cheese knowledge. Home cheese makers, professionals, beginners, wanna-be's...every experience is potentially a learning experience, so please...if there's anything you'd like to talk about here, just let me know! Today, we are gonna be given a little lesson on making Cottage Cheese by Susan of The Accidental Farmer. Susan is a friend of mine who lives on and cares tirelessly for an organic farm with everything from veggies to chickens to (of course) dairy cows! She also makes my favorite lip balm of all time...has a booth at our local Farmer's Market...and now she blogs, too! One of these days, I'm going to ask her to bless us with a post filled with her fabulous insights on the benefits of Raw Milk...she's so much better at voicing it than I am! Remember, this month's Cheese Adventure is Cottage Cheese...so, if you'd forgotten, or are still searching for a recipe...Susan is giving us her tried and true method.

Susan's Cottage Cheese

I learned to make cottage cheese by reading several cheese making books and just diving in and trying it. After making several batches, I have devised my own cottage cheese recipe, using a little from this, a little from that, and a little that is all my own. However, this recipe most closely resembles the recipe for cottage cheese in Making Artisan Cheese: Fifty Fine Cheeses That You Can Make in Your Own Kitchen by Tim Smith. I do not use rennet in this recipe, but let time make the curd form. It makes a much more tender cheese. My recipe makes a little more than two pounds of cheese, but it can easily be halved. But you should still use the same amount of mesophilic starter culture, even if only making a half batch.

Equipment:
· A heavy bottomed two-gallon stock pot and a larger pot to make a double boiler

· An instant read thermometer (need to be able to read temps between 72º and 112º)

· A spoon for stirring (unless you are using the metal whisk – see below)

· A large metal whisk OR a long serrated bread knife OR a long frosting knife with a bend in it for cutting the curd

· Professional cheese cloth – you might find at a fabric store, or order from Dairy Connection.

~The stuff in the grocery store is too loose a weave – you will lose a lot of cheese!
~Butter muslin is too tight a weave. It will take forever to drain and it will be hard to wash the curds if you use it.

· A large colander

· A large bowl for mixing the finished product with salt

Wash and sterilize all of your equipment prior to use. Wash your hands frequently while you work. You are injecting the milk with special bacteria that will make great tasting cheese. The bacteria on your hands will not give you such great results.

Ingredients:
· Six quarts milk, preferably raw, most of the cream skimmed off and reserved

~ If it is pasteurized, do NOT use ultra pasteurized. Meijer's house brand was not ultra pasteurized the last time I looked.

· ¼ tsp. mesophilic starter culture – get from Dairy Connection or find a cheese maker who will give you a bit.

· Canning salt or flake salt (you can get flake salt from Dairy Connection, but canning salt works well, and you can buy that in about any grocery store.)

Process:
I made my own double boiler by putting a two gallon stock pot inside a three gallon stock pot. I have two Dutch ovens and four stock pots. And some days I wish I had a couple more. My stove is always busy!! I put the milk into the smaller pot and set it into the larger pot, into which I put about 3” of water. Water should come up the sides of the pot with the milk, to about 4” from the top. This creates a water bath and prevents the milk from scorching as you heat it. If you don't have two pots, then just remember to stand over the pot as you heat the milk! Scorched milk does not make good cottage cheese. I start with six quarts of raw milk. I skim most of the cream off the milk and put the cream in a pint jar in fridge. I'll use that at the end, adding it to make the finished cottage cheese creamier and richer. If using raw or unhomogenized milk, the cream will rise to the top while you are making the cheese and you will lose some of it. That's why I save it and add it back in after the cheese is made.

Heat your milk until it reaches about 72º. Add the mesophilic starter culture to the milk and incorporate it gently into the warmed milk with a wire whisk or large spoon. Then put a lid on it and forget it for about 24 hours. It should be somewhere where the temperature doesn't fall below 68º, although mine often does and it still seems to make good cheese.

After 20 hours or so (if your house is warm), tilt the pan slightly and see if the milk pulls away from the side of the pot. It will be kind of gelatinous. If so, you are ready to go to the next step. If not, let it sit a little longer. You shouldn't have to let it sit for more than 26 hours, though.

Now very gently cut the curd. You will do this either by cutting with a knife or by using the wire whisk. If you use the whisk, do not stir, but gently drag it through the curd to break it up into smaller chunks. If using either of the knives, first cut straight down making cuts about 1/4” apart. Then turn the pot 90º and cut straight down perpendicular to your first cuts. You should have 1/4” x 1/4” strips.

Now for the hard part (and why I use the frosting knife with the bend). Lay the knife as close to horizontal as you can and begin cutting horizontally to make 1/4” cubes of curd. I know, you are thinking it can't be done. You are right – it can't be done. It really is nothing more than a laudable objective. You will not have perfect little cubes. But get them as close as you can, and stir gently to see if there are any big long “worms” of curd that need to be cut up some more. Now set your timer for 15 minutes and walk away. The curds will begin to settle a bit in the pan, and you will see the whey begin to separate out of the curd. When you cut the curds, you are exposing all of those little surfaces to the whey in the pot, and it will draw more whey out of the cubes.

After 15 minutes has passed, turn the burner on under your double boiler. The curds need to be stirred gently while heating so that they don't mat in the bottom of the pan. If you are heating directly on the burner, turn heat on lowest setting. You want to heat the curds to 100º over 25 minutes. You must do this slowly. Patience is required here. Then let the curds sit at 100º for 10 minutes. Now you will slowly raise the temperature to 112º. This should take another 15 minutes. Then let the curds sit at the target temperature for 30 minutes. If the curds still feel very soft at the end of this time, let them cook a little longer at 112º. If you exceed that temperature by more than one or two degrees, you will have tough cheese, so again, be patient and watch the heat. Let time do the cooking, not temperature.

When the curds feel fairly firm, it is time to drain them. Line your colander with sterilized cheesecloth (I steam mine in a vegetable steamer) and gently pour off a bit of the whey that should be floating on top of the curds. Now use a large ladle to ladle the curds into the colander or pour them gently directly from the pot. Let them drain for about five minutes, then gather up the ends of the cheesecloth and tie them into a hobo's bag. Slip a chopstick through the knot and let the bag hang for about 20 minutes inside your pot. (The chopstick should fit on the rim of the pot, holding the bag of curds out of the whey that will be draining from it.)

About the whey – I will tell you right now that the whey from this recipe is not good for ricotta. I don't know why, but don't bother. But there are all sorts of good things to do with whey. Put a little in your oatmeal and let it sit on the counter overnight before cooking for breakfast the next morning. Ditto with pancake batter – make it the night before and put in fridge overnight. Put some whey in homemade mayonnaise and let it sit on counter for seven hours before refrigerating – it will last several weeks instead of just a couple. Drink it. Give it to your dogs – they love it! Chickens love it even more. Water your plants with it. Pour it on your compost pile. Whey is alive and teaming with good things. Do not throw it down the drain!
Okay, by now your cottage cheese has drained enough. Fill a large bowl (or your emptied pot) with ice cold water and swish the bag of curds through the water several times. It will get kind of milky looking. Then let the whey drain again for about 15 minutes. Swish in fresh cold water and drain again for 15 minutes. This is a really important step, because the cheese will last longer if it has been washed well.

Now dump the curds into a large bowl, stir, and salt to taste. If you have used raw milk and if you have washed the curds well, then pour in the reserved cream. Your cottage cheese will stay good for a week or two. If you have used pasteurized milk or have been a bit careless about washing the curds, then save the cream and add to the cheese as you eat it, since the cream will make the cheese spoil a little faster.

Store the cheese, refrigerated, for a week or two, but best if eaten within a week.
Here is one of my favorite ways to eat my homemade cottage cheese. Oh Mama’s Deli at the South Bend Farmers Market sells this great Muffaleti Olive Salad and I mix it about 5:1, cottage cheese to muffaleti. Stir, add some fresh ground black pepper, enjoy!

Bon appétit!

Susan...thank you so much for sharing your cottage cheese making with us...It looks so delicious! We still have a couple weeks left in our Cottage Cheese Adventure....does anybody else want to say anything!?

October Adventure = Large Curd Cottage Cheese

2009-10-01T00:00:00.003-04:00

Your ~~assignment~~ adventure, should you wish to accept it, is...Large Curd Cottage Cheese!

That's it...find a recipe, any recipe for making Large Curd Cottage Cheese at home. Give it your best shot, take notes, take pictures...and post about it on your blog! We'd love to know whether it works or fails....what your experience was like...would you do it again...are you totally and completely in lust with making your own cheese now!?

Please feel free to use any recipe you like...maybe one is easier than another...or tastier...we'll never know unless we try! If anybody has trouble's finding a good recipe to use, please let me know and I'll send you one I have. Don't know if it's good or not, as I haven't made it yet...but. :D

Check out this post if you have any questions about submitting your post...or feel free to ask questions here!

Let them make cheese!

2009-09-27T18:54:00.005-04:00

I'm having an affair. A hot, steamy, lusty affair. Just the thought of it starts the craving all over again...the longing...the need. I should have known it would happen sooner or later, because I've always held a secret desire for 'C'. A long-term crush, if you will. It started when I was just a shy, soft-spoken little girl. I would see 'C'...and I would feel a little rush. When I was able to spend time with 'C', well...it was like heaven. Luckily, 'C' was never very far. Through all of the moves in elementary, middle and high school; at college. Both times. Although, much more visible the second time around. And you cannot even imagine what a comfort that was! I have fallen for many versions of 'C' over the years. Some were better looking than others. Some smelled better than others. Some were more colorful than others. But they were all dreamy in their own little ways.

Many years have past since I first fell for 'C'. I actually married and had kids, but 'C' stuck by my side through it all. And how amazing is it to have your whole family be supportive of that never-ending love!? I mean, this affair is carried out on a daily basis...IN MY OWN HOME! Yes, my love affair with CHEESE is a lifelong one that will endure!! Since I began making cheese at home, my affection has never wavered, even through the ups & downs, the twists & turns...nothing good comes easy. Right?

This brings me to my point. Yes, there was a point. I ADORE MAKING HOMEMADE CHEESE. I ADORE EATING HOMEMADE CHEESE. Won't you join me?

DETAILS:

This blog is dedicated to all things cheesy...and attainable...in our home kitchens!!! Let's make cheese in our home kitchens...and share the experiences and trials and successes and failures HERE! Each month a new cheese will be announced. You may use any recipe you wish to make this cheese. Make your cheese and document your thoughts, observations and findings...take photos if you wish. Then write a post about it on your blog linking back to forging fromage. Email me the URL to that specific post...and attach a photo and anything else you'd like and I'll round-up all of our posts at the end of each month. I will post the name of the specific month's Adventure in Cheese and the due date on the sidebar. Round-ups will be posted sometime during the first week of the following month. All entries should be mailed to forgingfromage at live dot com. Please enter forging fromage entry + name of month in subject line when submitting.

Are you ready to be seduced by cheese? Please join me and take a chance! No judging...I am a beginner, myself. I hope to learn through trial and error...mine and yours! I say we start with some of the easier cheeses (like fresh ones) and gradually work our way towards the ones that take more care and nurturing. There are no "requirements" other than the entry requirements listed above. You do not have to participate every month. Your cheese does not have to turn out well to be included...we want the nitty gritty here!

I will be adding more helpful links to the sidebar as I find them. Places to find cheese making supplies, sites dedicated to cheese, etc. If you have a cheesy idea you'd like to post about here on forging fromage...let me know!! Guest posters are encouraged, because I definitely think many points of view will work to our benefit. We may even feature some cheesy recipes and cheesy-pairings...anything to further the love affair!

So, grab a button if you wish...and stay tuned for the announcement of our first Adventure in Cheese...coming soon!