Sunday, May 16, 2010

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


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

forgingfromagebutton2

27 comments:

NKP said...

Woot! Hooray for new cheesy challenges! Great choices, can't wait!

Rebecca said...

Yay!I'm very excited to get started on both of these challenges!

Since my concentration is on goat cheeses, I think I'll make it a goat gouda. I've made several fresh goat cheeses so far, but this will be my first harder goat cheese. Looking forward to hearing everyone's experiences and trading tips.

Heather S-G said...

That is so exciting, Rebecca! What difference in flavor do you think the goat milk would add to the gouda? Can't wait to find out! :)

Kim said...

Sounds like some new adventures in cheese are awaiting. Can't wait to see how it turns out!

Alicia Foodycat said...

Oh wow! We are taking leaps and bounds!

Rebecca said...

The goat milk should give it a bit more of a "bite" than the cow milk addition, and, of course, the usual slightly goaty flavor. I'm also interested to see how the texture changes. I assume it will be whiter than the cow version, and possibly slightly smoother/creamier. I really ought to try a cow and a goat at the same time to compare. Hmmmm....

Simona Carini said...

Gouda is a great cheese: I have made it twice and will make it again. I hope to be able to join you for Feta, a cheese I have not yet tried. Just one suggestion: make ricotta from the whey left over from making Gouda. A good recipe is on this page.

Heather S-G said...

Yes, Simona...you're so right. Making ricotta w/ they remaining whey from any cheese making venture is a great way to make the most of your time and money!! We've mentioned it in the past...but should definitely remember to point it out for those who are new to the cheesemaking process. Thanks for the reminder and we definitely hope you join us in forging feta!!

Alicia Foodycat said...

4oz starter culture? Is that a misprint?

NKP said...

Hmm, I haven't started on these yet and didn't notice that. Some of my books have you make a larger starter culture out of your starter.. maybe that is what it refers to.
Heather will likely pick up and respond to this thread soon.
Cheers,
Natashya

Heather S-G said...

I know! I actually used 4 oz... my first attempt failed miserably. I ended up with about 1 oz. of tangy, cream-cheesey like stuff. Um, not what I was planning on. I'm thinking this may not be the best recipe to use. If anybody has one that sounds more feasible...please pass it on. I wouldn't recommend going on with this one. I'm out of town right now, but can post an update once I'm home (forgot before, sorry)!!

Alicia Foodycat said...

OK - got it sorted. On the Leener's website it says "Q. My recipe calls for 1 packet of Direct Set culture or 4 ozs. of prepared culture. How much DVI culture is equivalent to those amounts.

A. For most cheese making recipes, ¼ teaspoon of freeze dried Mesophilic or Thermophilic cheese culture will ripen 2 – 4 gallons of milk." http://www.leeners.com/cheese-ingredients-cultures.html so I used 1/8tsp of the Leeners culture that I was using and used this http://www.cheeseforum.org/Recipes/Recipe_Gouda.htm as an extra reference and my cheese is now in the fridge looking perfect!

Heather S-G said...

sheesh...I'm woman enough to admit you should definitely be hosting this one, not me :/ Thanks for doing the leg work...I didn't even realize the difference. I guess that's what this is all about, huh. Learning. Thanks FC, you rock. And I need to go back out and purchase more culture as I used the rest of it in my failed batch. The WHOLE FOUR OUNCES. LOL!!!

Rebecca said...

Glad I didn't plan to start the gouda until this weekend so that I could benefit from your recipe troubleshooting! Looking forward to getting started asap. Thanks to you all!

Rebecca said...

Wondering what other folks are using for pressing the cheese. Do you have real cheese presses, or are you using books/pots of water/bowling balls/exercise weights?

We have a cider press I'd like to you, but can't find any info online to figure out how to calibrate it.

Heather S-G said...

Hi Rebecca! I think most of are just using what we have. I use exercise weights wrapped in foil...Natashya has used bricks...I believe Foodycat also used exercise weights. Whatever works!! A cider press is a great idea, but I've never used one, so I have no clue about calibrating!

Alicia Foodycat said...

Yup exercise weights for me! See Halloumi challenge. Although I've gone all fancy schmance and got myself and actual gouda mould, instead of using my egg-ring and Chinese steamer contraption.

And I figured since my forebears used pound-stones as a measure (fossilised sea urchins), there is no harm in guesstimating!

Alicia Foodycat said...

I've got my feta salted and I will be trying it tonight. It smells delicious!

Rebecca said...

How's your feta, Foodycat? Mine has been sitting for 24 hours, to taste tonight. Am wondering if I should drain off all the whey that's come out in the last 24 hours before storing in the fridge.

Texture and all looks good. Anxious to try it!

Thanks, also, for everyone's comments on pressing. I ordered a real gouda mold, but will do as you are doing and use what I've got hanging around the house. Exercise weights would be perfect, but I don't have any (will go looking); am thinking of using 10 lb. flour bags because I always need flour around :-))

Alicia Foodycat said...

It's really delicious! I jumped the gun and ate the first half after the first 24 hours - it was really good. Mildly goat-y, crumbly but with a creamy mouthfeel. Very happy with it! The second half we ate last night, after a week in the fridge. Drier and crumblier, with a more developed flavour.

I aim to put my post up this weekend, if I can manage the photos.

Heather S-G said...

Oh, it sounds awesome, FC!!! Looks like I'm gonna have to do cow feta as goat's milk is more expensive than gold around here. Ugh. Looking forward to it, though...running late as usual.

NKP said...

Feta is sitting in its salty brine and the gouda is having its first 12 hour pressing! I did Foodycat's gouda recipe with the mustard seeds and am pressing it with a saucer, 28oz can of tomatoes, two bags of bread flour and a bag of sugar!

Alicia Foodycat said...

I'm having trouble with mould on my gouda. I keep wiping it off with vinegar as per instruction, but I don't think I am going to get to 25 days!

NKP said...

Oh no! How are you storing it? Mine is in the fridge but so far just looks like a dry, pressed version of the feta. (With mustard seeds)
I am going to fashion some moulds out of plumbing supplies this summer. So that my cheese will maintain the same shape when I flip it during the pressing. It gets re-shaped when I flip it in the strainer or salad spinner basket. I think that affected mine negatively. But, live and learn.
I am loving the feta though!

Alicia Foodycat said...

It's in the fridge, but I think the fridge needs cleaning!

Teri Gelseth said...

OK i understand that the 4 oz would be if it was a mother culture and the 1/4 ts is the powder form. :) Can't wait for mr linky tool to hit the scene!

I will be sharing you site with my readers as well!

Rebecca said...

Oh boy! We cut into our gouda this morning and it's REAL! I'm so excited. I wrote about it here: http://grongar.wordpress.com/2010/07/31/gouda/

I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone else's goudas.