Making Artisan Cheese (18 page)

In general, the warmer the curds, the lighter the pressure required, because the whey will move more freely out of warmer curds.

Cheese Turning

Turning is not a difficult concept, but it is an important one. Cheese turning simply means flipping your cheese over, end to end. Without turning the cheese, gravity will pull the moisture, fat, and proteins down to the bottom of the round, making your cheese lopsided with an uneven texture and flavor. In the beginning stages of aging, you will be turning the cheese frequently, as directed by the recipe. For the mature, ripened cheeses, you will do it once a week. This process allows you to keep an eye on your beloved and to let oxygen get to the bottom of the cheese, preventing rot from developing on the rind.

Intermediate Cheese Recipes

You can make cheese in almost any kitchen, so don’t call in the contractors if you feel yours is too small. Take a few moments to prepare your surroundings, because it is not advisable to prepare any other food while you are in the middle of making cheese.

• Remove all other food products. You don’t want that leftover meatball landing in your pot of freshly made curds.

• Get rid of all your used dish cloths and towels. Bring in clean, unused ones, and have more than you think you need. It’s better to have too many than not enough.

• Clean and sanitize your work surfaces. Start with soap and water, and finish off with a sanitizing solution.

• Lay out all your tools to make sure that you have everything you need.

• Change your clothes if they happen to be exceptionally dirty. Although you don’t have to be fanatical about it, you wouldn’t want to make cheese in the same shirt that you wore to mow the lawn.

Savory, salty, firm cheeses with flavor, color, and texture, such as Parmesean, Cheddar, and Monterey Jack, are not difficult to make—all that’s needed are a few specialized tools and ingredients.

Monterey Jack is a popular snack cheese. The addition of dried red peppers transforms this favorite into crowd-pleasing Pepper Jack.

Monterey Jack

Monterey Jack cheese was brought to America from Spain, via Mexico, by the Franciscan monks in the eighteenth century. Originally known as Queso del Pais, it was a locally produced cheese in the Monterey area of California. One of the producers, Domingo Pedrazzi, created a cheese using a cheese press called a “housejack,” which is where the name Jack was derived.

INGREDIENTS

2 gallons (7.6 L) whole milk

4 tablespoons (60 ml) mesophilic mother culture, or ¼ teaspoon (about 2 ml) mesophilic direct-set culture

teaspoon calcium chloride, diluted in ¼ cup (60 ml) cool water (see
page 72
for guidelines on using calcium chloride)

½ teaspoon (5 ml) liquid rennet, or ½ tablet dry rennet diluted in cool, unchlorinated water

1 tablespoon (6 g) cheese salt

TECHNIQUES

For illustrated steps and tools, see Intermediate Cheese-Making Techniques,
page 82
.

PROCEDURE

Heat the milk to 88°F (31°C), then add the starter culture, stir, and cover. Raise the temperature to 90°F (32°C) and hold for thirty minutes. After culturing, only if you are using homogenized milk, add the calcium chloride.

Maintaining the target temperature of 90° F (32°C), add the diluted rennet and stir for one minute. Cover and let sit for forty-five minutes. Make a test cut with a curd knife to check for a clean break (see
page 83
). Cut the curds into ¼" (6 mm) cubes. Maintaining the target temperature, stir the curds for forty minutes.

Gradually raise the temperature to 100°F (38°C). This should take about thirty-five minutes. Stir frequently to keep the curds from matting. Once the target temperature is reached, maintain for thirty minutes, and continue stirring. Let the curds rest for five minutes.

Pour off the whey to the level of the curds, taking care not to lose any of the curds. Let the curds rest for an additional thirty minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the curds from matting. While the curds rest, make sure the target temperature is maintained. Line a colander with sterilized cheese cloth, and rest the colander over a deep bowl. Spoon the curds into the colander, and toss in the salt. Let the curds drain for five minutes.

Variation: Pepper Jack

A spicy alternative that is sure to wake up your mouth, Pepper Jack is perfect for any south-of-the border dish. Follow the recipe for Monterey Jack, with the following modifications.

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon (about 1 g) hot chili flakes
½ cup (120 ml) water

PROCEDURE
Boil pepper flakes in water for fifteen minutes. Strain and remove the chili flakes, and set aside the water. (You will add this water to your milk.) Add the pepper water to the milk, then heat milk mixture. Add the starter culture. Add boiled pepper flakes when you are blending in the salt.

Line a 2-pound (900 g) mold with cheese cloth, and fill it with the curds. Cover the curds with cheese cloth, top with a follower, and press at ten pounds for fifteen minutes. Remove the cheese from the press, and slowly, carefully unwrap it. Turn the cheese over, rewrap it in the cloth, and press at thirty pounds for thirty minutes. Repeat the unwrapping and turning procedure, this time pressing at forty pounds for twelve hours.

Remove the cheese from the press, and take it out of the mold. Unwrap the cheese cloth, and place the cheese on a cheese board. Let it air-dry at room temperature, turning it twice daily, until it is dry to the touch (usually within two to five days). Wax or oil the cheese and allow it to ripen for one to three months in a humid refrigerator at 55°F (13°C) and 80–85 percent humidity. Turn weekly.

Yield: 2 pounds (900 g)

Using Indirect Heat

Many cheese recipes call for a slow rise in temperature during the heating process. For these recipes, an indirect heat source is preferable, such as a hot-water bath or double boiler. In large cheese factories, a steam bath is used, giving an almost instantaneous response to address temperature fluctuations. A water bath is effective for heating, but keep in mind that there is a lag time between heating the water and the milk. A good rule of thumb is to aim to raise the water to ten degrees above the target temperature, and then maintain it at an equal number to maintain the cheese at the target temperature. With a water bath, it is a good idea to have two thermometers working—one in the water and one in the cheese— to avoid any mishaps.

Cotswold

Cotswold is a variation of the English cheese Double Gloucester. Made in the English county of Gloucestershire, in the region called the Cotswolds, Double Gloucester was originally made from the milk of the local black cattle of the same name. A firm cheese, Cotswold is blended with chives and onions and aged for three to four months.

INGREDIENTS

2 gallons (7.6 L) whole milk

4 tablespoons (60 ml) mesophilic mother culture, or ¼ teaspoon (about 2 ml) direct-set culture

4 drops annatto coloring diluted in ¼ cup (60 ml) cool, unchlorinated water

teaspoon calcium chloride diluted in ¼ cup (60 ml) cool, unchlorinated water (see
page 72
)

¾ teaspoon (about 4 g) liquid rennet, or ¼ tablet dry rennet diluted in ¼ cup (60 ml) cool, unchlorinated water