Making Artisan Cheese (20 page)

Slowly heat curds to 104° F (40°C); 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.

Traditionally made from the milk of sheep, Halloumi has its roots on the island of Cyprus.

Blend mint into the drained curds with a spoon. Pour the curds into a 2-pound (900 g) cheese cloth–lined mold. Fold a corner of the cheese cloth over the curds, and press at thirty pounds for one hour. Remove the cheese from the mold, 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 190°F (88°C). Take the cheese out of the mold, and cut it into 2" (5 cm) -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 ½ cup (145 g) of cheese salt, and let it rest for two hours at room temperature.

Yield: 2 pounds (900 g)

Artisan Advice

As you prepare for cheese making, leave your milk out of refrigeration for several hours. This will allow you to heat the milk to the proper temperature relatively quickly, saving you some time and effort.

Pyrenees

This is a cow’s-milk variety of the more famous Ossau -Iraty, from the southwest of France. This cheese is typically produced in large-scale industrial factories and has a mild flavor due to the young age of the cheese. Traditionally coated in a black wax, it is a simple cheese to make and has a wide appeal. (This version is not waxed.)

PROCEDURE

In a stainless-steel or coated enamel pot, heat milk to 90°F (32°C). Add the starter culture, stir, and maintain the target temperature for forty-five minutes. Add diluted calcium chloride and stir for one minute.

Add the rennet to the milk, and stir gently from top to bottom to ensure an even distribution. Cover and set aside for forty-five minutes. You will notice a firm curd set. Use your finger or a knife to check for a clean break (see
page 83
). Using a curd knife, cut curd into ½" (about 1 cm) cubes.

Place the pot in a hot-water bath, and slowly raise the temperature to 100°F (38°C). This should be done over a thirty-minute period. You will notice that the whey will rise to the surface at a greater rate as the curds continue to shrink.

Once the target temperature has been reached, cover for five more minutes, then pour the curds into a colander lined with cheese cloth or butter muslin, with a catch bowl underneath. Tie up the curds into a ball, and let them hang from a wooden spoon resting on the edges of a stock pot to drain for one hour. You will notice a considerable amount of whey draining from the curds initially. After an hour, the ball will be firm and moist but not hard.

INGREDIENTS

2 gallons (7.6 L) whole milk

½ rennet tablet or ¼ teaspoon (about 2 ml) liquid rennet dissolved in ¼ cup (60 ml) of cool water

¼ teaspoon (about 2 g) calcium chloride diluted in ¼ cup (60 ml) cool water

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

1 tablespoon (18 g) cheese salt

TECHNIQUES

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

The young, mild flavor of Pyrenees cheese has broad appeal.

Variation: Pyrenees with Green Peppercorns

Follow the directions provided, with the following modifications.

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon (5 g) green peppercorns

½ cup (120 ml) water

PROCEDURE
Boil the peppercorns in water for fifteen minutes. Strain the peppercorns and set the water aside. Heat the milk, and add the peppercorn water before adding the starter culture. Add the peppercorns when you are blending the salt into the curds.

Empty the curds into a large bowl, and crumble with your hands. The pieces should be the size of marbles. Sprinkle curds evenly with salt, and distribute the salt throughout the curds with your fingers.

Line your cheese mold with a sterilized piece of cheese cloth or butter muslin. Pack your curds into the mold; this will take a little effort, because you will have to push them in to fit into the mold. Neatly fold the cloth over the top of the curds. Begin applying pressure to the cheese. It is best to start with a light press: five pounds for thirty minutes. Remove the cheese from the mold and cheese cloth. Turn the cheese, rewrap cheese, and press at ten pounds for fifteen minutes. Repeat this process, and press at twenty pounds for twelve hours. Turn again and repeat at the same pressure for an additional twelve hours.

Take the cheese out of the press, remove the cheese cloth, and let it airdry on a wooden cheese board. This will take anywhere from three to five days, depending on the time of year and heat and humidity of your house. Be sure to turn the cheese a few times each day so that it dries evenly.

Once your cheese has developed a firm rind, ripen at 55°F (13°C), and 80–85 percent humidity, from four to six months.

Yield: 2 pounds (900 g)

Feta

The original Feta was a sheep’s-milk cheese that is often associated with Greece. There is some dispute to this claim, as Bulgarians will state that theirs is the country of origin. Whoever is correct in this debate is uncertain. What is known, however, is that the word Feta is actually Italian in origin, derived from the word fette, meaning "a slice of food," and modern Feta is made with goat’s milk.

INGREDIENTS

1 gallon (3.8 L) goat’s milk

¼ teaspoon (about 2 g) lipase powder diluted in ¼ cup (60 ml) cool water

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

½ teaspoon (about 3 ml) liquid rennet or ¼ tablet dry rennet tablet dissolved in ¼ cup (60 ml) cool, unchlorinated water

¼ teaspoon (about 2 g) calcium chloride diluted in ¼ cup (60 ml) cool water

TECHNIQUES

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

PROCEDURE

Blend the milk and diluted lipase, and heat to 86°F (30°C). Add the starter culture, stir, and cover for one hour.

Maintaining the target temperature of 86°F (30°C), add the diluted rennet and stir for one minute. Cover and let sit for one hour, maintaining target temperature. Using a curd knife, make one cut to check for a clean break (see
page 83
).

Cut the curds into ½" (about 1 cm) cubes. Allow the curds to rest for ten minutes at target temperature.

Stir the curds for twenty minutes. Pour the curds into a cheese cloth–lined colander with a catch bowl underneath, and tie into a ball.

Slip the handle of a wooden spoon through the knot, and suspend the bundle over a stock pot for four hours, or until the curds have drained. The drained curds should be spongy, but firm.

Remove curds from the cheese cloth, and cut into 1" (2.5 cm) -thick blocks. Lightly sprinkle feta blocks with salt. Place in a covered container and ripen in a refrigerator for four days at 58°F (15°C) and 80–85 percent humidity. Feta will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Yield: 1 pound (450 g)

Goat’s milk gives feta cheese its characteristic tangy flavor.

Caerphilly

This mild yet tangy, cow’s-milk cheese has a moist, semifirm texture and is generally sold in cylinders or blocks. It’s best eaten fresh (the English prefer it only a few weeks old) and is delicious with dark breads and ale. One of the unique advantages to making Caerphilly is that it has a short ripening period—only three weeks—so you don’t have to wait too long to try out your cheese.

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 (about 1 g) calcium chloride diluted in ¼ cup (60 ml) cool water (see
page 72
)