The below started last weekend.....note: i did write this post also keeping in mind of other Forums for people that may not have had much contact with cheesemaking yet...
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Some cheese marathon arose last weekend ...it started when i got 30ltrs Milk from the Farming School ...first decisions decisions , which cheese to make .
My selection came to the following 1) Reblochon 2)double Cream Brie 3) Jarlsberg
1st day- 1st cheese Reblochon is a cheese which uses red mold and also white mold it is also a washed rind and very distinct flavor ….
Form the 30 ltr milk i recieved today i decided to use 8 ltr of it for making reblochon.
I used basically the instruction from a book called " 200 easy Homade cgheese recipes " but also added a pinch of Geotrichum Candidum .
Here the recipe:
8tr Milk
1/4 tsp Mesophilic culture
1/8 tsp Brevibacterium linens ripening bacteria ( it is the red mold and will call it "red mold" in future posts too)
1/4 tsp calcium chloride ( diluted with 1/4 cup unchlorinated cool water)
1/4 tsp liquid rennet ( diluted with 1/4 cup unchlorinated cool water)
1/64 tsp ( pinch ) Geotrichum Candidum
I first brought the milk to 85 F/29 C and added the Calcium Chloride did stir it with the skimmer in up and down movement..next i sprinkled Mesophilic culture ( which in my case was flora danica - this is a kind of mesophilic starter , i use it because i want mine used before expiration ) , Geotrichum & Red Mold and let stand to rehydrate for 5 min....then i stir it again with a skimmer with an up and down movement .
Let it stand to ripen for 15 min.
After the ripening i added the diluted rennet and stir again the same as described before . Let set for 40 min until a clean break was achieved ( make sure that the milk still remains about the same temperature of 85 F/29C )
After 40 min i used a long knife and cut the curds into dices of about 2-3 cm and wait 5 minuted.....slowly raised the temperature to 95 F/29C and use a whisk and slowly break the curds into even smaller pieces( just slowly move that whisk ). ...this process should take about 35 min until temperature is reached ...avoid a too quick heating.
Next i removed the whey to a level where i could see the curds again( the curds sank). . Then the curds where transferrred with a skimmer to the cheesemold ( i kept the whey aside for use in making ricotta)
now the cheesemolds are being closed with the follower and every 30 min ( for the next 2 hrs) i turned the cheeseand back into the mold again.
After the 2 hrs have elapsed i put an weight of 5lbs/2,5kg on each of the cheesemolds...as you can see i just used what i found in the kitchen(its a blue tissue holder filled with sugar and salt bags) ...if you have a cheese press on hand you would use that.
Under this light pressure the chese remains for the next 12 hours flipping it over on time after 6 hrs.......
Here some pictures:
1st day - 2nd cheese:
Ricotta
use all the whey from production of the above cheese and heat to 200F ( 94 C) add 1/4 cup of vinegar, stir and take off the stove ...let set & you will see some curds forming...with the skimmer put these curds in a cheescloth lined colander and let drain....the longer you drain them the drier the ricotta will be. When desired consistency is reached put it in a container and refrigerate ( you may also add salt , herbs or spices to suit your taste)
pics from ricotta making:
to be continued....