You know that yummy crumbly cheese that goes on top of enchiladas when you go to a Mexican restaurant? That is what I wanted to make and so the adventure began. This weekend I finally made what I hope will turn out to be similar in consistency and flavor. Looking back on my process, I wish I had cooked the curds longer. As a note, traditional Anejo is made with skimmed goats milk. Anyhoo, here is what I did.
3 gallons P&H whole cows milk
3/8 tsp meso II
3/8 tsp themo B
3/8 tsp CaCl
3/8 tsp liquid rennet
I heated the milk to 86F, then added cultures.
Over 20 minutes I heated the milk to 100F, ripened for 30 minutes.
Added rennet, waited 90 minutes.
Cut the curds allowing them to heal between cuts.
Raised temp to 105F over 15 minutes while stirring.
Stirred for another 15 minutes until the curds had the majority of pieces the size of my pointer finger nail.
Drained the whey for 15 minutes, then milled in 2 tsp of salt.
Placed the curd in to my mold and pressed it for 30 minutes, then flipped it, then pressed it, etc. adding weight each time.
Total press time was around 16-20 hours I would say, I forget now.
I then brine it for ~20 hours in saturated brine.
Final cheese weight, 3 Lb
After it becomes touch dry I will rub it in a mixture of olive oil and smoked paprika and then age it for 6 months.