Hello I have just returned from a long period of abstinence of doing cheeses. The reason too much people at my home, friends and family visiting us during the holidays.
I decided to begin with some easy ones, first because I’ don’t have so much practice; and I chose two that don't have ripening because it's too warm yet in my cellar.
I did a Petite suisse , all OK.
Then the queso de mano, I’ve heard about it from my brother in law that lived in Venezuela many years. Vantages: it's a home made cheese and you can eat it immediately. Disadvantages: I've never tasted it so I don know where I'm going and I've got some doubt about the recipe.
This is what I I've done. Recipe from
http://www.boonecreekcreamery.com/recipes/Queso_deMano.pdf10 l and ¼ l of cream of raw milk heated to 38 º
Added calcium chloride (3 ml) and 0,25 cc of rennet dilute and very little distilled water.
Covered and set aside at room temperature for 12 hours
Curd cut in cubes of 1 – 2 cm
I added Two tablespoons of salt.
Curd Heated in whey to 65 º C mixing and stretched and kneaded when it was possible.
These are my doubts
*The recipe says 1, 5 ml for 2 gallons of milk. I think I made a mistake and put at least twice. I had new rennet that is lyophilized. In the sachet says the quantity was for 1000 l of milk to coagulate it in 30 minutes. I measure the volume and was approximately 25 cc so for 0, 25 for 10 l. But this it’s to get a rapid coagulation and my curd was very firm. The doubt is what the consequences of putting more rennet are.
*The recipe didn’t say the temperature that the cut curd and whey must be heated. I think 65 º C was not sufficient, the curd melted and stuck but didn’t get much elasticity. What temperature would you used, boiling or little less.
*I worked the curd for approximately 7 minutes because I was preoccupied to spoil all in the hot why. Later I saw some videos on the web and they worked it a lot and with a lot of energy.
Only at the last one the work was similar to mine.(the one of the woman )
I got a cheese but it wasn't as this description translated bye Google
“It was a creamy cheese, juicy, smooth, with just the right amount of salt, made of layers that you could remove with your hands or lips, which was diluted in the tongue, filling the whole mouth fresh”
Mine was not creamy at all, I would say rubbery. The flavour was OK very similar to the curds
Do you think it’s because I didn’t worked, or because of the low temperature or the two?
Excuses for all the language mistakes Soledad
