Hi
I am a new cheese maker, and I'm using Mary Karlin's book "Artisan Cheese Making at Home". In recent weeks, I've successfully made ricotta and cultured butter. This weekend I made my first attempt at chevre.
I used a half-gallon of pasteurized (not ultra) goat milk, heated slowly to 86 in a heavy dutch oven. I added one packet of C20G mesophilic starter (1/4 teaspoon), from New England Cheesemakers, waited 5 minutes and stirred briefly. I covered the pot, wrapped in towel, turned on the stove's overhead light, and let ripen for 12 hours. The curds were semi solid, like a thick yogurt. I used a slotted spoon to move them to a colander lined with butter muslin, and drained for 5 minutes. I mixed in 1/4 teaspoon salt, and ladled the curds into two chevre molds over a draining rack and tray.
After 5 hours, I flipped the molds without peeking, but I'd guess each cheese was about 3/4 inch thick, and "felt solid" as they moved to rest against the rack. So far, so good.
About 4 hours later, I lifted the molds to peek and the cheeses had pretty much melted away. See picture below.
I have some ideas of what may have gone wrong, but I'd like to hear more experienced opinions first. NB: I made a half recipe, so each chevre mold was only half full to start.
Thanks.