Goat and Water buffalo milk washed rind unpressed semi hard cheese

[Aris]

This cheese was made from pasteurized 5 liters goat's milk and 3.5 liters water buffalo milk. The starter culture I used is yogurt made from Russian and Danish yogurt. I used over a decade old calf rennet powder as coagulant. The curds were stirred for 30 minutes at less than 100 f. I used a flimsy adjustable desktop organizer to form the cheese. This cheese was aged in a ripening box for two months. I smeared it first with the smear from an old washed rind cheese to get it going and washed it with basic 3% brine numerous times. Then I vacuum packed it to age for one month because it is starting to dry out and crack. My goal was to create a cheese that has the texture of a semi hard cheese like Raclette or Gruyere without being pressed and cooked at high temperature. Luckily the cheese came out the way I want it to be. Its flavor profile is even close to a Gruyere. Cheesy, rich and nutty with a subtle goat flavor. Its texture is pliable, firm and creamy. It can be sliced with a cheese planer without breaking apart. My experiment goes to show that a cheese press is not essential for a home cheese maker unless you really want to make Cheddar. I might make an unpressed cheddar for my next experiment.

[harlond]

Nice!