OK, so 6 weeks ago we made a Kefalotyri, and it is now ready to go into a colder storage location, at 44*F instead of the 55*F it has been at.... The initial aging was "naked" for about a week, but after constantly chasing mold, we vacuum bagged it.... Today we opened the bag, dried out the small amount of moisture, cut off 1/4 to try and rebagged it to be opened again at 3 months....
And here is a photo of the piece we are going to try as Saganaki tonight.... There was no off smells from the vacuum bagging....
This 1/4 weighs 10 oz., and has the delightful aroma of a mild Lipase cheese.... The texture is firm, creamy and slightly open.... Next time I will press it harder, and we will use a rectangular mould so it will be easier to cut into tidy Saganaki sized slices.... It slices well, and is delicious, a bit like a mild Manchego....
We heated a cast iron pan to about 400*F, and then added some EVOO.... When it just started to smoke, we turned the heat down to medium and added the cold, flour dreged Kefalotyri slices, cut about 1/2" thick.... It didn't take long to start to brown, and here is a photo after the first time it was flipped....
You can see that the cheese has not melted, and the inside is still not warmed through.... We turned it frequently until it was golden brown on both sides and the middle was soft and just starting to melt, then removed it from the heat.... We squeezed fresh lemon juice on top, flipped it on the pan, and put it on a trivet on the table.... This keeps it warm and soft during the meal.... Here is a photo of a piece cut on the plate....
It is soft, moist and delicious, with no signs of the disastrous melting that Gavin experienced with his.... Having the pan really hot before you drop the cheese on it is a must!.... The Kefalotyri is delightful served this way, although at only 6 weeks it is still pretty mild.... I expect it to improve with age, although it will be hard not to devour it immediately....
Bob