With all this talk of Mexican cheese I decided to break open a block of cheese I made in October, for Christmas for my sons new girlfriend. She is from Mexico and here for less than a year. Anyway this is what I made and she was very pleased as was I. Very dry and crumbly, slightly acidic but a very enjoyable cheese.
Queso Chihuahua or Queso Chester
The Chihuahua cheese is made with either raw milk or pasteurized milk and “displays mild to tangy flavor.… The color is dull white and body medium hard with crumbly texture”
Ingredients:
Raw milk
Calcium clhoride (if using pasteurized milk)
TM 81 starter culture
1 to 4 g of salt/kg of curd
Veal Rennet
Put the cheese milk in the cheese vat at 93°F, and add the calcium cloride if needed, and add the starter, let the milk rest for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, stir for 30 minutes keeping the temperature a 93°F.
After about 30 minutes, add the rennet dissolved in 1/4 cup of pure water.
Curds should form in between 10 to 15 minutes. Cut the curds about 1/2 inch after about 30 to 40 minutes, maintaining the temperature between 89 and 93°F.
Rest the curds for 20 minutes.
Stir the curds for 40 minutes slowly raising the temperature to 102°F over the 40 minute period.
Rest the curds for 30 minutes and allow the pH to lower to 5.8 to 6.0.
After 30 minutes or you target pH is achieved move the curds to one side and allow the whey to drain.
Add salt to the curds and let the curds rest for 20 minutes. Put the curds in a cheese cloth lined mold.
Press 400 to 1 kg molds at 15 pounds pressure for 4 hours.
After pressing package cheese
Age at least 1 month.