Cheshire Cheese Making Recipe

[JeffHamm]

Thanks fied!

I did them as separate times when I made it yesterday.  I suppose I've increased the acidity, so it will be much more crumbly.  But that's ok, I like crumbly cheese.  Then again, the whey was still pretty sweet tasting, so it didn't seem overly acidic.

- Jeff

[fied]

Cheshire ready to be caved. I'll leave it to develop a natural rind for 2 or 3 weeks, then wax it:

[JeffHamm]

Nice!  I can only hope mine goes so well.  It's fairly dry already, and will probably end up in the cave tomorrow.  Will see how it goes. 

- Jeff

[Boofer]

Looks great, fied!

Can you tell me where you got that 6"x5" mould?

-Boofer-

[fied]

The mould's the dreaded PVC food grade piping - 6" diameter. Prior to using it for cheese, it was put into near boiling water with a handful of ordinary washing soda for 20 mins.

[MrsKK]

I'll have to try this cheese over the winter when my cheesemaking classes are all done.  That looks really good - thanks for sharing the recipe and photos, Fied.

[fied]

You're welcome, Karen.

One other pre-make point I forgot to add in: as I use cultured creme fraiche as a starter, the night before the make, I mix the amount I want to use in a mug of the cheese milk and leave it on the counter; in winter I stand it near the kitchen boiler. By morning, it's usually thickened up. I also do the same with yoghurt when I need a thermo. starter.

[fied]

The current Cheshire ready to cut at Christmas. I left it to develop a natural rind:

[JeffHamm]

Looks good! All the best to you and your family for the Christmas holidays and New Year!  Looking forward to seenig how this one has turned out and a taste report.  I'm thinking of aging mine out 4 to 6 months, so it will be a bit of time before I get a chance to try it.

- Jeff

[fied]

Happy New Year, Jeff!

I was going to take a photo of the cut cheese, but the household gannets beat me to it and now there are only crumbs and a piece of rind left. The taste was fine - tangy and nutty, with some depth. The texture was just right - chunky and creamy with a smooth bite. I'd made some redcurrant, red pepper and chili jelly to go with it, but I've just noticed that's mostly gone, too. I assume, in the face of the great silence, that I did something right with this one!

[Boofer]

Congrats, fied! Job well done.

What's next for the new year?

-Boofer-

[fied]

More Cheddar types, I think. Perhaps a Gouda and some of the sharp, fresh goat cheeses. Chaource types might be interesting, too.

[Cloversmilker]

Fied,

Your Cheshire looks very nice.  I have a Cheshire after your recipe air drying now and am going to try another one this weekend.  The temp of my milk started off high with the first one as the milk didn't cool off as much as I expected after milking before adding the culture.  I will try to rectify that with the next make.  I so much appreciate your posting of the recipe with pictures. 

[JeffHamm]

Happy New Year Fied!

The speed at which a cheese dissappears indicates its quality.  It sounds like this one was an outstanding success!  I've got the one I've made locked down for extended storage, maybe 6 to 8 months.  We'll see.  This report is going to make that resolution harder to keep.  How long have you aged this make?  Does it age well?  It looks to be one that should.

- Jeff

[fied]

I aged it for three months, Jeff, and was surprised at how quickly the flavour developed. I usually age for six months or more.

Let us know how your cheese turns out, Cloversmilk. If you're using raw milk, you might need less rennet than I've used, but as long as you're around the 20 min. floc. time, it should be fine.