Chipotle Butterkase

[dthelmers]

I made a cheese on Sunday, using the recipe from 200 Easy Home Made Cheese Recipes for butterkase, but added sazon seasoning mix, which has garlic and cilantro, along with annatto. I've made this a couple of times for the kids, who really like it. I go for a little longer flocc multiplier and a larger curd cut for a moister cheese, and this time I added two cans of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped and lightly rinsed. Thanks to member MightyJesse for the idea of the plastic letters to imprint the cheese.

[smilingcalico]

That sounds tasty!  I'm in a rut, don't really have the extra cash to spend on fun ingredients, just the ones we normally use.  I did however see some coriander seeds for a buck, so may have to give them a shot.

[dthelmers]

I love Leidener, a Gouda with cumin seeds. I bet the coriander seeds would be just as good, maybe better. I can get a lot of fun ingredients here in Meriden, Ct., as it's a very culturally diverse population. The local big chain grocery has Mexican, Caribbean, Spanish, and Polish products at good prices, and ten minutes away there's an Indian grocery with lots of stuff, best price on Saffron and spices.

[beechercreature]

Good lookin cheese. Is that the date stamped under the name? I'm always forgetting when I've started fermenting something. That would be a good way to remember!

[dthelmers]

Yeah, that's the date I made it. I've had the same trouble remembering when I made a cheese, and if I'm going with a natural rind instead of vacuum bagging it it's hard to keep track. I use parts tags with string to keep track of my beer and wine; I loop it around the airlock. I tried these on cheese, but couldn't find a good way to keep them attached. This looks good, I'll see if it gives me any trouble as a place to harbor mold. I started pressing my Cheddars with a design in them, like this:

[JeffHamm]

That looks great Dave.  The peppers have coloured the cheese a bit as well.  Will be interesting to see how it looks once you cut into it.  How long do you age your butterkase?  I've always considered it a quick one, as in age it about 4 weeks.

The cheddar looks really good too.  I quite like crumbly cheeses, so that's very nice to me.

- Jeff

[dthelmers]

The sazon gave a yellow orange color to the cheese; it has annatto in it. The peppers were canned in adobo sauce, basically tomato sauce with onion and carrots. I chopped up the chipotles and just gave them a quick rinse to get the majority of the sauce off and left a little to mix in with the curd. We'll eat this at four weeks.

[anutcanfly]

Now see what you've done.  I won't be able rest until I make a butterkase of my own!  :P

Looks great dthelmers!

[DeejayDebi]

Sounds like a great combo Dave.

[dthelmers]

Follow up on the chipotle butterkäse: I opened it this past weekend, and it was pretty tasty. It was hotter than I expected, about at the top end of my comfort level. It was great making a sandwich with French bread, and tonight I'll try a grilled cheese with it. Sharing it with friends, I was considering adding less peppers to the next one, but the consensus was to use the same amount, they'll just eat it with bread. I will cut the peppers finer next time, as the coarse chop made the cheese more difficult to cut. This is a good one for nachos or quesadillas, and a good way to use store bought p/h milk.

[Caseus]

That is a lovely cheese, Dave.  I want to try that myself, but probably after I get a few successful cheeses under my belt (i.e., made, aged, and in my belly). 

I'm not surprised that it was hot with two cans of chipotle in adobo.  But that definitely appeals to me.  Does the heat overwhelm the flavor of the butterkase?

[dthelmers]

No, the heat doesn't overwhelm the flavor of the cheese, it stays sort of separate. Eating the cheese, you taste the butterkäse, then come to a piece of pepper and get the heat, then taste the cheese, if that makes sense. The heat of the chipotlés doesn't burn my tongue like jalapeños, I feel it more in the throat, so it doesn't change the flavor of the cheese as much as it presents an afterburn. The next time I make this I will chop the peppers fine for a better distribution in the cheese, and maybe less surprise when you bite into a large chunk. I might try this with a jack cheese, also.

[dthelmers]

I made a grilled cheeses sandwich with this, and it melts perfectly, but I think the Butterkäse is too mild a base - next time I think I'll do this with a Jack style cheese for a rounder flavor.

[mightyjesse]

Your stamped cheeses are looking GREAT!

[dthelmers]

Thank you! and thank you for the idea!