I am just starting to learn about cheese-making and have done a few matches of fromage blanc. The consistency is a bit like cottage cheese, not smooth. I tried one batch with just lemon juice , one batch with apple cider vinegar, one with a little of both, one with just rennet (veggie) and one with a bit of rennet and also lemon juice. What am I doing wrong?
I see this is an old post but without a reply. I am having the same problem! I am just trying to make a simple Neufachel? It just takes buttermilk and rennet ( I use Junket and Faunkhauser's recipe). The first time it was fine. Each time since it is the texture of cottage cheese rather than smooth. I am using raw milk and notice when I cut the curds (after sitting overnight) that the top inch or so is yellow so I presume the cream is settling to top before it sets? Is that a problem? I'm about to give up on this one!
Susan
Fromage Blanc should not look like cottage cheese. In the morning, I don't cut the curd but just pour the whole thing into a cheesecloth-lined colander then hang for a couple hours. The cream does rise to the top overnight but it's not a problem just stir it into the cheese after draining. Do you top-stir for a minute or so after adding rennet? That helps a lot.
Christine
I'll try it again and not cut the curd. That sounds like a good idea. I am not certain what 'top stir' means. Is that where you use a wide ladle or something similar and stir from top to bottom rather than going around in circles? I do try to do that.
Susan