Tuesday, March 17, 2020

A Successful Cheese Making Season Ends


Hi Friends!

Well, my cheese making season is officially over! Not because I don't want to make anymore, but because Alex and I bought a house and we are in the process of planning, packing and then moving to a new province in Canada. It's very exciting but my gosh it's an overwhelming amount of work! It's our first home, we have officially said goodbye to the renting game and we are so grateful! :)

All of my cheese making equipment is in boxes. I have some cheeses in the cave that we will either bring with us or eat up before we go.

This cheese making season was a great success. I revamped my blog, did a lot of written tutorials, video'd my taste tests, wrote printable recipes and I tried a few new cheeses like Fontina and Raclette. I had some cheese fails for sure, such as Feta and Mascarpone.

The highlights of my cheese making were delicious cheeses such as:

American Cheese
Firm Camembert
Goat Cheese
Homemade Cheez Whiz
Jarlsberg
Sour Cream
Colby

All of my recipes are on the side bar of this blog, please feel free to check them out!

My plans for the next cheese making season are to try some original recipes, learn more about the technical aspect of home cheese making, make new cheeses, video tape my tutorials and try to source some fresh raw cow's milk. I am also going to transition to vegetarian rennet. Though I don't think I will have goats this summer, I'm hoping to look into how to keep and care for dairy goats.

I'll see you all at the end of the summer of 2020!!! Thanks for joining me on my cheese journey!

Sunday, February 9, 2020

Goat Milk Feta Taste Test



Hi Friends! 😊

Here is the video of our Feta cheese taste test. I was so hyped up to taste this cheese and it turned out to be saltier than the Dead Sea!!! We will still try to salvage it by rinsing it under cold water, but the next time I make Feta (and there will be a next time!) - I'll cut down the salt solution in the brine!!

So...I won't post a recipe for this until I have a success!!

- My little hound dog Jack is doing his best to get my attention throughout the video. -

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Cheddar Taste Test (Two Cheddars Using Two Different Bacterial Cultures)


Hi Everyone :)

I recorded a taste test video for two of my Cheddars but the video just didn't turn out! I'll give you a quick summary in writing and add a video addendum below!

Yesterday I opened:

1. A Cheddar that I made in October 2019 that's been aging 3 months. For this cheese I used the culture MA4002 which is a mix between a mesophilic and a thermophilic culture. It's supposed to create a buttery texture and a milder taste.

2. A Cheddar that I made in July 2019 that's been aging 6 months. For this cheese I used the culture MA11 which is marketed as a "go to" mesophilic culture for hard cheeses.

A Cheddar that I opened a few months ago was made with MA11 and both Alex and I found it to be way too tangy for our liking. That's why I made another one with MA4002 to test if there would still be a tang.

Unfortunately the 6- month aged Cheddar (using MA11) was too tangy and yeasty. Sigh. The 3-month aged Cheddar (using MA4002) was also tangy but very edible and tasted like a Cheddar.


We recorded a follow up video after we paused for a bit to taste the cheeses again, here it is, but the conclusion is that I will never use MA11 again in my hard cheeses!


And just for fun, here is the pets' taste test video, they're so supportive! 😊

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Mascarpone (Recipe and Instructions)


Hi Friends! 😊

Mascarpone cheese is very basically an Italian cream cheese. Mascarpone is made from cream, where American cream cheese is made from milk. This cheese is extremely expensive to buy so I thought I'd give it a go and make my own. It wasn't much cheaper to make. 😩 And, likely because I don't have pure cream available to me (I can only buy cream that is filled with gelatin and thickeners), my yield was MUCH  lower than expected.

This recipe should have produced at least two and a half cups of cheese, and it only produced one and a half cups. It was very delicious and worked well for the tiramisu that I made, no complaints there! 

If you can find pure cream and you make this recipe, please let me know how it goes for you and what your yield is! Here is the recipe:

Mascarpone Cheese
Yield: 1.5 cups to 2.5 cups

✎ Print Recipe


Ingredients

5 cups whipping cream
5 tbsp lemon juice

Directions


1. Pour the cream into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer.


2. Once the cream comes to a simmer add the lemon juice and whisk until the cream begins to thicken, roughly 15 minutes.


3. When thickened, turn off the heat and transfer the pan to an ice bath. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.


4. Place a butter muslin-lined sieve inside a slightly larger bowl and transfer the cooled cream to the sieve.

5. Cover the cream and store in the fridge for 24 hours. After 24 hours the cream will set into Mascarpone cheese.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Homemade Cheez Whiz (Recipe and Instructions)


Hi Everyone!

Today I'm going to show you how easy it is to make homemade Cheez Whiz! This is a great recipe for a cheese spread and it tastes very similar to the processed "cheese food" that you'd find in the supermarket. If you use orange Cheddar, it'll look like it too.

Homemade Cheez Whiz
(Makes about 2 cups)



Ingredients

1/2 pound Cheddar cheese cut into small pieces
1 cup evaporated milk
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp dry mustard
1 beaten egg

Directions


1. Melt the cheese, milk, salt and mustard together in a saucepan over medium low heat.



2. Stir about a cup of the hot mixture very slowly into the beaten egg, whisking constantly to temper the egg.


3. Add the egg mixture back to the pot and continue to cook over medium low heat until thickened. Don't bring it to a boil or it might curdle.


4. Pour into a glass jar and let cool; then refrigerate. Best to eat this within a week to ten days.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Colby and Camembert Taste Tests



Success!!! We opened the Colby and Camembert cheeses yesterday and they are both delicious!!

Please click the links for the recipes:




Colby Cheese (Recipe)


Hi Everyone,

Another cheese success! I made a Colby cheese in early October and after about 3 months of aging, it was delicious. (click here for the taste test video

It's very much like a Cheddar, but it's milder, creamier and softer. I will definitely be making this lovely cheese again!

Here is the recipe. The next time I make it, I'll add either a video tutorial or photo instructions to this post!

Colby (for a printable version, click here)
(Recipes courtesy of Gavin Webber and Margaret Peters)
Yield: 750g wheel of cheese

Ingredients

8 liters whole milk
1/8 tsp MA4002 culture
1/4 + 1/8 tsps Calcium Chloride
1/8 + 1/16 tsps Double Rennet
Cool filtered water

Directions

Stage 1: Mixing The Ingredients
Stage 2: Caring for the curds
Stage 3: Molding, Pressing and Brining
Stage 4: Drying and Aging

Stage 1: Mixing The Ingredients

1. Heat the milk to 86F or 30C in a double boiler.
2. Sprinkle the culture into the milk and let sit 5 minutes.
3. Stir for 2 minutes then let sit for 1 hour, holding the temperature at 86F or 30C.
4. Mix your Calcium Chloride into 1/4 cup cool filtered water. Mix your Double Rennet into 1/4 cup cool filtered water.
5. Add the Calcium Chloride and mix well for 1 minute. Add the Double Rennet and mix well for 1 minute.
6. Let sit 45 minutes at 86F or 30C.

Stage 2: Caring for the curds

7. Check for a clean break. Slide a knife into your curd. If the knife is clean and the break looks semi-firm, it's a clean break. You can always wait a further 15 minutes if you're not happy with your clean break.
8. Cut the curds into 1/2 inch cubes then let heal for 5 minutes.
9. Cook the curds to 104F or 40C over 40 minutes. Don't rush this step!
10. Stir the curds gently for 15 minutes, holding the temperature at 104F or 40C.
11. Heat 6 liters of water to 104F or 40C.
12. Using a strainer and ladle, drain the whey to the level of the curds. Let sit 5 minutes.
13. Wash the curds: Add enough hot water to replace what you removed and stir for 15 minutes.

Stage 3: Molding, Pressing and Brining

14. Drain your curds into a cheesecloth-lined mold.
15. Press at 20 pounds for 30 minutes.
16. Flip, redress the cheese then press at 20 pounds for another 30 minutes.
17. Flip, redress the cheese then press at 40 pounds for 1 hour.
18. Flip, redress the cheese then press at 50 pounds for 12 hours.
19. Brine the cheese for 12 hours in your cheese cave, flipping halfway through.

Stage 4: Drying and Aging

20. Air dry your cheese wheel for 3 days, flipping twice a day.
21. Seal your cheese and age it for 2.5 months in the cheese cave at 10 Celsius. Flip three times a week.

Firm Camembert (Recipe)


Hello Friends!

Do you like soft bloomy white mouldy cheeses? I do! I made a really good Firm Camembert at the beginning of December. Here is the Taste Test Video. This particular Cam is firm, that's why I called it that! The usual Camembert you'd get from France is runny and very strong in flavour. I usually make those, but decided to try something different this time and I wasn't disappointed! I'll be making it again, that's for sure. It only needs five to six weeks to ripen before you can eat it, so it's what I'd call a "quick" cultured cheese.

Here is the recipe, and the next time I make it, I'll update this post with either a video tutorial or a photo tutorial!

Firm Camembert (for a printable version, click here)
(Recipe courtesy of Gavin Webber)
Yield: 2 x 300g wheels of cheese

Ingredients

4 liters whole milk
1 cup whipping cream (35%)
1/32 tsp Mesophilic Aroma B Culture
1/32 tsp Thermophilic B Culture
1/32 tsp Penicillium Candidum
1/64 tsp Geotrichum Candidum
1/4 tsp Calcium Chloride 
5 drops Double Rennet
Cool filtered water

**For this cheese, besides the usual equipment, you need Cheese Wrap. It's a breathable packaging that helps the bloomy white mould to form. You also need two Camembert Hoops.


Directions

Stage 1: Mixing The Ingredients
Stage 2: Caring for the curds
Stage 3: Molding, Draining and Brining
Stage 4: Drying and Ripening

Stage 1: Mixing The Ingredients

1. Heat your milk and cream in a double boiler to 95F or 35C.
2. Add the 4 cultures, one at a time, sprinkling slowly over your milk mixture. Let sit for 5 minutes.
3. Stir well for 2 minutes and let sit for 4 1/2 hours, keeping the temperature at 95F or 35C.
4. Prepare your Calcium Chloride by mixing it in 1/8 cup cool filtered water. Prepare your Double Rennet by mixing it in 1/8 cup cool filtered water.
5. Add the Calcium Chloride and stir for 1 minute. Add the Double Rennet and stir for 1 minute. 
6. Cover and let rest 30 minutes, holding the temperature at 95F or 35C.

Stage 2: Caring for the curds

7. Check for a clean break. Slide a knife into your curd. If the knife is clean and the break looks semi-firm, it's a clean break. You can always wait a further 15 minutes if you're not happy with your clean break.
8. Cut the curds into 1/2 inch cubes. Let them heal for 10 minutes.
9. Very gently stir the curds for about 1 minute. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
10. Repeat #9.
11. Repeat #9.
12. Heat 1.5 liters of filtered water to 95F or 35C.
13. With a strainer and ladle, remove 1.5 liters of whey from the curds.
14. Wash the curds: Add your heated water and stir gently for about 20 seconds. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
15. Gently stir again for 1 minute. Cover and let rest 30 minutes.

Stage 3: Molding, Draining and Brining

16. Drain the whey to the level of the curds.
17. Gently and evenly ladle the curds into two Camembert hoops. You may need to give the curds a chance to drain slightly before continuing to add more curd.
Note: This can be tricky because the hoops don't have bottoms. Just make sure you set up your hoops on a surface where they can drain well. I use a little plastic cutting board sitting on a pot in the sink.
18. Drain for one hour.
19. Flip the hoops carefully and let drain 90 minutes.
20. Repeat #19.
21. Flip the hoops and drain for 2 hours.
22. Flip the hoops and drain for 12 hours.
23. Carefully remove the cheese from the hoops and place in brine for 3 hours at room temperature.

Stage 4: Drying and Ripening

24. Pat the cheese wheels dry with paper towel and air dry for 24 hours, flipping once.
25. In a ripening box, ripen your Cams for 14 days in your cheese cave at 11-13 Celsius and 95% humidity.
Note: I use a plastic Tupperware container and place a small wet piece of paper towel inside then close the lid. This really works well to keep the ripening box humid.
26. Flip your cheese every 2 days. At the end of the two week ripening time, check to make sure you have an even coverage of bloomy white mould. If it isn't even, let it ripen for an additional week.
27. When you are happy with the bloomy white mould on your cheese (mine took 14 days), pat down the cheese all over with your hand to encourage formation.
28. Wrap your cheese wheels in cheese wrap (shiny side out).
29. Finish ripening in your kitchen fridge for 3 weeks.