Valençay

From the Loire Valley of France comes this  romantic little ash coated cheese. A mold ripened classic, Valencay was traditionally made with raw goat milk. It develops a smooth creamy interior that starts off lemony but becomes quite strong as it matures. We prefer to eat it young.

Valencay is known for it's pyramid shape. According to legend, Napoleon was visiting Chateau de Valençay on his way back from campaigning in Egypt sometime after he lost the Battle of the Nile. When this cheese, shaped like a pyramid was served at dinner, Napoleon reportedly took his sword and chopped off the top of the pyramid. This beautiful little cheese deserves a special place in your cheese repertoire. It is easy to make but looks so fancy that it is sure impress any where it is served.

Valencay

1 Gallon Fresh Goat Milk

¼ tsp mesophilic culture MM100

Pinch p. candidum

Pinch geo. candidum

3 drops rennet

1 tbsp kosher salt

Sterilize everything with hot bleach water

Warm 1 gallon of goat milk in water bath to 72F

Add MM100 and both molds, mix into the milk

Dilute 3 drops rennet in ¼ cup of cool water add incorporate into the milk

Allow curd to set 24hrs

Fill pyramid molds, allow curd to drain and top off the molds with more curd until the molds are full. Place molds on a cheese mat in a plastic draining/ripening box. allow curd to drain for 48hrs at room temp. Remove whey as needed.

Clean the draining/ripening box. Carefully remove the cheeses from the molds, carefully apply salt all sides, and set them on a paper towel. Using a small sieve dust the cheese with ash. Lightly dust all surfaces until there is no white showing.

Place cheeses on a cheese mat in a clean dry ripening box with lid. Ripen at 50F. Remove whey as needed. After a week or two they will be covered with a blanket of white mold. At this point they are ready to eat or they can be wrapped in cheese wrapping paper and aged up to eight weeks or as desired. Enjoy! 

 I use a clear storage box as a ripening box, needlepoint canvas as a cheese mat and the cheese molds are from a cheese supply company.

Goat Milk Farmhouse Cheddar

Once you have had a great cheddar the flavor and texture are unforgettable. If you have only had factory produced cheddar you are really missing out on the spectrum of flavor offered by this famous English cheese. English Farmhouse Cheddar is traditionally made from early May through October from the milk of shorthorn cows but I think you will find making it with goat milk extremely rewarding.

From the artisan's standpoint there are two types of cheddar, farmhouse and stirred curd. Farmhouse cheddar typically has a milled curd where the curd is cut into slabs, stacked and flipped in order to allow the acidity build up. A stirred curd cheddar is made to save the labor involved with milling the curd. Either method, when done right, will yield excellent results. Cheddaring builds up acidity and also orients the direction of the strands of molecules in the cheese. The combination of a lower pH and salting the individual curds is what gives this cheese its classic cheddar flavor. While I generally make both types throughout the year, I prefer the farmhouse method. It just seems to fit my cheese making rhythm better.

 Farmhouse Cheddar

Warm 4 gallons of fresh goat milk to 86F

Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of MA4001 DVI culture onto the surface of the milk, allow it to rehydrate a few minutes then incorporate it into the milk

Cover and ripen 45 minutes

Optional- if a yellow cheese is desired dilute 1/8tsp annatto in 1/4 cup of cool water and add it to the cultured milk.

Dilute 1 teaspoon of rennet in 1/2 cup of cool water add it to the cheese milk, stir well

Maintain temperature for 40 minutes until clean break is achieved

Cut curd to 1/4 inch, rest 10 minutes

Stir curd with a large whisk while raising the temperature to 102F over 40 minutes, let curds settle

Hold at 102F for 30 minutes, stir curds to prevent matting

Hold at 102F, allow curds to settle to bottom of the pot 20 minutes.

Drain the curds into a colander. Reserve 1/3 of the whey and pour back into the cheese pot.  Set colander of curds on the top of the cheese pot.  Insert a thermometer into the curd. Maintain temp of 102F with the warmth of the whey. Cover with clean muslin and put the lid on the pot. Use minimal heat under the pot as needed to maintain temperature.

Allow curds to drain for 60 minutes, flip the curd mat every 20 minutes and re-cover with cloth and lid.

Cut the cheese slab into 1 inch curds with a sharp knife or pastry cutter.  Add 2 tablespoons of course salt.

Press at 20lb for 30 min.

Invert and Press at 30lb for 30 min.

Invert and Press at 40lb for 1 hour

Invert and Press at 50lb for 12-15 hour.

Remove cheese from the press, place on a wooden board and allow to dry at room temperature for a few days. Flip the cheese daily to promote even drying.

There are many ways to prepare this cheese for aging. You can wax it, seal it with a food sealer but cloth banding is the traditional method. To make the cloth bandage coat the cheese with butter or lard then wrap the cheese carefully with cheese cloth. Repeat the process until you have three layers of butter or lard coated cloth.

Age at 55F and 80-85% humidity 3-6 months or longer. The longer you age it the better the flavor. The longest I have been able to hold out so far is three years, it was crumbly and sharp, the best cheddar ever!

French Neufchtel " Coeur de Bray"

  

In America Neufchtel is a low fat cream cheese commonly found in the super market. But I want to introduce you to a true cheese of antiquity. Dating back to the 6th century this is one of the oldest cheeses produced in France. Originally from the small farming town of  Neufchâtel-en-Bray on the Normandy coast it is similar to  Camembert with a velvety white edible rind. When eaten young it has a crumbly interior which becomes creamier as it ages. This cheese is traditionally made with cow's milk but I use goat milk, of course. The longest I have ever aged it is six weeks. The cheese finished very correct, a beautiful crust with a creamy somewhat liquid interior similar to Brie.

According to legend the heart shaped Coeur de Bray originated during the Hundred Years War when french milk maids made them to show love for the English soldiers stationed in Normandy. If you start soon you can have some ready for Valentines Day!

1 Gallon Fresh Goat Milk

¼ tsp mesophilic culture MM100

Pinch p. candidum

3 drops rennet

½ tsp kosher salt

Sterilize everything with hot bleach water

Warm 1 gallon of goat milk in water bath to 80F

Add MM100 and p. candidum, mix into the milk

Dilute 3 drops rennet in ¼ cup of cool water add incorporate into the milk

Allow curd to set 24hrs

Ladle curd into a cloth draining bag, allow curd to drain for 24hrs

Fold bag over the curd. Set the bag in a plastic draining/ripening box on a cheese mat placed over a rack. Place a plate on the bag and a quart jar filled with water (2lbs) on the plate. Refrigerate 24hrs.

Remove cheese from the bag. Knead in 1/4t kosher salt. Fill  molds. 

Return to refrigerator in a covered clean plastic draining/ripening box.
Allow curds to drain for 24hrs. Pouring off excess whey and drying box with a paper towel frequently.

Carefully remove the cheeses from the molds and set them on a cheese mat in a clean dry ripening box with lid. Flip the cheese every day. After a week you they will be covered with fuzzy white mold. At this point they are ready to eat or they can be wrapped in cheese wrapping paper and aged up to eight weeks or as desired. Enjoy!

I use a clear storage box as a ripening box, needlepoint canvas as a cheese mat and the cheese molds are from a cheese supply company.

Make your own Curd Draining Bag

Artisan quality curd draining bags can be expensive. Even though you can use a pillow case to drain soft cheese it is nice to have professional equipment. These curd bags are easy and inexpensive to make.

Make your own Curd Draining Bag

.36” wide Bleached Muslin (or a looser weave fabric if you prefer)
Cotton Draw String Cord
Single fold 7/8” Bias Tape


1. Cut 13 ½” of muslin. Fold is at the bottom, salvage is at the top.
2. Sew a ¼” seam on each side. Turn and press

3. Sew a 5/8” seam on each side enclosing the first seam.

4. Cut 2 12” lengths of bias tape



5. Open and press ends


6. Sew top of bias tape to the top of the bag, turn bag wrong side out


7. Fold the bias tape down and press



8. Sew the bottom edge of the bias tape



Repeat with the other side

9. Cut 26” of cord



10. Thread the cord through the bias tape



11. Turn inside out to finish



Finished size 12 1/2" X 17"

Goat Parmesan

Goat Parmesan Aged 10 Months

Since the early middle ages Parmigiano-Reggiano has been the pride of Italy. Prized as highly as gold, today there are Italian banks that have temperature controlled vaults specifically designed for aging Parmigiano-Reggiano. Huge 80-85 pound wheels stacked 33 feet high are cared for by specially trained bank employees for up to two years. No wonder the banks are willing, Parmigiano-Reggiano retails in the U.S.A. for $26.00/lb so each wheel is worth approximately $2,000. Artisan cheese makers offer up to 25% of their cheese inventory as collateral to keep cash flowing while the cheeses age. So you see, cheese in the cave is like money in the bank!

Goat Parmesan

Warm 4 gallons of fresh goat milk to 90F

Sprinkle 1/2 tea of thermophilic DVI culture onto the surface of the milk, allow it to rehydrate a few minutes then incorperate it into the milk

Cover and ripen 40 minutes

Dilute 1 teaspoon of rennet in 1/2 cup of cool water add it to the cheese milk, stir well

Maintain temperature for 45 minutes until clean break is achieved

Cut curd to 1/4 inch, rest 10 minutes

Stir curd with a large whisk while raising the temperature to 125F over an hour, let curds settle

Drain curd, place in a cheese cloth lined press

Press at 5lbs for 15 min, remove from press, flip and redress
Press at 10lbs for 30 min, remove from press, flip and redress
Press at 15lbs for 2 hrs, remove from press, flip and redress
Press at 20lbs for 12 hrs, remove from press, submerge in a 20% brine solution 20hrs

Dry at room temperature for 3 days turning daily, when dry coat with olive oil every few months
Ripen at 53F for 6 months or many years,

Goat Milk Swiss

My Goat Swiss

 The green rolling hills of Emme Valley of Canton Bern in west central Switzerland are home to a culinary wonder. A wild propionic shermanii bacteria settles on the clover growing in the high alpine pastures. Historic cheese mongers would gather the clover blossoms and make a tea to inoculate their cheese milk. The action of the propionic bacteria forms CO2 and as the cheese aged it would swell forming large holes.

Very few home cheese makers can achieve the classic large eye formation. For that, you need to make very large wheels. The bigger the cheese, the more CO2 becomes trapped forming eyes. On small cheeses, the CO2 escapes through the surface without making the classic big eyes. So, while french milkmaids were making their petite soft fresh cheeses in the villages, men of the Alps made huge 200 pound wheels of this hard cheese that could survive the rugged journey down the mountains.

For home cheese makers the Emmental class of cheeses are best made in the spring or fall when the air temperature tends to be ideal for eye formation. Although this cheese is traditionally made with milk from local cows such as the Swiss Brown, Simmental, Fribourg and Eringer, I find it works equally as well with my goat milk. I usually double this recipe but still use just 1/2 tea propionic shermanii.



Emmental (Classic Swiss)

Warm 2 gallons of fresh goat milk to 90F

Sprinkle 1/4 tea of thermophilic DVI culture onto the surface of the milk, allow it to rehydrate a few minutes then incorperate it into the milk

Dissolve 1/2 tea propionic shermanii into 1/4 cup of warm milk, add it to the cheese milk and stir

Cover and ripen 15 minutes

Dilute 1/2 tea rennet into 1/4 cup of cool water, add it to the cheese milk and stir well

Maintain 90F for forty minutes until you reach break

Cut curd into 1/4 inch cubes, rest 10 min

Use a whisk to continue cutting the curd, raise temperature to 120F over 40 minutes

Hold temp at 120F for 30 minutes while continuing to stir with the whisk

Drain curd, place in a cheese cloth lined press,

Press at 10lbs for 15 min, remove from press, flip and redress
Press at 15lbs for 30 min, remove from press, flip and redress
Press at 15lbs for 2 hrs, remove from press, flip and redress
Press at 15lbs for 12 hrs, remove from press, submerge in a 20% brine solution 12hrs at 70F

Ripen at 53F for one week, wash daily with brine
Ripen at  60F-65F for 3 -4 weeks foe eye development, wash daily with brine
Ripen at 53F for 3 months, wash weekly with brine

Enjoy!

Goat Milk Gouda

Unlike many fancy European cheeses the cheeses of Holland are pleasingly mild. Gouda has a light clean buttery taste that everybody seems to love. When you're in the mood for something different hot pepper flakes or caraway seeds offer just two variations of this agreeable cheese.

If you are just getting started with cheese making you’ll notice that all recipes basically have the same ingredients, Milk, Rennet, Salt (or brine) and either Mesophilic (requires low temps) or Thermophilic (requires warmer temps) Culture.

For any recipe you can substitute Buttermilk for Meso and Yogurt for Thermo at a rate of 1/4c per gallon of milk. After you master the recipe you can order the more sophisticated cultures and enjoy the difference in flavor and texture.

What makes different types of cheese have their characteristic flavors is the process you take it through. Changing temperatures and times will make a huge difference in flavor and texture. Gouda is a mild, creamy cheese. To achieve proper texture you need to keep your temps low. So watch it really watch it close. To attain that mild Gouda flavor you will wash the curds with cool tap water to halt the progress of acidification.

Remember to sterilize everything with boiling water and/or bleach water (1/4 c bleach per gallon of water) I put everything into my cheese pot (stainless steal, not aluminum) and boil it. You can maintain low temps by placing your cheese pot in a sink of warm water but always check the temp of the sink water. I start with it 3-5 deg. Warmer that I need. So for this recipe which calls for 85* my sink water would be 90* This all sounds a lot more complicated than it is, I promise!

Goat Milk Gouda

Warm 2 gal goat milk to 85*
Add 1/2 tea Mesophilic culture. Stir with an up and down motion, not breaking the surface of the milk
Dilute 3/4 tea rennet to 1/2 c cool water, Stir well into cultured milk
Hold temp at 85* for 30 min. or until clean break
Cut curd into ½ inch cubes, let rest for 5 min., stir 5 min., let rest 5min.
Allow curds to sink to the bottom of the pot
Remove 6 cups of whey and add 6 cups of 140* water, stir 10 min.
Allow curds to sink to the bottom of the pot
Remove whey to level with the surface of the curd
add enough 110* water to bring the level back up to where it was
Stir 20 min. let rest 10min.
Allow curds to sink to the bottom of the pot
Drain curd

Place curds into a lined press (I use PlyBan instead of cheese cloth in my press, I love it)
Press
20lbs 20 min
flip and rewrap (so it won’t stick to the cloth or plyban)
30lbs 30min
Flip/Rewrap
Overnight at 30lbs

Submerge cheese in brine overnight
Air dry for a few days, ripen at 53* and 85% humility for a week or more, then wax or seal with a food sealer and age for 6 weeks or longer.

String Cheese

The origins of string cheese are a little hazy. Perhaps in some rustic Italian villa, a mother, anxious to keep her child busy while she finished her cheese, pulled off a piece for him to work. After all the word Mozzare means to cut off.

My kids love to make string cheese

Once you have mastered Mozzarella there is no reason you can't move on to making string cheese. There is no need for a special recipe just follow the directions to the point of stretching. Once you have pulled the cheese just stretch and roll it out then cut into strips and brine it for a few hours.

Activated Charcoal for Healing and Detoxification

I love it when I come across something that has so many uses it transcends to almost every area of my life. Who would have thought activated charcoal could be so important? Since ancient times carbon in the form of activated charcoal has been used for detoxification and healing. For people and animals alike this is a chosen remedy for all manner of ailments.

I first knew I needed to keep activated charcoal on hand in case one of my goats should eat a something poisonous. Charcoal absorbs and binds the toxins. Fortunately I haven't had to use it this way, but you should mix it as a drench with water and be sure to give the goat baking soda and b-complex afterwards to replenish beneficial rumen flora.

It was when I started working with soft mold ripened cheeses which called for ash that I started to get serious about charcoal. These cheeses were originally made with oak charcoal but today many artisans use activated charcoal because it is very pure and readily available. The role of the ash in cheese making is to lower the pH which develops flavor and allows the mold to grow properly. It is also beautiful!

From cheese making the activated charcoal soon found its way into my soap. With its deep black color and detoxifying properties I couldn't resist.

Even though I knew it could be taken internally, It had never crossed my mind to actually use it until my husband was coming down with a stomach flu. All the kids had been sick and he knew he was next. When he asked me if I had something he could take my first thought, burnt toast, brought the charcoal to mind. To my surprise he was willing to gulp down the mysterious black sludge. It worked, that evening he started to feel much better and he never did succumb to the flu. It can also be used for infected wounds, bites or stings topically mixed with just enough water to form a paste.

Greek Basket Style Feta

Feta rightfully falls into the Aegean Sea, soft brine preserved, class of cheeses. For centuries Feta has been made from the milk of goats and sheep that roam along the hillsides of the Balkans. Using baskets to drain and mold the cheese into wheels is as functional as it is beautiful. The process really hasn't changed much over the years. Modern cheese makers often add lipase to sharpen the flavor of the cheese. If you are using goat or sheep milk and are willing to allow time for aging you can achieve a wonderful complex flavor with strictly traditional methods.

FETA

Ingredients:

3-4 gallons raw goat milk

1/2 tsp. Mesophilic culture

1/2 tsp. Kid or Kid/Lamb Lipase powder (Optional)

1 tsp. Liquid rennet dissolved in 1/2 C. water

Kosher salt

Brine:

1/2 lb Kosher salt per 1/2 gallon of water (boiled and cooled to below room temp.)

1) Warm Milk to 86F Add the culture

2) Add the rennet and stir for 15 seconds

3) Cover and let set about 30-40 minutes, or until you get a clean break

4) Cut the curd into 1/2" pieces.

5) Let the curds rest for 10 minutes.

6) Stir the curd gently for 20 minutes

7) Let the curds rest for 5 minutes

8) Carefully scoop the curd into baskets

9) Allow curd to drain for 10 minutes remove from mold, flip the cheese over, replace it in the basket mold

10) Flip cheese and drain cheese every 15 minutes for an hour. Then flip and drain every hour for three hours. Allow cheese to set overnight at room temperature.

11) Remove cheese from baskets, salt both sides allow to cure at room temperature 2 days adding more salt and flipping every so often.

12) Store Feta in brine solution in the refrigerator. For long term storage adjust brine pH to 4.8-5.2 by adding citric acid, whey or vinegar 

Feta draining in a basket mold

Chevre Tips and Techniques

Herbed Chevre

Chevre is a wonderful, fresh goat cheese that all dairy goat owners should be able to make and enjoy. This delightful little French cheese should be kept small, 8 ounces or less. Shapes can vary from logs to discs to pyramids.

1. Sanitation
Fill a clean stainless steel cheese making pot with hot water, bring to a boil, add all cheese making instruments (except the thermometer) and your cheese cloth, boil 5 minutes, drain into SS colander.


2. Milk
Of course your milk should come from a healthy properly fed doe milked with strict attention to hygiene.

For Chevre you can use freshly drawn milk or milk that is up to 36 hours old. I prefer mixing the previous evenings milk (which had been quick chilled and refrigerated) with warm morning milk. Chevre can also be made successfully with thawed frozen milk.

3. Milk Temperature
Temps for Chevre range from 84F to 86F. Pour milk into your SS cheese making pot and check the temp with your thermometer. If you need to warm the milk use a water bath. You can do this by filling your kitchen sink half way with warm water then setting the cheese making pot in the sink until the correct temperature is reached.

4. Culture
Although good Chevre can be made with buttermilk, MM100 (s.lactis, s.creamoris, biovar diacetylactis) really gives a much better flavor. While not traditionally used for Chevre, some people like to use Flora Danica, an aromatic culture that lends a buttery flavor to the cheese.

5. Rennet
Liquid animal rennet is the best but most expensive rennet for Chevre. Chymostar Classic is a microbial rennet that performs like animal rennet. Vegtable rennet is double strength. It is difficult not to use too much when making Chevre. Put 1 drop of rennet into 1/2 cup of cool water use 1/4 cup of the rennet water mixture per gallon of milk.

6. Setting the Curd
Usually it will take about 6-12 hours for the curd to properly set. If your room is cool, or your starting temp was on the cooler side it will take up to 12 hrs. Do not drain your cheese until you get a clean break. The first thing to look for is a thin layer of whey on top of the curd. Also you can tip your cheese pot to see that the curd holds together and moves cleanly away from the side of the pot. Finally, insert your thermometer at an angle into the curd and lift straight up. There should be no curd clinging to the thermometer and whey should fill the crack left in the curd.

7. Draining the Curd
I like to set my SS colander over a clean 5gal bucket. Put a muslin cheese cloth over the colander and ladle in the curd. It is tempting to pour the whole pot of curds and whey into the colander but trust me that is not a good idea. Not only does it get messy it is difficult to get a good drain. So just take your time with it. Once the curd is ladled into the cheese cloth you can lift the corners and tie them carefully together. At this point take a large spoon or a dowel and slide it through the knot at the top of the cheese. Lift it up, remove the colander and allow the handle to rest across the top of the bucket. Now your cheese is ready to drain. About three hours after the cheese has been draining lift it from the bucket, put the colander back on top of the bucket and set the cheese in it. Remove the handle, untie the knots and open the cheese cloth. Gently flip the cheese over. This will promote even draining and even moisture all the way through the curd. Tie the cheesecloth again, insert the handle, remove the colander and allow the cheese to drain for another 3 to 6 hours.

8. Working with the Curd
Once the curd has drained I like to let it set undisturbed in a dish, covered with plastic, in the refrigerator over night. In the morning I weigh the curd and add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of cheese. Then put it through a mixer or food processor. This will give you a nice creamy texture.

9. Working the Cheese into Logs
You now have a bowl of creamy delicious Chevre!! If you want to make logs put the Chevre back in the fridge to firm up while you get everything ready. Assemble your scale (if you want to weigh your cheese as you work) plastic wrap, herbs, spices etc. Season the Chevre if you desire. Pour the herbs or spice to coat the log onto a small plate. Place plastic wrap over the scale scoop 8oz of Chevre on to the plastic, fold it over the cheese and roll it into a log. As you open the plastic unroll the cheese onto the plate with herbs or spice. Roll and shape the log. Wrap the log in plastic and refrigerate.

Equipment I use when making Cheese. Culture and rennet are from The Dairy Connection

Making Mozzarella

 Mozzarella is traditionally made with milk from the water buffalo. Personally, I'd rather milk a goat. The cuteness factor, small size and sweet personality make it the obvious choice for me although the American Water Buffalo Association may beg to differ.

So you can get with this,

Or you can get with that,

This is the recipe I make every week. When you work with farm fresh milk you'll notice that it changes throughout lactation. That is why I offer a wide variable with the amount of citric acid. You can find everything you need at The Dairy Connection

4 gallons whole raw goat milk (2 warm and 2 cold)
¼ tsp Thermophilic culture and ¼ tsp Mesophilic Culture OR ½ tsp MA 4001 Farmhouse culture

2-4 tsp Citric Acid
1 tsp liquid animal rennet
cold 20% saturated salt brine ~1 part salt to 5 parts water

1) Warm 2 gallons milk to 96 degrees, sprinkle culture on the milk, let culture rehydrate for 5 minutes, stir in, Allow milk culture for 45 minutes.

2) Dilute citric acid in ¼ c cool water, add to the 2 gallons of COLD milk

3) Combine the warm cultured milk with the cold acidified milk, warm to 92 degrees

4) Dilute rennet in ¼ cup of cool water, stir into milk, let set for 15 to 1 hr till firm curd forms.

5) Cut curd, let set for 5 minutes to rest.

6) Begin heating cut curd, over course of 1/2 hour, till it reaches 105 degrees, stirring gently. Do not heat too quickly. Turn off heat and let sit for an additional 15 minutes, stirring gently to prevent curds from matting.
7) Drain whey, let curds set for 15min to 3 hours in colander, kept at 102 degrees, flipping curd mat every half hour.

8) Cut curds into 1" strips

9) Put curds into stainless steel bowl, cover with water heated to 180 degrees

10) Using heat resistant gloves, form curd strips into 4 balls remove from water and begin stretching and pulling it until cheese is smooth and shiny

Wind into a ball

Dip it back into the hot water, shape into a ball

11) Immerse cheese into cold brine for 5-8 hours.

Enjoy!

Equipment I use when making Mozzarella. Note: I've switched to the Taylor Digital Thermometer because it's waterproof. Culture and rennet are from The Dairy Connection