Cheese Recipes
Chaource
We make it in small "cream dots" formed in Crottin moulds. We also coat some of these cheeses in ash. The cheeses feature a bloomy rind of Candidum mold.
To properly make Chaource, it must be a primarily lactic coagulation. The drainage of the curds in the moulds must be slow and spontaneous. It should age two to four weeks before being eaten. It is a double cream and minimum 50% fat, made from whole milk.
Chaource
1 gallon whole milk, 1/8 tsp calcium chloride, ½ pkt mesophilic starter, tiny pinch FD, 1/8 t P. Candidum, tiny pinch Geo 15, 1 drop rennet diluted in H2O.
Ripening
8 hours
Warm milk to 77°F and add the cultures and molds. Let dissolve then stir in with 20 strokes. Hold the temperature.
Renneting
8 hours of coagulation
Add rennet, stir 20 strokes, and let it work. Until whey is starting to separate from the curd. Hold the temperature at 77°F
Moulding
Ladle scoops of curd into sanitized crottin moulds with a slotted ladle.
Draining
Let drain for 2 days at room temperature. Turn after 24 to 30 hours, when it can be handled without damage. Remove from the moulds and put on mat in plastic box. Apply salt and let it dissolve before turning and salting other side. Use ¾ tsp total.
Ripening
Ripen in room at 50-54° F. Keep boxes clean and dry so cheese can keep draining. Turn every 2 days until they are covered in a white crust of mold. Then wrap in paper or cellophane. They are ready to eat.
Camembert
1 gal whole cow milk, 1/2 tsp flora danica starter, 1/8 t calcium chloride diluted in H2O, .625 ml or 1/8 t rennet diluted in H2O
Ripening
1 hour 30 mins at 84°F
Warm the milk to 90°F and add the starter. Dissolve for 4 minutes then stir in with 20 strokes. Add calcium chloride and stir in. Add rennet and stir. Allow milk to ripen and curd to form for 60-90 minutes.
Cutting Curd
15 minutes at 84°F
Cut the curd when you get a clean break, into ½" cubes. Mix gently with hands for 3 minutes. Allow curds to settle for 10 minutes without disturbing them.
Pour off the whey to level of curds and scoop curds into moulds. Refill moulds as curds settle until curds are used up.
Draining
12 to 14 hours
Drain cheeses at room temperature inside a box with closed lid. Flip cheese over after 3-4 hours and drain over night.
Drying
48 hours
Remove cheese from mould and salt both sides. Allow to dry on mat until no more moisture accumulates under the cheese. At this point the lid can be tightened into position.
Ripening
2-4 weeks at 50-54°F
Transfer cheeses to ripening room. The white mold should be visible on day 5-7. Once the white mold appears the cheeses must be turned daily so the mold grows evenly. After 2 weeks the cheese can be wrapped and aged for another 2-4 weeks.
Parmesan
2 gals 2% milk and 10 oz cream, 1 pkt thermophilic starter, 1 pkt mesophilic starter, ½ t calcium chloride, ¾ t rennet, ¼ t lipase powder.
Ripening
30 minutes 90°F
Warm 2 gals milk to 90 degrees and add the 2 starters, stir in, then and lipase powder (dissolved in water for 30 minutes prior). Let stand 30 minutes to ripen.
Renneting
30 minutes 90°F
Dilute calcium chloride in water and add to milk. Stir. Dilute rennet in water and add to milk. Let set for 30 minutes.
Cutting the Curds
10 mins 90°F
Cut the curds into 1/4 inch cubes
Cooking the Curds
Over 25 minutes heat the curds up to 100 degrees F. Raise the temperature 2 degrees every 5 minutes. Stir continuously. I use my clean, bare hand and arm.
Over 40 minutes raise the temp of the curd to 124 degrees F, 3 degrees every 5 minutes. Stir often. I use a wooden spoon and stir constantly after the temperature reaches 110 degrees.
Let curd settle for 5 minutes. Curds are size of rice grains and squeak when you eat them. Test for proper texture with the squeeze test.
Draining
5 minutes
Pour off whey, retaining curds.
Moulding and Pressing
Line mould with wetted cheesecloth and pack curds into it. Press at 5# for 15 minutes.
Remove cheese from mould and peel off cheesecloth. Redo cloth and reverse cheese in mould, and press at 10# for 30 minutes.
Redress cheese, and remould at 15# for 2 hours.
Redo cloth and remould at 20# for 12 hours.
Day 2 & 3
Brine new cheese (2# salt per 1 gal water) for 24 hours. Air-dry cheese. Age 10 months at 55°F at 85% humidity, turning daily. At 8 weeks rub with olive oil. Remove any mold growth with vinegared cloth.
Limburger Cheese
Ingredients
1 gallon whole milk, 1/8 tsp calcium chloride, 1 pkt meso starter, B.linens diluted in spray bottle of water, 2 drops cheese coloring, 3/8 tsp liquid rennet, saturated brine to soak, and 1C salt in 1 gallon water.
Ripening
Heat milk to 86°F and add starter. Cover to ripen for 10 minutes.
Add coloring and stir in.
Renneting
Stir in rennet and let set for 30 minutes until clean break.
Cutting the Curd
Cut curd into ¼ inch cubes. Should have a jelly-like consistency. Stir gently 10 minutes. I use my clean hand for this.
Cooking the Curd
20 minutes
Raise temperature to 87° over 5 minutes. Stir gently with hand.
Raise temperature 2 degrees over next 5 minutes to 89°F. Stir gently with hand.
Raise temperature 1 degree over 5 minutes to 90°. Stir gently with hand.
Stir curds 20 minutes at 90°F. Let curds set 5 minutes then drain off whey.
Moulding
Place curds in moulds and flip after 1 hour of draining. Flip for next 6 hours, every hour. Leave in mold 17 more hours (24 hrs. total).
Brining
Brine cheese for 4 hours. If doing a 2# make brine for 8 hours. Pat dry and spray on B. linens mold.
Aging and Schmearing
Age cheese at 60°F for 10 days. Schmear the cheese rind every 3rd day with brine and the palm of your hand. Store the cheese 10 more days with schmearing. Age one week longer.
Wrap in parchment paper and foil and age in 60°F cooler for a couple of weeks. Readiness is when it is stinky and ripe.
Farmhouse Cheddar
2 gallons whole milk, 1/8 tsp calcium
chloride, 1 pkt meso starter, 15 drops annatto coloring, ½ tsp
liquid rennet, 1 Tbl iodine-free salt, Cheese wax.
Ripening
40 minutes
Heat milk to 90 degrees F and Add the starter. Stir and cover.
Renneting
45 minutes
Add diluted rennet and stir. Keep at 90 degrees and let sit for 45 minutes or til clean break.
Cutting the Curd
Cut curd into ½ inch cubed pieces.
Cooking the Curd
30 minutes
Heat pot to 100 degrees F by 2 degrees every 5 minutes. Stir gently during this time.
Draining the Curd
Cover pot and let sit 5 minutes. Pour curds into cheesecloth-lined colander. Hang bag to drain for an hour.
Milling the Curd
Place the curds in a bowl and break them into walnut-sized pieces. Mix in salt.
Molding and Pressing the Curds
Pack curds into mold and press for 10 minutes at 10# pressure. Remove cheese, redress and press at 20# for 10 minutes. Remove, redress, press again at 50# for 12 hours
Drying
Dry on board at room temperature for 2-5 days, until a rind has formed. The surface will be dry.
Waxing
Wax the cheese and age one month at 50 degrees F.
Feta Cheese
1 gal goat or cow milk, ¼ tsp lipase powder diluted in ¼ C water, 1 pkt meso starter, 1/8 tsp calcium chloride, ½ tsp liquid rennet, 2-4 Tbl cheese salt, 1/3 C salt for brine, ½ gallon water.
Ripening
Combine milk and diluted lipase. Warm milk to 86°F. Add starter, cover pot, and let ripen for 1 hour. Add calcium chloride.
Renneting
Add rennet, stir 20 strokes, and let set 1 hour until firm curd break.
Cutting
Cut curd into ½ inch cubes. Let set undisturbed for 10 minutes.
Gently stir curd for 20 minutes. Hold at 86°F.
Draining
Pour curds into cheese cloth-lined colander and hang curds to drain for 4 hours. Turn curd and flip and rewrap and hang again for overnight.
Firming
After your cheese has hung for about 24 hours or so, remove it from the cloth and cut it into usable size cubes/blocks (about 2 inches). Sprinkle all the sides of the cubes with kosher salt and place them in a sterilized, large, sealable, container. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 2-3 days to "harden up" the blocks. The blocks will continue to release whey during this time; that is normal.
Brining
Transfer the blocks to a large, sterilized glass jar or bottle. It has to fit in your refrigerator. I use quart yogurt containers with lids. Add the brine, and add a few drops of calcium chloride to it to keep your cheese firm.
Age for at least 1-4 weeks before use (to develop flavor). I age at least a month. Your Feta cheese will keep in its brine (refrigerated) for a very, very long time (up to a year), and will only keep getting better (stronger).
Stilton-style Cheese
1 gal whole milk, 1 C cream or half&half, 1/8 tsp calcium chloride, 1/16 tsp blue mold powder, 1 pkt mesophilic starter, 1/8 tsp liquid rennet diluted in ¼ C H2O, 1 T cheese salt.
Ripening
35 minutes
Warm milk and cream to 86°F. Add mold. Add starter and mix well. Cover and ripen for 30 minutes.
Renneting
95 minutes
Add rennet, stir for 1 minute. Top-stir several more minutes. Cover and let set for 90 mins at 86°F.
Cheddaring
95 minutes
Transfer curds into cheese-cloth-lined colandar set in bowl to catch whey. Let curds set in whey for 90 mins.
Hang bag to drain for 30 minutes. Put bag of curds in press at 8# pressure overnight at room temperature.
Milling and Salting
Remove from press and break into 1” cubes and put in bowl. Add salt and mix gently but thoroughly.
Moulding
Place curds in Camembert mould over mat and board. Flip the mould every 15 mins for 2 hours at room temperature. Let set overnight. Flip the cheese several times/day for 4 days.
Pricking
Using a sterilized knitting needle, prick holes in the cheese. Put in container and keep at 52°F with 90% humidity.
Aging
Turn the cheese several times a week. Scrape off mold and slime once a week. Age for 4 months.
Yield
1 pound
Swiss Cheese
2 gallons whole milk, 1 packet thermophilic starter, 1/4 tsp P shermanii powder, 1/8 tsp calcium chloride, ½ tsp liquid rennet diluted in ¼ C H2O, 2# cheese salt and 1 gallon H2O for brine.
Ripening
15 minutes
Heat milk to 90°F. Add starter and mix well. Remove ¼ C milk from pot and add P shermanii to it. Mix and dissolve the powder. Cover and ripen 10 mins.
Renneting
32 minutes
Check temp and add rennet and stir 1 minute. Top stir 2 minutes. Cover and let set 30 minutes at 90 degrees.
CuttingThe Curd
Cut the curd into ¼ inch cubes
Cooking The Curds
40 minutes, 30 minutes,
Hold 90° temp gently stir curds for
40 minutes (foreworking). Then begin heating the curd one degree
every minute until you reach 120°F. Hold the temp for 30 minutes
more, stirring often. Cook until curds reach “proper break”, wad a
handful and rub together, they break apart. Let set 5 minutes. Press
the curds into a homogenous mass under the warm whey.
Moulding The Curds
Pour off whey and save. Quickly transfer the warm curds into press mold. You don't want curds to cool down.
Pressing The Curds
50 minutes, 2 hours, 12 hours.
Press at 10# pressure for 15 minutes. Turn, redress and press for 14 pounds for 30 minutes. Turn redress and press at 14# for 2hours. Redress, turn and press at 15# for 12 hours.
Soaking In Brine
Soak bare cheese in brine for 12 hours. Remove from brine pat dry and store at 52°F for 1 week. Wipe off mold with salt water on cloth. Turn daily.
Eye Formation
Keep cheese at 75°F and 80% humidity for 2-3 weeks. Turn daily and wipe off mold with salt water on cloth. The cheese will swell and get rounded.
Aging
Age at 45°F for at least 3 months. A reddish surface color is good, although mine is neutral/white.
Yields 2 pounds of cheese