Today I learned to make cheese!

I came upon today’s lesson by trying to think outside the box. And I’ve got to say that I even surprised myself a bit at this level of ambition. But that’s kind of the reason why I started this project. I wanted to stretch myself past what I already know. Since I started the blog I’ve been on the look-out for new things to learn and eager to take on challenges.

And I’ve never made cheese before.

Though, I certainly have eaten it. My husband was the one that started introducing me to new cheeses and the interesting ways they compliment various foods. Shredded Colby Jack is the most versatile cheese I use - for casseroles, potato topping, even in chili. I love Provolone and Baby Swiss when I'm making my sandwiches. I enjoy all manner of cheeses, though I prefer mild . . . and mold-free. No blue. No green. No thank you. Not that I would be above trying it, it's just that I'm not adding it to my shopping list anytime soon. And after developing a love for the various personalities of cheese, that processed "cheese product" in a box seems like such a wannabe. I KnoW it melts better than cheddar, but, let's face it -  it's an imposter - the Elvis impersonator of the food world. I also think it's pretty funny that the selling point of this product is its ability to ooze. (And, by the way, cheddar actually melts fine if you know how.) I'm not a cheese snob, but if I'm buying it for myself, those are my standards. Real cheese, no fuzz.

Lately, I’ve been buying those little circular cheeses with red wax around them. You know, the ones with the cow on the label. Waybums loves the soft cheese and begs me to let her have my “circle cheeses” instead of the boring old string cheese. So, I share, even though they are spendy and I don't get them often. I was nibbling around the edges of one last night and began to wonder about the process of making cheese. And so I looked it up, and then all the recipes for homemade soft cheese started popping up. What?? REALLY? And feeling like a domestic conquerer with my tidy-folded fitted sheet, how I could say no to such a challenge?

So here I am today, learning how to make Farmer's Cheese -

aka Fromage Blanc.

INGREDIENTS

2 quarts whole milk (pasteurized)

2 cups buttermilk

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 1/2 tsp salt

TOOLS:

heavy-bottomed saucepan, rinsed cheesecloth,

large strainer, stockpot

~~~~~

Step #1. Heat the Milk

Turn it on low heat and warm it until it's about 180F degrees. You have to stir constantly, and it's important to have a thick-bottomed pan so that it doesn't burn on the bottom. When it reaches 180F, turn off the heat and go right to step #2.

Step #2. Add the curdling agents

Stir in the buttermilk and the vinegar. Then you just sort of stick your spoon in there and nudge it around because the curdling starts pretty quickly.

The curds are the white parts that will become cheese. The whey is the watery part that is separated from the curds. And in case you ever wondered, a tuffet is a little footstool-type children's chair with a skirt that hides its feet. (I learned that today, too. :)

Now, you let the curds and whey sit like that for ten minutes. While you wait for those minutes to pass you can set up the strainer over the stockpot like so:

Then double-layer the cheesecloth and line the strainer with it.

My own little Miss Muffet wanted to make her own little cheese,

so I let her join in on the fun.

The strainer sits above stockpot so it can catch the whey.

Step #3. You drain the moisture from the cheese

 

After the ten minutes are up, you begin to ladle the curds into the strainer.

A slotted spoon would probably work well, too.

You let the curds drip for another ten minutes like this.

Next, you pull up the edges of the cheesecloth and tie it:

I did a little squeezing to drain the whey.

One recipe I found said to tie it to a spoon

and prop the spoon over the top of the stockpot.

My stockpot had handles, so I did this instead:

Now, you let it hang there for half an hour to drain.

After that half hour is up, you can open your cheesecloth and find...

Homemade Cheese!

 

I tried a morsel of it and was surprised at the cheese texture. It was creamy and mild and a little sweet. A couple of recipes said to stir in salt at this point. I decided that I'm going to make cheese blintzes with my homemade cheese and so I skipped adding the salt. I conditioned the outside of my ball of cheese with a little olive oil and put it is a plastic baggie in the fridge. Waybums planned to simply eat her cheese and I had the notion to use popcorn salt to avoid the grainy feeling of regular salt.

 

She really liked it. :)

She asked if we could make some more.

Farmer's Cheese stores well in the fridge for about five days...

...although I doubt very much ours would ever last that long.

Off to my next learning adventure - I'll keep you posted.