The Home Creamery (8 page)

3.

When the ricotta has drained, transfer it to a bowl, break it up, and stir. Store the ricotta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

RICOTTA SERVING IDEAS

• Use fresh ricotta as a topping for pancakes or French toast; drizzle the ricotta with pure maple syrup or any fruit syrup.

• Spread lightly sweetened ricotta on toasted slices of bread or English muffin halves and dust with cinnamon-sugar.

• Sweeten ricotta with honey and a little vanilla extract and serve with fresh berries or cut-up fruit.

• Use an electric mixer to whip ricotta with unsweetened cocoa powder and confectioners’ sugar until creamy. Serve as you would pudding.

GOAT CHEESE

The only thing that differentiates goat cheese from other cheeses
is the milk used to make it: goat’s milk. I was a fan of goat cheese from the first time I tasted it. The distinctive tangy flavor and smooth, creamy texture that the milk imparts to the cheese is something you either love or don’t love. But apparently, a lot of people love this cheese: Just visit the dairy department of a local supermarket or go to a farmers’ market and you’ll notice Americans have more choices of imported, domestic, and handcrafted goat cheese now than ever before.

Making goat cheese at home is as easy as making any other soft, unripened cheese. Look for goat’s milk at natural food stores, farmers’ markets, and large supermarkets. You can use the milk to make wonderful mozzarella, ricotta, and yogurt. Fresh goat cheese is made in a variety of shapes and sizes, such as small disks that are covered with leaves or logs coated with fresh herbs or spices.

HOMEMADE GOAT CHEESE

INGREDIENTS

1 gallon whole goat’s milk

1 cup cider vinegar

Fresh goat cheese — sometimes called chèvre, which is French for goat — ranges in texture from creamy to semifirm. The flavor works especially well with acidic accompaniments, such as tomatoes or strawberries.

1.

Pour the milk in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and heat gradually over medium-low heat until it reaches a temperature of 175 to 180°F. Check the temperature with a thermometer. It’s important to heat gradually and to stir the milk frequently to prevent scorching (and a slightly burned taste).

MAKES ABOUT 1 POUND
PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES

2.

Hold the temperature at 175 to 180°F for about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat, if necessary. (Once milk reaches high temperatures, it can gain heat surprisingly quickly.) Stir in the vinegar slowly until curds begin to form.

3.

Remove the pot from heat. Pour or ladle the curds into a butter muslin–lined colander. Tie the corners of the cloth into a knot, forming a bag from which to drain off the whey. Slide a long-handled spoon beneath the knot and hang the bag inside the empty pot to drain for 2 to 5 hours or until desired consistency.

4.

Transfer the cheese from the muslin to a bowl and use right away or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.

GOAT’S MILK LEGEND

Legend has it that Cleopatra bathed in goat’s milk to keep her skin silky smooth, and pharaohs had goat’s milk and cheese placed in their burial chambers for the afterlife.

HERBED GOAT CHEESE

INGREDIENTS

2 cups whole goat’s milk

2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream

½ cup plain yogurt
with live cultures

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

1 sprig fresh parsley

1 sprig fresh thyme

½ teaspoon liquid rennet

¼ cup cool water
(55 to 60°F)

½ teaspoon salt

This cheese is made with a combination of goat’s milk and cow’s milk. The practice of blending these milks is common, especially in European countries such as France and Greece. After the cheese has been unmolded, it can be rolled in coarsely cracked peppercorns or dried herbs if desired.

MAKES ABOUT ½ POUND
PREP TIME: 40 MINUTES

1.

Pour the milk and cream into a large pot. Stir in the yogurt, basil, parsley, and thyme, and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2.

Pour the mixture through a strainer; discard the herbs and return the milk mixture to the pot. Bring the mixture to 100°F. Check the temperature with a thermometer.

3.

In a small cup, dissolve the rennet in the water. Add this mixture to the milk and stir for 30 seconds. Remove the pot from heat, cover, and let stand for 2 hours longer to form curds.

4.

Cut the curds into 1-inch cubes and gently stir. Pour or spoon the curds carefully into a butter muslin–lined colander set over a large bowl and let drain about 1 hour. Turn the cheese out into a medium bowl and stir in the salt.

5.

Line 1-cup cheese molds with butter muslin. Fill molds with cheese, fold cloth over top, and place a weight on each, such as a plate and a can (a total of about 2 pounds). Refrigerate under the weight overnight or up to 2 days.

6.

To serve, unmold cheese and remove butter muslin. Cheese will keep up to 1 week, tightly wrapped and refrigerated.

GOAT’S MILK FETA CHEESE

INGREDIENTS

1 gallon goat’s milk

¼ cup cultured buttermilk

½ teaspoon liquid rennet

¼ cup cool water
(55 to 60°F)

Coarse salt

Feta is best known for its salty, tangy flavor and versatility. Once you’ve tasted freshly made feta, you might want to have it on hand all the time to add to salads and Greek-style dishes. Use the cheese right away or refrigerate, covered in salted water, up to 4 weeks.

1.

Warm the milk to 88°F over low heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Check the temperature with a thermometer. Stir in the buttermilk. Cover and let stand for 1 hour.

MAKES ABOUT 1 POUND
PREP TIME: 40 MINUTES

2.

In a small cup, dissolve the rennet in the water. Add this mixture to the milk and stir for 30 seconds. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour longer to coagulate.

3.

Using a knife, cut the curds into 1-inch cubes. Stir gently for 15 minutes, keeping the curds at 88°F.

4.

Pour the curds carefully into a butter muslin-lined colander, tie together the ends of the muslin to make a bag, and hang in a cool room or in the refrigerator to drain for 4 to 6 hours.

5.

Remove the cheese from the muslin, slice the cheese ball in half, and lay the slabs of cheese in a dish that can be covered. Sprinkle all the surfaces with coarse salt, cover, and allow to set at room temperature for 24 hours. After 24 hours, salt all the surfaces again and let the cheese rest for 2 hours.

6.

Place the cheese in a covered dish and refrigerate up

MOZZARELLA

For most of us, mozzarella means the kind found in the grocery store
— the plastic-sealed chunks with a rubbery consistency. That version doesn’t compare to handmade fresh mozzarella. The real thing is tender with a sweet, mellow flavor, and it’s so fresh that it drips milk when it’s cut.

Generally speaking, making mozzarella is a simple process: Whole or skim milk is coagulated, usually with an acid culture or rennet. The liquid whey is drained from the curds, which are salted. What makes mozzarella different from other fresh cheeses is that the curds are stretched, which gives the cheese its smooth, tight texture.

Mozzarella was made originally with water buffalo milk in the southern Italian region of Campania. Buffalo-milk mozzarella is creamier than that made with cow’s milk. It has a high butterfat content, about 50 percent, compared to 45 percent for whole cow’s milk and 30 to 45 percent for part skim.

Fresh mozzarella can be made into several shapes and varieties: salted and unsalted; golf ball–size bocconcini; and braided, smoked, and marinated. My own favorite way of enjoying fresh mozzarella is to eat a slice with a hunk of crusty bread topped with a sliced garden-fresh tomato. Beyond just for eating as is, mozzarella is a wonderful melting cheese. In Italian classics such as eggplant parmigiana and chicken parmigiana it forms a soft, glazed topping.

MOZZARELLA TIP

Fresh mozzarella is delicious, but it’s difficult to grate. Here’s the solution: Freeze it first. Wrap fresh mozzarella in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 20 minutes. Unwrap the cheese and grate it. Use right away.

HOMEMADE MOZZARELLA

INGREDIENTS

2 gallons whole or low-fat milk
(cow’s or goat’s milk)

2½ teaspoons citric acid powder
(see Note)

½ teaspoon liquid rennet

¼ cup cool water
(55 to 60°F)

8 cups water

¼ cup salt

The part of making your own mozzarella that’s the most fun is the stretching process. It’s almost magical to watch the curds become a smooth, elastic mass. And nothing beats its fresh, sweet flavor.

Note:
Citric acid powder is available at cheese-making supply houses (see Sources on
page 209
).

MAKES ABOUT 2 POUNDS
PREP TIME: 1 HOUR

1.

Pour the milk into a large, heavy-bottomed pot and stir in the citric acid, stirring for 2 minutes. Bring the milk to 88°F. (It doesn’t matter whether you stir.) Check the temperature with a thermometer. Remove the pot from heat.

2.

In a small cup, dissolve the rennet in the cool water. Add this mixture to the milk and stir for 30 seconds. Cover the pot and let stand for 15 minutes.

3.

Using a knife (preferably a curd knife), cut the curds into 1-inch cubes and then let stand for another 5 minutes.

4.

Heat the curds over low heat, stirring gently to keep them separated. The curds will begin to shrink as the whey begins to separate from them. Slowly heat the curds to 108°F, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Check the temperature with a thermometer. Turn off the heat and continue to stir every few minutes for 20 minutes longer.

5.

Meanwhile, combine the 8 cups of water and salt in a pot and bring to 180°F.

6.

Spoon the curds into a colander lined with a double layer of butter muslin and let drain about 15 minutes.

7.

Cut the curds into 1-inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Pour the hot water over the curds; the water should cover them. (The hot water will warm the cheese so it begins to melt and can be stretched.)

8.

Using one or two wooden spoons or your hands, begin to stretch the cheese in an upward fashion, like you are stretching taffy. Stretch the cheese for about 10 minutes or until it begins to get stringy and shiny.