I've been making my own yogurt and ricotta for some time now - and a lot of it, ever since an itty bitty kidney stone showed up by chance in some x-rays and my doctor said I couldn't go vegan after all and in fact had to increase my dairy intake. But a couple of weeks ago another wrench was thrown into my diet plans when results came back from some allergy tests showing that I have moderate problems with almonds, eggs, and - !@#$% - cow milk and whey. Since my sluggish metabolism is consistent with food allergies, the naturopath who did the tests suggested I switch to goat and sheep milk. I haven't found a source of sheep milk (and it's probably prohibitively expensive, anyway) and goat milk and yogurt tastes like it's been strained through dirty socks (to me, anyway) but I actually do like goat cheese. So I'm going to try making my own goat cheese to see if I can make it a cost effective dairy option. (I think not, unless I buy my own goat. I'm really wondering if they can be house trained. I know our friend Sarah would provide us with a suitably indoor-sized critter...)
Anyway, here's what's cookin' at the moment:
How to Make French Chevre Cheese
updated: December 2, 2009
Consider making your own chevre cheese with goat's milk. Chevre means "goat" in the French language. The goat's milk makes a soft pliable cheese that you can mold easily. Goat's milk is also found in a variety of other cheeses such as feta, gouda and camembert. French chevre cheese is the freshest goat cheese available because it ages in just a few hours. Some people allow their curds to set for 24 hours before they make the cheese, but this is not a necessary part of the goat cheese-making process.
Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
- 1/2 gallon goat's milk
- Stainless steel pot
- Dairy thermometer
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- Stainless steel colander
- Cheesecloth
- Stainless steel bowls
- Strainer
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. pepper
- Molds
- 1 Begin pasteurizing the goat's milk. Fill your pan with goat's milk. Place a dairy thermometer in the pan to keep track of the temperature.
- 2 Allow the milk to rise to a temperature of 90 degrees F. Continue to stir the milk, or it will scorch. Once the milk boils, allow it to continue boiling for just a few seconds. Turn the burner off and remove the milk from the heat.
- 3 Add the vinegar to the milk. Continue to stir the goat milk slowly. You will notice that curds have started to form, and this is perfectly normal.
- 4 Line the colander with cheesecloth. Place the colander on top of a stainless steel bowl. Stir the goat milk for 30 seconds, and then pour it into your strainer.
- 5 Ensure that the whey (liquid) separates completely from the curds. Discard the whey that is left in the pot, or save it for a sourdough bread starter.
- 6 Lift the cheesecloth with the curds out of the colander. Gently squeeze the cheesecloth to remove any excess whey.
- 7 Pour the curds into a bowl. Add salt and pepper to the cheese. Mix the chevre cheese with your hands and form it into a bowl.
- 8 Press the cheese into molds or a small bowl. Cover the chevre cheese and place it in the refrigerator. Allow the goat cheese to set in the refrigerator for at least 2 days.
Concord Grape Jelly
I'm doing a micro-mini batch (about a half quart of grapes) so I'm not bothering to adhere to a recipe, sterilize jars, etc. If you want to be all official, there are tons of grape jelly recipes online. Here's my off the cuff method:
1. toss grapes in a stainless steel pot and cover with water2. boil the crap out of them3. strain out skins and grape bits and puree with about a cup of sugar (reserve grape juice)4. pour puree and juice back in the pan and boil some more5. strain out the chunky stuff6. add a couple of tablespoons pectin to juice7. boil for a minute, stirring constantly8. skim off foam9. put in jars10. refrigerate overnightIf jelly doesn't set, add a little water and call it grape pancake syrup ;-)
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