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My interest in making my own cheese was not motivated by anything more than pure curiosity. I love DIY stuff. In England I had purchased some rennet in the baking aisle that was supposed to be used for a dessert called Junket. In exploring that I found this brand wasn't suitable to take it further and make cheese because it was diluted. So I searched the net and found this company that had all sorts of cheese making supplies and kits.
I was just going to order some strains, butter muslin, and rennent , and figure it out. The salesperson at the other end though I was one of many Martha Stewart watchers( seemed she just made some cheese) and advised me there was to more to cheese making than adding milk and rennet. So I purchased his easiest kit for soft cheese. This kit provided the strains to make Fromage Blanc, Chevre, Mascarpone, Creme Fraiche, and Neufchatel along with other necessary ingredients.
Baked Chevre with tomato sauce, olive oil, and basil. Delicious!
I was just going to order some strains, butter muslin, and rennent , and figure it out. The salesperson at the other end though I was one of many Martha Stewart watchers( seemed she just made some cheese) and advised me there was to more to cheese making than adding milk and rennet. So I purchased his easiest kit for soft cheese. This kit provided the strains to make Fromage Blanc, Chevre, Mascarpone, Creme Fraiche, and Neufchatel along with other necessary ingredients.
I just needed to supply either goats or cows milk and a few kitchen supplies.
It was really simple from this point. Heat the goats milk to 86 degrees,add Chevre culture, mix 1 teaspoon of Calcium Chloride with 2 tabelspoons Distilled water and put in the milk, cover overnight in a cast iron pot. Next morning separate the whey from the curds gently.
Tie up in the butter muslin and let drian for 6-8 hours( all done while I was at work).
Look at these beautiful curds!
Next add some flaked salt .
Put in the cheese molds that came with the kit.Let those set for 1-2 days and drain some more.
I was left with a cup of ready to eat cheese that I used up like this for Certain Someone and myself.
Baked Chevre with tomato sauce, olive oil, and basil. Delicious! The next day I untapped my molds. I rolled one in herbs( provided in the kit) and the other set aside plain.
I cant tell you how excited I am. The finished product was excellent. Check it out for yourself.
55 comments:
oh, i have always wanted to do this. it looks great. (though I am now dying to figure out what junket is.)
Oooh, how fun! I've always wanted to try this. :)
Courtney I've been watching those videos for some time now. I'm seriously thinking of ordering a kit.
Wow, great! I'd love to make my own cheese in that way, but I've never seen such kits here...
Cheers,
Rosa
Hi Courtney,
I can just imagine the satisfaction you must feel from creating your own home made cheese. When I make yogurt, which is usually once a week, I sometimes make it into cheese. For some reason, it always tastes better. I'm sure it's psychological because I "made it myself." I'm going to have to try the rolling in herbs part next time. Yours looks quite yummy!
I think Junket is sort of a pudding. I know in many of my older cookbooks, it is prepared for small children and those who are ill. I'll have to someday post about it someday...
That looks really fun to do. I might have to try that.
Wow, Courtney, this is SO cool! I'm going to have to try this. I'm so in awe of all your DIY projects.
I am so impressed. I love goat's cheese and have been wondering about experimenting myself. You make it look so easy and rewarding by the looks of the baked chevre and tomato. Sounds delish!
Very cool Courtney. I love how easy you make it look. I was going to try this a while back but got overwhelmed by all the instructions!
I think you are pretty amazing!! I would love to make cheese and you have inspired me to give it a try.. Thanks for this wonderful post Courtney! :)
wow! They are really beautiful, Courtney!
This is why I love your blog. I would not have thought to buy a kit to make cheese. In culinary school, they warned us that it was illegal to by tartaric acid without a license...or some other BS. I'm surprised to see you have it. Oh, and is that the Foodbuzz spatula I see in that pic there??
Your chevre looks wonderful! What's the name of this company? I want to make some, too. I want to pretend to be Farmer Brown for a day!
WOW - looks at you doing it up big over there!
-DTW
www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com
That is so cool! Thanks for sharing such a great find with us.
This is awesome! Really impressive. It looks perfect to me. ;-) Great job!
Paz
You really are a talented cook, curds what a treat. This is something I always wanted to do. Yours looks great. Thanks for the comments on my blog.
I can just say wow! I would love to taste your cheese! It must really be wonderful to have home made goats cheese in your fridge...how does it compare to bought chees?
Ronell
I'm so impressed Courtney! Your cheese looks so good! Very Artisan like!!I have been doing reserch on making ricotta from home. I saw it recently done on of all things...Diner's,Drivin's and Dive's on Food TV. What appealed to me was that he did not use rennet, unfortunately they didn't post the recipe!
I'm not sure how much you paid for the kit, but I'm guessing you could save some money if you made your own cheese. Mascarpone is ridiculous here! Who can afford that?
Good cheese-making skills!
Nice spatula, by the way.
Wow!!! I'm so impressed!!!
Great Job! I have only made it from our goats milk, and never heard of it being made form cows milk..
Courtney, yours looks fantastic!
That is awesome! I so am asking for it for Christmas! (Mom has been bugging me for ideas, I'm really not planning this far ahead!) I love how you always find such nifty stuff!
I agree what wonderful gift this would make either the cheese itself or the kit:D
Nice work. I'm planning some cheesy experiments this fall too.
Courtney, this is rock-star level cheese making...awesome!
If I could give you a gold star I would right now.
I see from these successful experiments that if you want to leave your day job, it would not be a problem. I am serious.
I am seriously impressed that you made your own cheese! And a tiny bit jealous....
For those wondering, Junket is an old-fashioned (and rather out of fashion) English dessert. You eat it chilled and it's similar in texture to blancmange.
oh gosh, can i just buy it off you? hehe
What an adventure! Part of me is now dying to try this, however, the part of me that knows just how long my to do list really is won't let me!
Wow! So when are you going to start taking orders, then? I expect to see you with a stall at Borough Market by the end of the year!
Wow girl! What a job!!!! So interesting that you got that kit and did it yourself! But... there's always a but... not for me this one... sorry!
Cheese is everywhere!!!!
Duly impressed-- it sounds like a lot of fun though. I would be interested to see how it works out price wise though- is is cheaper to use a kit of to just buy it in the store.
Cream of tartar is tartaric acid, so you don't really need a special kit. The CaCl2 is a little harder to get (can't pick it up at the grocery store), but now that you've got a taste for cheese making, you're unstoppable!
That looks really cool.
You're excited? I'm excited! Courtney, you're amazing :) Julian (my husband) makes ricotta, and boy is he going to be jealous when he hears this.
Okay, maybe I won't tell him. Do you think I should get him the kit, or would that be like giving someone a vacuum cleaner?
Impressive! And I bet it tastes sooo much better than anything I can get around here.
You are one way cool chicky!
Wow! I am so impressed with you for making your own cheese. Well done kiddo!
Your cheese looks gorgeous! If only I could find cheese making supplies here...maybe I just have to look harder! I can imagine how lovely that tasted...MMM!
That looks soo fun! I've always wanted to try making cheese. Looks like you've got lots of delicious cheese!
I have always wanted to do this Coco and I'm so impressed with your cheese - well done!!
Junket my mum used to make this for me as a child :)
Rosie x
Honey, I see a new career in the making! Seriously, I make our own cheese everyweek and B. laughs that we need to move and invest in a couple of cows and goats! I told him I was already looking into it!!
The herb goat cheese is scrumptious!
Wow! That is fantastic. I took a week long farmstead cheesemaker class a couple years ago. Loved it, but I came away thinking it was way too complicated for me to make at home. Now that I see your post, I have got to get that kit!
making ur own cheese? wow! u make sound soooo simple. guess what, with the price of cheese increasing, making ur very own is the better alternative.
making ur own cheese? wow! that so wonderful & u make it look so simple.
This is the coolest thing ever Glamah! And it looks really good too. I'm getting you a goat for your birthday! :-)
I'm so impressed!!!!!!
I bow down to your cheese-making adventures with envy!
this is the type of link i've been looking for! we've been wanting to try something like this for so long... you've made it look so easy! great job - beautiful and creamy.
I've made my own yogurt, but never my own cheese. This rocks! And who wouldn't want a fresh goat cheese in their fridge??? - Beyond yummm!!
Wow, that is the coolest thing that I ever seen!!! Your cheese looks really good and how cool is it that you made it yourself!!?!!
That is very impressive! I have to look into this. Thanks for sharing your new food DIY.
wow, that's such a great kit.
i am a huge goats cheese fan and it's so expensive in sydney. if only i can get my hands on one of these kits . . .
This is beautiful- i love t make cheese but haven't done it in a year or two. I am inspired to get going again by your Chevre though!
xo
You are so totally a domestic goddess. Far more ambitious than anything I'd attempt - and the finished product looks divine :)
How cool to make your own cheese!
Oh wow this is so easy! I would love to make something like this. I'm just not sure if I will get the kit here.
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