Solve et Coagula
Apr. 13th, 2010 05:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lazuli93My what an amazing week it's been. A constant whir of activity. Holy Days, Fellowship, Drama, Work have all be represented, and I haven't had much sleep as a result. Many posts to follow. The title of this post could apply to several different topics of late, but today, I am applying it to this past Sunday, when my friend Cathy came up from Olympia to teach me and five of my friends how to make cheese.
I love this kind of kitchen alchemy!
We learned the steps, the differences in the processes for different types of cheese, the uses of cultures, rennet, different types of equipment both store bought and frankensteined from household items, and what sources (Culture magazine is cheese food porn!) are out there.
We made two kinds of ricotta (whole milk and whey), chevre, curds, paneer, and mozzarella. We also got to make fresh butter/buttermilk in a jar....so tasty!
Chevre - after about 48 hours in the mold, then rolled in culinary lavender.
I plan to serve it tonight for some guests along side some store bought. We'll see how it compares.
[Edit: It compared very well! The texture was quite comparable, perhaps slightly more creamy, the taste a tad milder...although that was in part due to the store bought having an herb rub and a bit mixed in vs. the lavender that I put on mine.]
The rest of the pictures behind a cut for the less than foodily inclined...
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vixenesque churns the butter while obake and Michael watch and learn.
vonvoncake watches Cathy's milk
Cheese-food-porn...Culture magazine even has cheese of the month centerfolds! I think C is describing the methods of brie.
DIY Cheese presses. On the left is paneer in cheesecloth under a gallon jug full of water. On the right is curd cheese in a mold with significantly more pressure on it.
Butter and buttermilk...so different and so much better than store bought!
Chevre hanging over the sink (so that's what that beam is for!) You can also seeglitch25's arm :) and on the counter to the left of the sink, in the plastic tub, are the molds that the chevre will go into later.
Top left to right: chevre - after hanging a couple of hours and about an hour in a mold...it ended up combined with the other mold and allowed to drain further (see first pictire). Paneer - a couple of hours under the weight (see above). Mozzarella cheese - it gets worked kind of like taffy and we each had a portion that we worked.
Bottom left to right: chevre - not molded. Cheese Curd - about 30 minutes in the press (see above). Whole milk ricotta.
I love this kind of kitchen alchemy!
We learned the steps, the differences in the processes for different types of cheese, the uses of cultures, rennet, different types of equipment both store bought and frankensteined from household items, and what sources (Culture magazine is cheese food porn!) are out there.
We made two kinds of ricotta (whole milk and whey), chevre, curds, paneer, and mozzarella. We also got to make fresh butter/buttermilk in a jar....so tasty!
Chevre - after about 48 hours in the mold, then rolled in culinary lavender.
I plan to serve it tonight for some guests along side some store bought. We'll see how it compares.
[Edit: It compared very well! The texture was quite comparable, perhaps slightly more creamy, the taste a tad milder...although that was in part due to the store bought having an herb rub and a bit mixed in vs. the lavender that I put on mine.]
The rest of the pictures behind a cut for the less than foodily inclined...
vixenesque churns the butter while obake and Michael watch and learn.vonvoncake watches Cathy's milkCheese-food-porn...Culture magazine even has cheese of the month centerfolds! I think C is describing the methods of brie.
DIY Cheese presses. On the left is paneer in cheesecloth under a gallon jug full of water. On the right is curd cheese in a mold with significantly more pressure on it.
Butter and buttermilk...so different and so much better than store bought!
Chevre hanging over the sink (so that's what that beam is for!) You can also see
glitch25's arm :) and on the counter to the left of the sink, in the plastic tub, are the molds that the chevre will go into later.Top left to right: chevre - after hanging a couple of hours and about an hour in a mold...it ended up combined with the other mold and allowed to drain further (see first pictire). Paneer - a couple of hours under the weight (see above). Mozzarella cheese - it gets worked kind of like taffy and we each had a portion that we worked.
Bottom left to right: chevre - not molded. Cheese Curd - about 30 minutes in the press (see above). Whole milk ricotta.
