lazuli93

My 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...

( the cheese! )