Idly browsing the internet trying to figure out how to make semifreddo (see Italy post) I found out that its meant to be really easy to make soft cheese.
At this point, I should point out that I'm amphatically NOT a fan of cheese in general. In fact, the only cheese I like is the kind that doesn't taste like cheese - mozzarella is good but so far no other kind has taken my fancy. However, I wanted to have spinach and ricotta cannelloni for dinner, and that definitely needs cheese, so I decided to try making it...
Soft Goats Cheese
Take 2 pints of milk, heat it to 185F, stir in a sprinkle of salt and the juice of a lemon until the milk curdles. Strain through cheesecloth, then once most of the liquid is gone wrap the cheesecloth up round the cheese (don't squeeze it!), and hang it in a cool place (I put it in the fridge) to continue to drain for 4-6 hours. Unwrap the cloth, and hey presto!, you have cream cheese.
When I mixed in the lemon I was really convinced it wasn't working. In my ignorance I was expecting proper lumps to form at that point rather than the little flecks which actually are the sign of curdling. Still, I went with it and set about straining.
Realistically, unless you have a particular penchant for 1970s fashions, I doubt many people have cheesecloth in their house. I just doubled over the muslin I'd bought for straining my damson jelly and used that, which seemed to work fine. Amazingly, as soon as I started pouring the liquid into my muslin-lined colander I could see the cheese beginning to collect, which was heartening. After a few hours draining in the fridge all those little flecks ended up creating 175g of soft cheese - I found the ease of the whole thing quite exciting, which may mean that I really need to get a life, but who knew it would be so simple to do?!
What was even better was that I actually liked it. OK, so I probably won't be eating it by the plateful, but a little here and there will definitely be acceptable.
By-the-way, I used goats milk, but I assume cows milk would work equally well.
Umm, I do love you a little less now that I know you don't like cheese, that is so, not British of you.
ReplyDeleteI went to a cheese making seminar a few months ago and they said "you can finally find another use for that cheese cloth you have laying about" and the first thing I thought was "who has it just 'laying about'" then I look around and see that I am in a room full of Hippies and Hipsters (for definition of Hipster please look up Portland) and no longer doubted that they probably did have it laying about the house.
You went to a cheese making seminar?! That comment really needs further explanation!
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