Thursday, June 20, 2013

Starting over

So...after my series of setbacks (ricotta that didn't work and feta that went bad), it was time to start with straight forward chevre again. This time, however, I am not using the pre-measured packages of culture and rennet that I was before.

From making ricotta and feta, I have all of the raw ingredients to make chevre in a more economically and, long term, more sustaining and flexible way. I started with a gallon of milk heated to 86 degrees F, put in 1/8 teaspoon of Flor Dancia culture, a few drops of rennet and some calcium chloride. I also let the cheese "age" on this mixture for a full 18 hours, instead of the 12 hours I would before.

My....what a difference. The curd was better set than before and my initial thought was about how tangy the curds were. This morning I pull the cheese from draining (15 hours draining) and packaged it. The result is a much creamier and much more tangy version of chevre than I have made in the past. Things are looking up once again!


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