Lately I have been looking at recipes that use milk. In the most part to find more period descriptions of cheese making.
Now in that investigation I have a few times read someones redaction and gone hmmm, that's not the right cheese for that time period or location. So as an attempt to understand the wide variety of redactions to recipes and to also look at the cheeses used and methods for making them I am gathering what I can from the period sources as well as any redactions I can find for them.
All these will end up in a database so that I can do some structured research on who, what and when. Must be the data analyst in me :)
I've barely scratched the surface so far (an entire 50 recipes) but found some interesting things, such as 5 different but exceptionally similar recipes for 'Snow'. Spread across both timeframes and locations.
Many sources to gather into my tables, but a good start. Need to work out a bit of a classification system to make the groupings a little easier, but moving forward!
Wednesday 24 December 2014
Thursday 20 November 2014
12 month Aged Gouda
A couple of days ago I cut open one of the first rounds of Gouda I made last year. This is the first time I have aged a cheese for that long.
Very edible. But really quite sharp compared to what I am used to. Not unpleasant, but personally I would nibble at this rather than gorge! Tasted by a few people at home and then I took it along to our Wednesday night regular to spread the joy there.
Crumbly, sharp, tasty. Those were the general comments. I found it needed the water cracker to temper the sharpness a little. But yum!
Very edible. But really quite sharp compared to what I am used to. Not unpleasant, but personally I would nibble at this rather than gorge! Tasted by a few people at home and then I took it along to our Wednesday night regular to spread the joy there.
Crumbly, sharp, tasty. Those were the general comments. I found it needed the water cracker to temper the sharpness a little. But yum!
Labels - the joy of 'too much' cheese...
So slight problem. Lots of one colour of wax, multiple cheeses needed to be waxed. Distinct need to identify all of the cheeses individually!
Solution: labels. But how do I keep in line with a pre-1600 look and feel.
Surprisingly easily actually. I've decided to go down the path of using the flax paper that was made for the pentathlon with a little bit of 'calligraphy' for type and date made. Certainly not how they would have done it pre-1600, where it was more likely to have the name pressed into the cheese or the wax (they also used the colour of the wax to tell them how long they needed to age it), but a nice middle ground. Also gives me a chance to play with the paper and ink which I have wanted to do!
After a little thought I figured putting the labels onto the side of the cheese really was the only option. I have to flip the cheeses weekly so having a lump of wax on the top or bottom would make that awkward. A little rough and ready with the amount of wax. But they finally stuck!
Solution: labels. But how do I keep in line with a pre-1600 look and feel.
Surprisingly easily actually. I've decided to go down the path of using the flax paper that was made for the pentathlon with a little bit of 'calligraphy' for type and date made. Certainly not how they would have done it pre-1600, where it was more likely to have the name pressed into the cheese or the wax (they also used the colour of the wax to tell them how long they needed to age it), but a nice middle ground. Also gives me a chance to play with the paper and ink which I have wanted to do!
Making the labels. Did okayish with the writing given the roughness of the paper. Very out of practice!
Modern recipes but a medieval focus, why?
I've been asked a question regarding why it is that I make medieval cheeses but use modern recipes. So I thought I would attempt to pick that apart a little and make some sense of what it is I am trying to accomplish.
Here in Australia there is no way that I can easily source raw milk and raw milk is at the core of medieval cheese making. Regional raw milk is what gives a cheese its beginnings. The region defines its flavours, its bacterias and its processes.
I can not for a moment entertain the idea that I can source milk appropriate for each cheese (and I really don't think anyone expects me to either!). So much depends on the time of year that the animal is milked and the floral influence that that milk is under. Grass is turned into cheese via the machine that is 'cow'. What comes out is dependent on what goes in, and grasses, wild flowers etc etc all play a role in that end product.
That floral influence plays 'havoc' more than you might think. Just like the flowers that bees collect pollen from affect the flavour of the honey, so does the grazing material effect the milk. Regional plant varieties, alpine grasses versus seaside shrubbery each affects the raw milk that is produced. Like a lot of things, the specific influences we now label as say 'Gouda' only occur in that one small area.
Medieval cheese making is incredibly regional. Medieval towns who are renown for the cheese (Edam, Gouda, Cheddar, Derby) all have one thing that sells their cheese, the distinct flavour that that cheese is known for. In modern terms they are Region of Designated Origin. Much like what we knew as champagne is now known as sparkling wine, unless it is actually from the region of Champagne.
These days we also have concerns over such things as nasty bacteria and liver fluke. So we do things such as pasturise our milk to remove any of those issues (and apply certain standards to the storage and transportation of milk/products). And we do that to the point of regulating the immunizations and medications given to all livestock that produce milk. These modern controls give us safety, but they cost us access to raw milk (it is illegal to sell most raw milks in Australia for human consumption).
If I had easy access to raw milk I would want to see how much of an influence our modern processes have on milk and cheese products. I would split the amount of milk, pasturise half and then make exactly the same cheese using exactly the same recipe. This would tell me how much of an influence the modern process has. But even with access to raw milk I would be no more or less inclined to use it for making 'Gouda' over commercial bought milk. Raw milk here in Australia is not a suitable raw milk for making 'Gouda'. It is out of region.
And that leads me to say that raw milk can be awesome I am sure. But I do not want to make anyone tasting my cheese sick. So commercial milk with a modern recipe made under sanitary conditions will always trump following a medieval recipe using period appropriate tools with riskier sanitary conditions. I do try and meet in the middle, but I won't risk my consumers if I don't have to.
A modern recipe is a distinct, reliable and replicable way of getting certain results. Modern recipes are simply a way of getting the same answer again and again.
The one thing that a recipe does is allows me to use pretty much any milk and know what the outcome will be. This is very important as it takes away all the variability that milk throws into the mix.
Each known 'medieval' cheese is known for a flavour and texture. What these modern recipes allow anyone to do is replicate it in a way that you to can experience that cheese, regardless of the region you live in. It has taken the humble cheese global. :)
Where a medieval recipe effectively does the same thing as a modern one, the one thing that is missing from the medieval is the surety that at the end of the process what I will taste is what they would have tasted (or as similar as I can get). Because I do not have access to 'their' milk.
I guess in the end what I am trying to accomplish is medieval experience. I would like to taste the cheeses that those in medieval times tasted. I am hindered by lack of access to milk from the regions needed, so I do the next best thing and use a recipe and a packet of bacteria.
As for replicating processes from medieval to modern, as I said in my documentation for last years pentathlon, my equipment is modern, the process is not. So I am quite comfortable with the fact that I use a stainless steel pot and a gas cooktop, and not a ceramic or copper pot over a fire. Doesn't mean I am not going to try and use those things (hopefully at Festival!) but the overall process is the same regardless of the modernity. Some things just have not changed. :)
Jeon, I. (l996) Undesirable flavors in dairy products, in _Food Taints_and Off- Flavours_ (M.J. Saxby, ed.) pp. 139-167.
Tunick, M (2014) The Science of Cheese, Oxford University Press, New York USA.
Mendelson, A (2008) Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages, Alfred A Knopf, New York USA.
Food Standards Australia, accessed November 2014,
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/primaryproduction/dairyraw/Pages/Questions-and-answers-about-P1022.aspx
The Milk
Here in Australia there is no way that I can easily source raw milk and raw milk is at the core of medieval cheese making. Regional raw milk is what gives a cheese its beginnings. The region defines its flavours, its bacterias and its processes.
I can not for a moment entertain the idea that I can source milk appropriate for each cheese (and I really don't think anyone expects me to either!). So much depends on the time of year that the animal is milked and the floral influence that that milk is under. Grass is turned into cheese via the machine that is 'cow'. What comes out is dependent on what goes in, and grasses, wild flowers etc etc all play a role in that end product.
That floral influence plays 'havoc' more than you might think. Just like the flowers that bees collect pollen from affect the flavour of the honey, so does the grazing material effect the milk. Regional plant varieties, alpine grasses versus seaside shrubbery each affects the raw milk that is produced. Like a lot of things, the specific influences we now label as say 'Gouda' only occur in that one small area.
Medieval cheese making is incredibly regional. Medieval towns who are renown for the cheese (Edam, Gouda, Cheddar, Derby) all have one thing that sells their cheese, the distinct flavour that that cheese is known for. In modern terms they are Region of Designated Origin. Much like what we knew as champagne is now known as sparkling wine, unless it is actually from the region of Champagne.
These days we also have concerns over such things as nasty bacteria and liver fluke. So we do things such as pasturise our milk to remove any of those issues (and apply certain standards to the storage and transportation of milk/products). And we do that to the point of regulating the immunizations and medications given to all livestock that produce milk. These modern controls give us safety, but they cost us access to raw milk (it is illegal to sell most raw milks in Australia for human consumption).
If I had easy access to raw milk I would want to see how much of an influence our modern processes have on milk and cheese products. I would split the amount of milk, pasturise half and then make exactly the same cheese using exactly the same recipe. This would tell me how much of an influence the modern process has. But even with access to raw milk I would be no more or less inclined to use it for making 'Gouda' over commercial bought milk. Raw milk here in Australia is not a suitable raw milk for making 'Gouda'. It is out of region.
And that leads me to say that raw milk can be awesome I am sure. But I do not want to make anyone tasting my cheese sick. So commercial milk with a modern recipe made under sanitary conditions will always trump following a medieval recipe using period appropriate tools with riskier sanitary conditions. I do try and meet in the middle, but I won't risk my consumers if I don't have to.
The Recipes
A modern recipe is a distinct, reliable and replicable way of getting certain results. Modern recipes are simply a way of getting the same answer again and again.
The one thing that a recipe does is allows me to use pretty much any milk and know what the outcome will be. This is very important as it takes away all the variability that milk throws into the mix.
Each known 'medieval' cheese is known for a flavour and texture. What these modern recipes allow anyone to do is replicate it in a way that you to can experience that cheese, regardless of the region you live in. It has taken the humble cheese global. :)
Where a medieval recipe effectively does the same thing as a modern one, the one thing that is missing from the medieval is the surety that at the end of the process what I will taste is what they would have tasted (or as similar as I can get). Because I do not have access to 'their' milk.
What am I trying to accomplish?
I guess in the end what I am trying to accomplish is medieval experience. I would like to taste the cheeses that those in medieval times tasted. I am hindered by lack of access to milk from the regions needed, so I do the next best thing and use a recipe and a packet of bacteria.
As for replicating processes from medieval to modern, as I said in my documentation for last years pentathlon, my equipment is modern, the process is not. So I am quite comfortable with the fact that I use a stainless steel pot and a gas cooktop, and not a ceramic or copper pot over a fire. Doesn't mean I am not going to try and use those things (hopefully at Festival!) but the overall process is the same regardless of the modernity. Some things just have not changed. :)
References:
Jeon, I. (l996) Undesirable flavors in dairy products, in _Food Taints_and Off- Flavours_ (M.J. Saxby, ed.) pp. 139-167.
Tunick, M (2014) The Science of Cheese, Oxford University Press, New York USA.
Mendelson, A (2008) Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages, Alfred A Knopf, New York USA.
Food Standards Australia, accessed November 2014,
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/primaryproduction/dairyraw/Pages/Questions-and-answers-about-P1022.aspx
Monday 10 November 2014
Pepato
I am figuring out that I seem to have a great fondness for making hard Italian cheeses. :) This is no exception (well, Sicilian slightly more specifically).
This is normally a reduced fat sheeps milk hard cheese but as I have no ready supply of sheeps milk it is a simulated sheeps milk cheese, with added lamb lipase. One of the first I have done with an added herb (pepper, and I have made a chilli flake haloumi) so nice in terms of both learning and using existing skills.
6L unhomogenised milk (2L low fat, 4L full cream)
1/8 teaspoon lamb lipase
3ml calcium chloride
1 pkt Thermophilic starter
1/2 tablet of rennet
30ml spring water
200ml water (from the tap as you boil it anyway)
6-12 black peppercorns
26% brine solution
Method:
heat the milk slowly to 37oC
add the calcium chloride and stir for 1 minute
add starter and stir slowly for 1 minute
sit at temperature for 15 minutes
add lipase and slowly stir for 1 minute
sit at temperature for 15 minutes
dilute rennet in spring water and add to milk
stir gently from bottom to top for 1 minute
cover and let sit at temperature for 30 minutes or until a clean break
whilst the milk is sitting, boil the peppercorns in the tap water for 20 minutes
set the pot with the peppercorns aside to cool
at clean break stir the curd with a whisk into 5 mm pieces (rice sized)
very slowly heat the curd to 45oC over one hour, stir continuously to avoid matting
allow the curd to sit at temperature for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes
drain whey off to level with the curd (reserve for ricotta if desired)
add peppercorns (including the water it was boiled in) and mix well
transfer curd to a cloth lined press
press for 1 hour at 10kg
undress turn and redress
press for 12 hours at 20kg
brine for 8 hours at 10-15oC
dry for 2 or more days at room temperature
wax and age at 10-15oC for 2-12 months
turn weekly until matured
All went very well with the recipe. I made doubly sure I read it properly this time! Ended up having to wait an additional 20 minutes for a clean break, but that's not that unusual. When I boiled the peppercorns I did have to add a little more water because so much was boiling off, but I doubt that will effect the end product greatly. I intend to let this one mature until Festival (4 months) along with a lot of the others I will be making over the next while.
Montage:
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This is normally a reduced fat sheeps milk hard cheese but as I have no ready supply of sheeps milk it is a simulated sheeps milk cheese, with added lamb lipase. One of the first I have done with an added herb (pepper, and I have made a chilli flake haloumi) so nice in terms of both learning and using existing skills.
6L unhomogenised milk (2L low fat, 4L full cream)
1/8 teaspoon lamb lipase
3ml calcium chloride
1 pkt Thermophilic starter
1/2 tablet of rennet
30ml spring water
200ml water (from the tap as you boil it anyway)
6-12 black peppercorns
26% brine solution
Method:
heat the milk slowly to 37oC
add the calcium chloride and stir for 1 minute
add starter and stir slowly for 1 minute
sit at temperature for 15 minutes
add lipase and slowly stir for 1 minute
sit at temperature for 15 minutes
dilute rennet in spring water and add to milk
stir gently from bottom to top for 1 minute
cover and let sit at temperature for 30 minutes or until a clean break
whilst the milk is sitting, boil the peppercorns in the tap water for 20 minutes
set the pot with the peppercorns aside to cool
at clean break stir the curd with a whisk into 5 mm pieces (rice sized)
very slowly heat the curd to 45oC over one hour, stir continuously to avoid matting
allow the curd to sit at temperature for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes
drain whey off to level with the curd (reserve for ricotta if desired)
add peppercorns (including the water it was boiled in) and mix well
transfer curd to a cloth lined press
press for 1 hour at 10kg
undress turn and redress
press for 12 hours at 20kg
brine for 8 hours at 10-15oC
dry for 2 or more days at room temperature
wax and age at 10-15oC for 2-12 months
turn weekly until matured
All went very well with the recipe. I made doubly sure I read it properly this time! Ended up having to wait an additional 20 minutes for a clean break, but that's not that unusual. When I boiled the peppercorns I did have to add a little more water because so much was boiling off, but I doubt that will effect the end product greatly. I intend to let this one mature until Festival (4 months) along with a lot of the others I will be making over the next while.
Montage:
Before and after the first pressing. Nicely placed peppercorn!
Turning the cheese prior to the long pressing. Love the look of the peppercorns near the surface.
More pics to come once I have brined and then waxed it. :)
Sunday 9 November 2014
Cheshire cheese and the failed ricotta
Cheshire cheese
And by Cheshire I mean the one in England. Not the USA (just to be clear). Some interesting bits and pieces and some things to look into such as the inn called The Cheshire Cheese.
Yesterday I tried a new recipe from a new recipe book. A couple of things didn't quite go right but seems okayish at the moment. As always time will tell.
Ingredients:
6L unhomogenised milk
1 pkt mesophilic starter
3ml calcium chloride
1/2 tablet rennet
20mg of salt
30ml spring water
Heat the milk slowly to 30oC
Add the starter and stand for 5 minutes
Stir for 1 minute then cover and allow to ripen for 40 minutes (maintain 30oC)
Add the calcium chloride and stir for 1 minute
Add the rennet and stir for 1 minute
Cover and allow to stand for 40 minutes or until a clean break (maintain 30oC)
Stir with a whisk to break the curd into rice sized pieces
Stand for 5 minutes
Draw off 1/3 of the whey (reserve for ricotta if desired)
Over 1 hour heat the whey to 31oC, very very slowly.
Cover and allow to stand for 40 minutes (maintain 31oC)
Drain all whey (reserve if desired) and allow curd to sit in the pot
Over the next 30 minutes hand press the curd to remove more whey
Drain all whey
Cut the curd mass into 4 or 5 equal sized chucks and leave in the pot
Cover the pot for 2 hours and maintain 31oC (you can gently reheat on the cooktop, being careful not to scorch the bottom of the curd)
Remove curd from the pot and cut into 2cm cubes
Put the curd cubes into a bowl and salt and stir to ensure even coverage
Transfer curd to a cheese cloth lined press
Press at 10kg for 30 minutes
remove, undress, check if the rind of the cheese has closed
IF the has not closed, flip and redress and press at 17kg for 2-3 hours
IF the rind still has not closed, dip the cheese into scalding hot water briefly
Dry at room temperature for 2-3 days turning daily
Wax and age at 16oC for 2-12 months
Turn daily for the first month then weekly after.
Now this is a pretty straightforward recipe, so long as you read it correctly... I cut my curd into 2inch cubes and didn't realise until the next day that I had done that. So it was too late to correct.
I also had an issue with the rennet I used. It hadn't set at all when I checked on it at the 30 minute mark so I added some different rennet (and threw the other tablets out, this was the second time I had had trouble with them) and let it sit for another 30 minutes.
I'll wax it in a few days and see how we travel. If nothing else I have learned a new recipe and a good, strong lesson in reading it correctly!
And now the montage...
Whisked curd. Nice, rice sized pieces.
This is after the first draining whilst I did the hand pressing.
First cut and then after the 2 hours draining. Notice how my whey has come out.
Cut into cubes (far, far too big cubes!)
Salting and stirring the cubes prior to pressing.
Into the press and after the first pressing.
Out of the press after the first pressing. Definitely needed the additional time. Most definitely due to the size of the cubes.
And this is it after the second pressing and after scalding it. Couple of spots that are going to be problematic but hopefully it will dry quickly enough so that i can wax it as soon as possible. I'll try and get the wax into all the nooks and crannies to help keep out any air bubbles.
Will post more pics of the progress when I get to waxing point. *cross fingers*
Failed Ricotta
I reserved all the whey from the Cheshire and attempted to make some ricotta (following my recipe in an earlier post). And it was a total and absolute fail.
I ended up doubleing the amount of apple cider vinegar attempting to get any curd from it and nope. Nadah. Nothing. Just would not turn.
So I am thinking it has something to do with the way that this whey/cheese is processed. I need to do some more investigation still and will report back when i know more. :)
Friday 7 November 2014
Pepato - Sicilian cheese
Going to be trying a few cheese recipes this weekend/next week. But one that has particularly caught my eye is the pepato.
Recipe from one of my modern cook books, but the website has some great leads for the history side of things which I will chase up later. :)
Hopefully my cheese cupboard will look a lot less bare come Festival and Laurel Prize Tourney time.
Recipe from one of my modern cook books, but the website has some great leads for the history side of things which I will chase up later. :)
Hopefully my cheese cupboard will look a lot less bare come Festival and Laurel Prize Tourney time.
Saturday 4 October 2014
Babbling about cheese...
I have been considering cheese making for the last while. The process that is. Really there are a few things that you need to understand before you begin. (all comments are focused on hard cheese making, as that is predominately what I have made).
1. Master your cooktop. Be it gas or electric or a waterbath, understand how to control the temperature and where to stop it so it gets to where you need it. Also understand the effects of a light breeze and a sunny window will have! That lovely breeze will steal your temps and that sunny patch will make it go crazy.
2. Steralise everything! Your basically growing bacteria here, and you do not want that to go wrong. And with that in mind, don't make cheese if your sick. Lets not accidentally spread that nasty around.
3. Know your recipe BEFORE you even buy your milk. Work out your timings so you know when the best time to start something is. Not something that you'll have enough experience with necessarily in the beginning, but you'll learn. No making cheese at 2am because you started something that should be a during the day recipe at 7pm!
As for the actual making of cheese and the recipes themselves you have a few variables, and all making cheese really is is altering those variables to suit the type of cheese.
a) Temperatures. This effects your bacteria, how much they grow, how much gas they produce, how they effect the proteins and the acidity.
b) Bacterias. Different starter bacteria have different effects on cheese. Gases produced, acidity and activation temperatures effect your flavors. Some cheese call for a mixture of bacteria's (with temperature activation being the key for some flavors here) others for one. Some for a primary and a secondary (for external mold growth). Be very very careful with contamination. I can not stress enough that the 'blood temperature' you are working with your milk in can make for some bad bad juju when playing with bacteria.
c) Processing the curd. From how it is cooked (or not), what size the curd is cut to and how much or long the rennet is left to set. All these things effect the texture of the cheese (amongst other things).
d) Pressing. Different weights, different lengths of time, breaking up the curd at the end of each press. And also not pressing (my asiago isn't pressed it is molded).
e) Aging. Whether a cheese is brined, waxed, bandaged, wrapped in paper or has external mold all effect your end product. As does the length of time that it is aged. Generally the longer you leave a cheese the richer and more complex the flavors, but that is not always the case.
I find cheese making easy. Not sure totally why, but I get it. It just clicks. I am not an expert. I have a lot to learn still. But I enjoy it. If my babbling helps others, awesome. :)
1. Master your cooktop. Be it gas or electric or a waterbath, understand how to control the temperature and where to stop it so it gets to where you need it. Also understand the effects of a light breeze and a sunny window will have! That lovely breeze will steal your temps and that sunny patch will make it go crazy.
2. Steralise everything! Your basically growing bacteria here, and you do not want that to go wrong. And with that in mind, don't make cheese if your sick. Lets not accidentally spread that nasty around.
3. Know your recipe BEFORE you even buy your milk. Work out your timings so you know when the best time to start something is. Not something that you'll have enough experience with necessarily in the beginning, but you'll learn. No making cheese at 2am because you started something that should be a during the day recipe at 7pm!
As for the actual making of cheese and the recipes themselves you have a few variables, and all making cheese really is is altering those variables to suit the type of cheese.
a) Temperatures. This effects your bacteria, how much they grow, how much gas they produce, how they effect the proteins and the acidity.
b) Bacterias. Different starter bacteria have different effects on cheese. Gases produced, acidity and activation temperatures effect your flavors. Some cheese call for a mixture of bacteria's (with temperature activation being the key for some flavors here) others for one. Some for a primary and a secondary (for external mold growth). Be very very careful with contamination. I can not stress enough that the 'blood temperature' you are working with your milk in can make for some bad bad juju when playing with bacteria.
c) Processing the curd. From how it is cooked (or not), what size the curd is cut to and how much or long the rennet is left to set. All these things effect the texture of the cheese (amongst other things).
d) Pressing. Different weights, different lengths of time, breaking up the curd at the end of each press. And also not pressing (my asiago isn't pressed it is molded).
e) Aging. Whether a cheese is brined, waxed, bandaged, wrapped in paper or has external mold all effect your end product. As does the length of time that it is aged. Generally the longer you leave a cheese the richer and more complex the flavors, but that is not always the case.
I find cheese making easy. Not sure totally why, but I get it. It just clicks. I am not an expert. I have a lot to learn still. But I enjoy it. If my babbling helps others, awesome. :)
Friday 3 October 2014
Leicester cheese and some accidental ricotta
With life being what it is, I haven't had too much opportunity to make much cheese of late. But given the few days of leave that I have had (though not how they were originally supposed to go) I decided to get my cheese back on. So today was two cheeses, a Leicester and some whey ricotta.
Leicester - from a 1475 redacted recipe (Platina) [http://www.godecookery.com/friends/frec21.htm] which I've trimmed down to do in my 6Lt pot.
6Lt unhomogenised milk
1.5 tablet of rennet
1/3 mesophillic starter
3ml of calcium chloride
1/4 cup of spring water
Muslin
Large pot
Colander
Cheese mold and press
Thermometer
Slotted spoon
cheese mat
Slowly heat the milk to 35oC
Add calcium chloride & stir
Add starter & stir
Cover and keep at 35oC for 1.5 hours
Dilute the rennet in the springwater
Add rennet and slowly stir top to bottom for 1 minute
Cover and keep at 35oC for 2.5 hours
Once curd is set, cut into 1 inch cubes
Gently stir and slowly (over 1/2 an hour) heat to 42oC
Cover and keep at 42oC for 1 hour
Strain into muslin lined colander
Gather corners of the muslin and place into mold
Press at 8kg for1.5 hours
Remove, undress, redress and return to press
Press at 16kg for 2.5 hours
Remove, undress, redress and return to press
Press at 23kg for 18 hours
Remove from press and place on a cheese mat
Flip daily for 3 days
Wax and age for 2-3 months at 12-16oC turning weekly
The recipe worked quite nicely. Nothing turned into an issue for me. Proof will be in 2-3 months :)
Update:
Here is it all waxed (10/10/2014). My own 'recipe' for the wax. Mostly beeswax with a crayon tossed in to give it the colour and some additional stability. And the waiting begins...
Whey Ricotta
Now, I was clever for a change when doing my straining of the Leicester and I managed to (finally) reserve all the whey. So I also made some ricotta. Not an awful lot partly as I didn't add any other milk to increase the yield, will do that another time to see the difference. But a little bit that will be ready to try in the morning.
Worlds simplest recipe (from Ricki Carroll).
Take whey (about 4Lt) from a hard cheese process.
1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar.
Large pot
Muslin
Colander
Heat whey to 90oC
Turn off heat and add vinegar whilst stirring.
Skim the white 'fluff' into a muslin lined colander
Once its finished, hang muslin for a few hours to drain
Put into a container for consumption!
Leicester - from a 1475 redacted recipe (Platina) [http://www.godecookery.com/friends/frec21.htm] which I've trimmed down to do in my 6Lt pot.
6Lt unhomogenised milk
1.5 tablet of rennet
1/3 mesophillic starter
3ml of calcium chloride
1/4 cup of spring water
Muslin
Large pot
Colander
Cheese mold and press
Thermometer
Slotted spoon
cheese mat
Slowly heat the milk to 35oC
Add calcium chloride & stir
Add starter & stir
Cover and keep at 35oC for 1.5 hours
Dilute the rennet in the springwater
Add rennet and slowly stir top to bottom for 1 minute
Cover and keep at 35oC for 2.5 hours
Once curd is set, cut into 1 inch cubes
Gently stir and slowly (over 1/2 an hour) heat to 42oC
Cover and keep at 42oC for 1 hour
Strain into muslin lined colander
Gather corners of the muslin and place into mold
Press at 8kg for1.5 hours
Remove, undress, redress and return to press
Press at 16kg for 2.5 hours
Remove, undress, redress and return to press
Press at 23kg for 18 hours
Remove from press and place on a cheese mat
Flip daily for 3 days
Wax and age for 2-3 months at 12-16oC turning weekly
The recipe worked quite nicely. Nothing turned into an issue for me. Proof will be in 2-3 months :)
Update:
Here is it all waxed (10/10/2014). My own 'recipe' for the wax. Mostly beeswax with a crayon tossed in to give it the colour and some additional stability. And the waiting begins...
Whey Ricotta
Now, I was clever for a change when doing my straining of the Leicester and I managed to (finally) reserve all the whey. So I also made some ricotta. Not an awful lot partly as I didn't add any other milk to increase the yield, will do that another time to see the difference. But a little bit that will be ready to try in the morning.
Worlds simplest recipe (from Ricki Carroll).
Take whey (about 4Lt) from a hard cheese process.
1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar.
Large pot
Muslin
Colander
Heat whey to 90oC
Turn off heat and add vinegar whilst stirring.
Skim the white 'fluff' into a muslin lined colander
Once its finished, hang muslin for a few hours to drain
Put into a container for consumption!
Re-purposed whey and the apple cider vinegar I used.
After adding the vinegar, fluff!
Hanging to drain.
Final product.
Not a huge yield. Around a cup worth in the end. Will try this shortly (after its cooled), hoping for yummy things!
The ricotta eaters - 1580 Vincenzo Campi
Thursday 24 July 2014
Labne - using sheeps milk yoghurt
Well yesterday I noticed a special when I was in the dairy section at the supermarket. Two tubs of sheeps milk yoghurt for $3 off per tub. One of the things I have been wanting to try was a labne, or yoghurt cheese, so it was very fateful that the yoghurt happened to be on special and I happened to notice it when i happened to have a pretty free next few evenings.
I have held off a bit previously making labne because I would really like to make the yoghurt myself and then make the labne. But I haven't wrapped my head around the making the yoghurt yet and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity of a sheeps milk yoghurt where I would never really be able to make that myself.
Labne is a yoghurt cheese. Older mentions and recipes talk about goats and sheeps milk with cows milk being a historically more recent adaptation. Labne itself is very very simple. Take some yoghurt, lightly salt it and drain it of whey, make little balls out of the 'cheese' and store in oil. No heating, no added cultures, nothing. Nice. Straightforward. Simple. So here is what I am doing.
Sheeps yoghurt!
Salting the yoghurt.
You can see in the middle picture that the whey is already eager to drain!
Hanging to drain.
Now it needs to drain for 12-24 hours, and at the 16 hour mark it was still dripping slowly so I am going to leave it the full 24.
I will update with more pics as this goes. Hopefully tonight. But I will put the labne into olive oil with some fresh mint for the additional flavour.
And a pic of the final product.
I added some mint to the oil because yum and I wasn't disappointed. However, weirdly, I tasted as I put it into the jars (there were two in the end) and it was delicious! I tasted it a couple of days later and I was very meh about the taste. But then I tasted it two weeks after and it was delicious again! I need to have a look into the 'aging' of labne and how that effects taste because it has made me curious.
I have held off a bit previously making labne because I would really like to make the yoghurt myself and then make the labne. But I haven't wrapped my head around the making the yoghurt yet and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity of a sheeps milk yoghurt where I would never really be able to make that myself.
Labne is a yoghurt cheese. Older mentions and recipes talk about goats and sheeps milk with cows milk being a historically more recent adaptation. Labne itself is very very simple. Take some yoghurt, lightly salt it and drain it of whey, make little balls out of the 'cheese' and store in oil. No heating, no added cultures, nothing. Nice. Straightforward. Simple. So here is what I am doing.
Sheeps yoghurt!
Salting the yoghurt.
Hanging to drain.
Now it needs to drain for 12-24 hours, and at the 16 hour mark it was still dripping slowly so I am going to leave it the full 24.
I will update with more pics as this goes. Hopefully tonight. But I will put the labne into olive oil with some fresh mint for the additional flavour.
And a pic of the final product.
I added some mint to the oil because yum and I wasn't disappointed. However, weirdly, I tasted as I put it into the jars (there were two in the end) and it was delicious! I tasted it a couple of days later and I was very meh about the taste. But then I tasted it two weeks after and it was delicious again! I need to have a look into the 'aging' of labne and how that effects taste because it has made me curious.
Thursday 22 May 2014
Yesterday I joined the darkside...
Well, kind of. Yesterday I did my first ever attempt at some thread based embroidery (not bead embroidery not tambour embroidery!). Shocking I know. But I think the project I have in mind does need it so I need to suck it up and get it done! :)
Nothing wonderful or even shockingly out of left field. Just some basic chain stitch. I did a little trial piece before I attacked my actual project test piece. Simple grey sewing cotton (doubled over). I did a little more of it after I had taken this pic to play with the sizes of the loops etc.
This is the project tester. The bugle beads are 6mm just for sizing. Need to work on the 'circle' in the centre a little, but looks pretty good to me. Definitely needed the chain stitch around the outside as a border. A little daunted that I might have to sew about one hundred of them though :D But projects always seem to be go big or go home!
Nothing wonderful or even shockingly out of left field. Just some basic chain stitch. I did a little trial piece before I attacked my actual project test piece. Simple grey sewing cotton (doubled over). I did a little more of it after I had taken this pic to play with the sizes of the loops etc.
This is the project tester. The bugle beads are 6mm just for sizing. Need to work on the 'circle' in the centre a little, but looks pretty good to me. Definitely needed the chain stitch around the outside as a border. A little daunted that I might have to sew about one hundred of them though :D But projects always seem to be go big or go home!
Friday 9 May 2014
Introduction to cutlery, crockery and vessels: What you can get away with and when
Moons and moons ago I wrote this article. I was skimming some really old stuff on my computer and re-found it. It was aimed at setting up some really basic intros for newbies to consider and read as they started to get into the SCA. Attempting to be a three part series, this is the cutlery section. It seems to be missing the pics that I remember including. But still interesting none the less.
When I find the others I will post them too! (so they don't fall further down the rabbit hole :) )
Introduction to cutlery, crockery and vessels:
What you can get away with and when
If you’re first starting to play with the SCA one of the simplest things you will need is a set of eating-wares. You’re going to be attending events and you’re going to be eating! But it can be hard when your walking in a little blind to figure out exactly what it is you should be using for the period you want to start portraying.
This document is a very, very basic guide to what types of things were used and during what timeframes they existed. It will cover your cutlery basics, plates, bowls, cups and jugs. At the end there will be a small amount of information on some other things that exist on a table for you to research yourself.
Part 1: Cutlery
During the SCA ‘period’ there were two critical pieces of cutlery, spoons and knives. Forks were more common much later on in period, with fingers always being an acceptable option. That’s what tablecloths are for after all!
Spoon!
Spoons came in a number of materials. Early in period wood, horn, bone and even ceramics were very common. There are metal spoons in these times, however they would have been quite high status.
As a newcomer, you can be sure that a wooden spoon would serve you well from any time in early period all the way to late period for the middle to low classes. Only difference for the time periods would be how finely the spoon was carved.
Early period (particularly ‘Viking’) also commonly had horn spoons. Horn was a very easy material to use, and took spoon shaping quite easily. If you are going to use horn, however, you’ll need to be aware of the temperatures affecting it. Horn will bend and bow very easily in hot temperatures so be careful when stirring your coffee!
Metal spoons appear commonly outside the nobility around the XX period. A number of different materials were used, including pewter, silver, and even brass and lead.
Metal spoons tended towards tear-shaped bowls with a straight, flat handle. Later in period the handles could be quite highly decorated, and cast pewter spoons with figures and decorations are very common.
All up, if you’re heading out to the Op Shops you can keep an eye out for horn and wooden spoons. Older style silver spoons with simple straight handles will fit a number of periods and classes with some minor modification (flattening the handle/bowl joining point).
Knives.
There are four different purposes for knives in period, eating, trade specific, defense and decoration, and often a knife’s purpose served several masters.
There have been thousands of different knife and dagger styles found within SCA period so there is an over-abundance of choice. But there are a few ‘rules’ to guide you in this process.
Knives used primarily for defense (e.g. rondelle or bullock daggers) are rarely used for eating or specific trades.
Knives used as a part of a specific trade or work type (e.g. glove makers or fishing knives) are rarely used for eating, decoration or defense.
However, a decorative knife made in the fashion of the day could be for defense or eating, but rarely both.
Eating knives were also general-purpose knives. As it was always to hand, hanging off the belt, an eating knife was often a durable knife used to do many everyday things such as slitting open a sack or cutting thread and twine.
A ladies eating knife could be thought of as a defensive knife as well. As ladies would almost never (exceptions being the likes of Joan de Arc etc) wear a primarily defensive knife their short-bladed eating knife was a handy substitute, just in case.
As you go later into period, eating knives developed into quite fine, single-purpose knives and the higher the class, the finer and more decorated it would be.
For knives, decoration means a few things. The knife itself could be quite plain, but the scabbard could be very highly carved or patterned. It was also quite common to see scabbards that were covered in velvet or other fabrics sometimes with jewels inlayed into them.
The knife hilt could also be highly decorated. High-status knife hilts would have inlay jewels or be made from materials such as ebony, ivory or jade. Wire wrapping was also a common sight, with materials ranging from steel or copper to gold or silver.
More commonly, scabbards would be leather and the hilts made from wood, bone or antler.
When you’re out looking for your feasting knife watch for a few basics. Any plain wooden handled dinner knife is a good choice and a wooden handle is always preferable to plastic. Those horrid wooden handled steak knives are an easy, cheap placeholder whilst you acquire something better. If your lucky you can find ‘fake’ antler knives, popular in the 60’s, which is one small step up from the steak knives but not the greatest overall.
If you keep your eyes open, you’ll find something simple to get you through. Later on you can commission a custom-made knife from a merchant or order a pre-made one online.
Forks.
A fork, a fork! My kingdom for a fork! Well, not quite. Of the three primary eating utensils, a fork is your least important or needed in period.
Forks have a patchy history. They were comparably hard to manufacture and at times thought to be the work of the devil. Along with all that, we already have built-in forks attached to the ends of our hands, fingers.
None of that however is to say that they did not exist, or that they are only a later period ‘invention’. The popularity of forks was certainly gaining momentum during the very end of the 16th century, but it does not preclude their existence in earlier times.
When we think of forks in period we often think that they are Italian in origin. Brought to Europe around the mid-eleventh century, they were first used by the Italians but spread slowly across the continent with their last conquest being England around 1600.
Forks in period have had varying number of tines (prongs) and this is linked to how they were used. A fork was often a ‘spearing’ tool to lift food from the plate out of the sauce where you could then take the food with your fingers and put it in your mouth. This method of use led to the early design of a very flat, thin fork with two tines.
Forks have ranged from two tines to four and even five. This shows a progressive change in the way forks were used and the slow but steady removal of fingers from the utensil list.
If you choose to have a fork in your kit look for something that either has a limited number of tines or that you can alter to suit the period you decide on. Old-style silver forks can be a good choice. They are relatively easy to flatten and if you’re very keen you should be able alter it to a two-tine fork with a fine hacksaw. Other options are three-tine seafood forks.
The other option is to not bother. You don’t need a fork. It truly is optional. If you don’t go down the forked path, I would suggest that you invest in a good napkin however.
Your Cutlery Set
So all up, a spoon, a knife and a fork if you want one or a good napkin. Keep to the simple stuff to get you through your early SCA ‘career’. Alter what you can yourself and order/buy/make better when you’re able. For the most part you can get the simple stuff at the Op Shop, just keep your eyes open and keep to a few basic rules.
Plastic = bad (unless its fake antler, then it’s okay).
Wood is good.
Spoons are flat.
Forks are tine-y.
And if you can’t find a period knife style you like, you’re really not trying!
Bibliography:
http://www.larsdatter.com/
http://
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/
http://
A History of the Table Fork, Robyyan Torr d'Elandris, OL, Copyright 1989, 2000 by Dennis R. Sherman.
Cowgill, J, de Neergaard, M and Griffiths, N. Knives and Scabbards. London: Museum of London, 1987, 2000
When I find the others I will post them too! (so they don't fall further down the rabbit hole :) )
Introduction to cutlery, crockery and vessels:
What you can get away with and when
If you’re first starting to play with the SCA one of the simplest things you will need is a set of eating-wares. You’re going to be attending events and you’re going to be eating! But it can be hard when your walking in a little blind to figure out exactly what it is you should be using for the period you want to start portraying.
This document is a very, very basic guide to what types of things were used and during what timeframes they existed. It will cover your cutlery basics, plates, bowls, cups and jugs. At the end there will be a small amount of information on some other things that exist on a table for you to research yourself.
Part 1: Cutlery
During the SCA ‘period’ there were two critical pieces of cutlery, spoons and knives. Forks were more common much later on in period, with fingers always being an acceptable option. That’s what tablecloths are for after all!
Spoon!
Spoons came in a number of materials. Early in period wood, horn, bone and even ceramics were very common. There are metal spoons in these times, however they would have been quite high status.
As a newcomer, you can be sure that a wooden spoon would serve you well from any time in early period all the way to late period for the middle to low classes. Only difference for the time periods would be how finely the spoon was carved.
Early period (particularly ‘Viking’) also commonly had horn spoons. Horn was a very easy material to use, and took spoon shaping quite easily. If you are going to use horn, however, you’ll need to be aware of the temperatures affecting it. Horn will bend and bow very easily in hot temperatures so be careful when stirring your coffee!
Metal spoons appear commonly outside the nobility around the XX period. A number of different materials were used, including pewter, silver, and even brass and lead.
Metal spoons tended towards tear-shaped bowls with a straight, flat handle. Later in period the handles could be quite highly decorated, and cast pewter spoons with figures and decorations are very common.
All up, if you’re heading out to the Op Shops you can keep an eye out for horn and wooden spoons. Older style silver spoons with simple straight handles will fit a number of periods and classes with some minor modification (flattening the handle/bowl joining point).
Knives.
There are four different purposes for knives in period, eating, trade specific, defense and decoration, and often a knife’s purpose served several masters.
There have been thousands of different knife and dagger styles found within SCA period so there is an over-abundance of choice. But there are a few ‘rules’ to guide you in this process.
Knives used primarily for defense (e.g. rondelle or bullock daggers) are rarely used for eating or specific trades.
Knives used as a part of a specific trade or work type (e.g. glove makers or fishing knives) are rarely used for eating, decoration or defense.
However, a decorative knife made in the fashion of the day could be for defense or eating, but rarely both.
Eating knives were also general-purpose knives. As it was always to hand, hanging off the belt, an eating knife was often a durable knife used to do many everyday things such as slitting open a sack or cutting thread and twine.
A ladies eating knife could be thought of as a defensive knife as well. As ladies would almost never (exceptions being the likes of Joan de Arc etc) wear a primarily defensive knife their short-bladed eating knife was a handy substitute, just in case.
As you go later into period, eating knives developed into quite fine, single-purpose knives and the higher the class, the finer and more decorated it would be.
For knives, decoration means a few things. The knife itself could be quite plain, but the scabbard could be very highly carved or patterned. It was also quite common to see scabbards that were covered in velvet or other fabrics sometimes with jewels inlayed into them.
The knife hilt could also be highly decorated. High-status knife hilts would have inlay jewels or be made from materials such as ebony, ivory or jade. Wire wrapping was also a common sight, with materials ranging from steel or copper to gold or silver.
More commonly, scabbards would be leather and the hilts made from wood, bone or antler.
When you’re out looking for your feasting knife watch for a few basics. Any plain wooden handled dinner knife is a good choice and a wooden handle is always preferable to plastic. Those horrid wooden handled steak knives are an easy, cheap placeholder whilst you acquire something better. If your lucky you can find ‘fake’ antler knives, popular in the 60’s, which is one small step up from the steak knives but not the greatest overall.
If you keep your eyes open, you’ll find something simple to get you through. Later on you can commission a custom-made knife from a merchant or order a pre-made one online.
Forks.
A fork, a fork! My kingdom for a fork! Well, not quite. Of the three primary eating utensils, a fork is your least important or needed in period.
Forks have a patchy history. They were comparably hard to manufacture and at times thought to be the work of the devil. Along with all that, we already have built-in forks attached to the ends of our hands, fingers.
None of that however is to say that they did not exist, or that they are only a later period ‘invention’. The popularity of forks was certainly gaining momentum during the very end of the 16th century, but it does not preclude their existence in earlier times.
When we think of forks in period we often think that they are Italian in origin. Brought to Europe around the mid-eleventh century, they were first used by the Italians but spread slowly across the continent with their last conquest being England around 1600.
Forks in period have had varying number of tines (prongs) and this is linked to how they were used. A fork was often a ‘spearing’ tool to lift food from the plate out of the sauce where you could then take the food with your fingers and put it in your mouth. This method of use led to the early design of a very flat, thin fork with two tines.
Forks have ranged from two tines to four and even five. This shows a progressive change in the way forks were used and the slow but steady removal of fingers from the utensil list.
If you choose to have a fork in your kit look for something that either has a limited number of tines or that you can alter to suit the period you decide on. Old-style silver forks can be a good choice. They are relatively easy to flatten and if you’re very keen you should be able alter it to a two-tine fork with a fine hacksaw. Other options are three-tine seafood forks.
The other option is to not bother. You don’t need a fork. It truly is optional. If you don’t go down the forked path, I would suggest that you invest in a good napkin however.
Your Cutlery Set
So all up, a spoon, a knife and a fork if you want one or a good napkin. Keep to the simple stuff to get you through your early SCA ‘career’. Alter what you can yourself and order/buy/make better when you’re able. For the most part you can get the simple stuff at the Op Shop, just keep your eyes open and keep to a few basic rules.
Plastic = bad (unless its fake antler, then it’s okay).
Wood is good.
Spoons are flat.
Forks are tine-y.
And if you can’t find a period knife style you like, you’re really not trying!
Bibliography:
http://www.larsdatter.com/
http://
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/
http://
A History of the Table Fork, Robyyan Torr d'Elandris, OL, Copyright 1989, 2000 by Dennis R. Sherman.
Cowgill, J, de Neergaard, M and Griffiths, N. Knives and Scabbards. London: Museum of London, 1987, 2000
Friday 2 May 2014
Things bead related and the Laurel prize tourney at Festival
Whilst a lot of my focus lately has been very cheese orientated by brain has not strayed too far from my bead work as well.
Bead Projects -
The banner has come out of hiatus and is currently on the table waiting for ordered beads. I am frustratingly trying to figure out a slightly new version of the border I want around it, but am being picky. Festival market day saw a proliferation of beads and a subsequent reduction in my account balance. Some are immediately earmarked for the banner, others for the shiny at the moment. I have also made some decisions on trim and bits and pieces for the central lozenge. Next step is to action them! Part of that is going to be constructing a frame to help work the lozenge, but soon my pretty!
The Laurel Prize prompted me to pull out some of my part done bead projects and have a look at them again. So for the first time in probably over a year I did two more rows on my peyote stitch solid construction piece which will be trim for a cloaklet. Then of course I broke the thread about an inch from the bottom whilst moving it around and was grateful it is only a tester piece! But it did prompt me a to start thinking about it again and planning the final/actual piece as well.
More than anything Laurel Prize (as my first time ever entering) started me thinking about my bead related ufo's and what I needed to do to finish some. It also reminded me of the breadth of styles I am playing with, Russian bead embroidery, German peyote solid construction, India tambour working, couching and just bead by bead laying down. Made me feel good that I have a strong basic to intermediate on all these styles, now I just need to apply myself and get into the more advanced!
Laurel Prize Tournament, Rowany Festival 2014 -
As I mentioned before this was my first ever entry so I didn't really know what to expect (Mistress says, Apprentice does!). My table was split into two parts, cheese and beads. I took some haloumi (freshly fried), semi-soft goats and fresh butter for tasting as well as way too much of the associated equipment! I also took my beaded banner, my peyote work and my examples of the Russian bead embroidery. I got talked to a lot on both topics and I wouldn't say any one over the other. Earned a little bowl of trinkets and shinys including a strand of pretty pretty pearls and actual period Venetian chevron trade bead (which is awesome!). Had a particularly good chat about cheese making equipment and need to now pass on some details/sizes to get some things commissioned :)
Nice. Positive. And I will know better what to take/expect next year!
Bead Projects -
The banner has come out of hiatus and is currently on the table waiting for ordered beads. I am frustratingly trying to figure out a slightly new version of the border I want around it, but am being picky. Festival market day saw a proliferation of beads and a subsequent reduction in my account balance. Some are immediately earmarked for the banner, others for the shiny at the moment. I have also made some decisions on trim and bits and pieces for the central lozenge. Next step is to action them! Part of that is going to be constructing a frame to help work the lozenge, but soon my pretty!
The Laurel Prize prompted me to pull out some of my part done bead projects and have a look at them again. So for the first time in probably over a year I did two more rows on my peyote stitch solid construction piece which will be trim for a cloaklet. Then of course I broke the thread about an inch from the bottom whilst moving it around and was grateful it is only a tester piece! But it did prompt me a to start thinking about it again and planning the final/actual piece as well.
More than anything Laurel Prize (as my first time ever entering) started me thinking about my bead related ufo's and what I needed to do to finish some. It also reminded me of the breadth of styles I am playing with, Russian bead embroidery, German peyote solid construction, India tambour working, couching and just bead by bead laying down. Made me feel good that I have a strong basic to intermediate on all these styles, now I just need to apply myself and get into the more advanced!
Laurel Prize Tournament, Rowany Festival 2014 -
As I mentioned before this was my first ever entry so I didn't really know what to expect (Mistress says, Apprentice does!). My table was split into two parts, cheese and beads. I took some haloumi (freshly fried), semi-soft goats and fresh butter for tasting as well as way too much of the associated equipment! I also took my beaded banner, my peyote work and my examples of the Russian bead embroidery. I got talked to a lot on both topics and I wouldn't say any one over the other. Earned a little bowl of trinkets and shinys including a strand of pretty pretty pearls and actual period Venetian chevron trade bead (which is awesome!). Had a particularly good chat about cheese making equipment and need to now pass on some details/sizes to get some things commissioned :)
Nice. Positive. And I will know better what to take/expect next year!
Flavour testing update, Manchego plans and I invented a new cheese!
Well I didn't really invent it. But I made it up on the spot with only a faint memory of what the recipe was supposed to actually be, and it turned out really yummy!
However firstly, the taste testing for the sheep milk substitute was a success. So now I am moving towards trialing some sheep flavour cheese. First on my list is a manchego. A good Spanish hard cheese which I have come to love over the past few months. So light, so sweet. In a few weeks I hope can write up a little more on that front. I think I have a recipe I am happy to work with so just need the time and the milk :)
Lemon Cheese - Alex style
Rowany Festival has just past and it had been my intent to make some cheese over the fire at our campsite whilst there (quark, semi-soft goats and a manchego). Master Owen had delightfully created my wanted cooking box, in collaboration with myself, however we'd no chance to test it before the event. So our test firing enlightened us to a slight flaw which caused the underside of the box to ignite! So I was unable to do any cheesing at the campsite (ignoring that I had also forgotten one small package that was in the freezer containing starters, rennet, lipase too...). Plans are now in the works to correct the problem with the firebox, should be a relatively simple fix (another layer of fire-brick to the bottom!).
However my lovely Mistress Monique of all things Greasispoone-y, allowed me to invade the kitchen and cook up some random cheese with the milk I had taken with me and some lemons from the fridge. And so my lemon cheese is born. Very simple recipe which I have just replicated today, and added calcium chloride for a better yield.
6Lt unhomoginised milk
approx 5-6 medium lemons, juiced
3ml calcium chloride
Heat milk in a large pan to 32oC
Add calcium chloride
Stir for 1 minute
Add lemon juice
Stir for 1 minute
Cover and sit at 32oC until a clean separation of curd and whey is evident (about 30-40mins, whey/liquid should be greeny-yellow)
Spoon into a muslin lined strainer
Drain for 12hrs in the fridge (with or without a small weight to speed the process)
Use immediately, should keep for 4-5 days minimum
Now the cheese that I got from my first attempt was fairly plain but with a light, sweet after tang of lemon. The cheese was smooth but the lemon after left your mouth feeling fantastic.
So later on the day after making it, that lemon cheese became lemon cheesecake. And was subsequently demolished by all. Zomg was it yummy! So todays replication of my lemon cheese is also intended to become cheesecake, hopefully even half as yummy! A totally modern baked cheesecake recipe supplied by Mistress Monique, but I see a good future for this as a cheese tart for event cooking.
***UPDATE***
Just on the yield of the cheese with the addition of the calcium chloride.
The first batch I made was using 5Lt of milk and 5 smallish lemons. The yield was about 350 grams of cheese.
The second batch made using 6Lt of milk, 6 medium-ish lemons and 3ml of calcium chloride. Yield was 1.7Kg.
You can see from this very simple cheese that the process of pasteurization strips out a heck of a lot of the available calcium and decreases the yield significantly!!
However firstly, the taste testing for the sheep milk substitute was a success. So now I am moving towards trialing some sheep flavour cheese. First on my list is a manchego. A good Spanish hard cheese which I have come to love over the past few months. So light, so sweet. In a few weeks I hope can write up a little more on that front. I think I have a recipe I am happy to work with so just need the time and the milk :)
Lemon Cheese - Alex style
Rowany Festival has just past and it had been my intent to make some cheese over the fire at our campsite whilst there (quark, semi-soft goats and a manchego). Master Owen had delightfully created my wanted cooking box, in collaboration with myself, however we'd no chance to test it before the event. So our test firing enlightened us to a slight flaw which caused the underside of the box to ignite! So I was unable to do any cheesing at the campsite (ignoring that I had also forgotten one small package that was in the freezer containing starters, rennet, lipase too...). Plans are now in the works to correct the problem with the firebox, should be a relatively simple fix (another layer of fire-brick to the bottom!).
However my lovely Mistress Monique of all things Greasispoone-y, allowed me to invade the kitchen and cook up some random cheese with the milk I had taken with me and some lemons from the fridge. And so my lemon cheese is born. Very simple recipe which I have just replicated today, and added calcium chloride for a better yield.
6Lt unhomoginised milk
approx 5-6 medium lemons, juiced
3ml calcium chloride
Heat milk in a large pan to 32oC
Add calcium chloride
Stir for 1 minute
Add lemon juice
Stir for 1 minute
Cover and sit at 32oC until a clean separation of curd and whey is evident (about 30-40mins, whey/liquid should be greeny-yellow)
Spoon into a muslin lined strainer
Drain for 12hrs in the fridge (with or without a small weight to speed the process)
Use immediately, should keep for 4-5 days minimum
Now the cheese that I got from my first attempt was fairly plain but with a light, sweet after tang of lemon. The cheese was smooth but the lemon after left your mouth feeling fantastic.
So later on the day after making it, that lemon cheese became lemon cheesecake. And was subsequently demolished by all. Zomg was it yummy! So todays replication of my lemon cheese is also intended to become cheesecake, hopefully even half as yummy! A totally modern baked cheesecake recipe supplied by Mistress Monique, but I see a good future for this as a cheese tart for event cooking.
***UPDATE***
Just on the yield of the cheese with the addition of the calcium chloride.
The first batch I made was using 5Lt of milk and 5 smallish lemons. The yield was about 350 grams of cheese.
The second batch made using 6Lt of milk, 6 medium-ish lemons and 3ml of calcium chloride. Yield was 1.7Kg.
You can see from this very simple cheese that the process of pasteurization strips out a heck of a lot of the available calcium and decreases the yield significantly!!
Friday 14 March 2014
Flavour testing - semi-soft cheese - goats, cows and 'sheep' substitute
Tonight I have been testing flavouring cheese for a sheep milk substitute. I used the same semi-soft goats milk recipe as my previous blog but use three different 'milks'.
I used the goats because I know what the taste and texture are supposed to be. The plain cows as a base measure and a cows milk with lamb lipase additive to make it more like a sheeps milk.
I hope that I can get a nice balance of flavours for each of these. They are currently in the wine fridge setting for 12-18 hours.
The labels don't show up too well, but they are, from top to bottom, plain cow's, sheep substitute and goat's.
In the morning I will add them to moulds and drain them for another 12 hours and then the tasting begins!
Update:
In the moulds and draining away. Cow's, Goat's and 'Sheep's'.
Didn't get a pic of straight out of the moulds, but reduced to about 1/3 of the capacity. The goats was good to come out of the moulds at the 12 hour mark, but both the cow's milked based ones needed quite a bit of extra time. Prior to A&S I put them back in for another 3 hours and then when I got home I put them all in for another 12 hours draining. Produced a pretty solid cheese (could just be scooped up with a cracker but tended to stay in 'chunks').
Tasting went well. Most feedback was yes definitely different flavours, goats is very goaty and the 'sheeps' was sweet and strong flavour compared to the plain cow's. So looking good for other experiments! Very happy.
I used the goats because I know what the taste and texture are supposed to be. The plain cows as a base measure and a cows milk with lamb lipase additive to make it more like a sheeps milk.
I hope that I can get a nice balance of flavours for each of these. They are currently in the wine fridge setting for 12-18 hours.
The labels don't show up too well, but they are, from top to bottom, plain cow's, sheep substitute and goat's.
In the morning I will add them to moulds and drain them for another 12 hours and then the tasting begins!
Update:
Didn't get a pic of straight out of the moulds, but reduced to about 1/3 of the capacity. The goats was good to come out of the moulds at the 12 hour mark, but both the cow's milked based ones needed quite a bit of extra time. Prior to A&S I put them back in for another 3 hours and then when I got home I put them all in for another 12 hours draining. Produced a pretty solid cheese (could just be scooped up with a cracker but tended to stay in 'chunks').
Tasting went well. Most feedback was yes definitely different flavours, goats is very goaty and the 'sheeps' was sweet and strong flavour compared to the plain cow's. So looking good for other experiments! Very happy.
Semi-soft Goats cheese, reprise...
Well that didn't work as well as I'd hoped. I think my rennet was bad so it didn't set as well as I would have liked and the yield was therefore smaller than i wanted. So there wasn't enough to serve to everybody at the event. But I did get a couple of nice rounds for the high table AND put in the rest as part of the A&S comp for the night (theme was Love and Warre, I put the cheese in 'because I love cheese' :) ).
Here's some pics of the cheese in the moulds and how much whey drained out.
You can see how much they shrank.
I moulded the rounds that were just too small or badly shaped into a heart shaped cake tin (lined with cheese cloth) for the A&S entry. Edged it with dill and a half cherry/dill sprig arrow.
This pic is after it had sat out a little while for judging so it is looking a little sad lol
Very annoyed with myself for not getting a photo of the actual dressed cheese for presentation to the high table. But these are the two rounds I used. I basically dressed then up to look like little boobies :D
So whilst a little disappointing that I couldn't get enough to put on all the tables, was fun to do. I made a big batch of chive quark as a substitute (had time for making quark but not more of the goats) which always goes down a treat.
Here's some pics of the cheese in the moulds and how much whey drained out.
You can see how much they shrank.
I moulded the rounds that were just too small or badly shaped into a heart shaped cake tin (lined with cheese cloth) for the A&S entry. Edged it with dill and a half cherry/dill sprig arrow.
Very annoyed with myself for not getting a photo of the actual dressed cheese for presentation to the high table. But these are the two rounds I used. I basically dressed then up to look like little boobies :D
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