After ordering a cheese making kit well before the big move in May, 2 days ago I finally got around to pulling it out of the cupboard (and freezer, for the scary live cultures) and had a go.
I decided to start with two basic products: a simple goat cheese and labneh, which is essentially a yoghurt that has been strained until it becomes quite firm.
As soon as I started, I realised that I had two major problems. Firstly the beginners book was all in US imperial units and this required 10 minutes with Google to convert everything into Metric. Secondly (and far worse indeed) was that the book veered frustratingly between ultra-precise (so many degrees of heat for so many minutes) and ridiculously vague (“add 1 packet”. What size is a darned packet anyhow?).
It was frustrating enough to bring out some completely indecent language, but after sitting down with pen a paper, I managed to cobble together a workable recipe and went at it.
The goat milk was gently warmed and I added a basic culture and some rennet and let it sit. And in another pot, I warmed cows milk and added a basic yoghurt culture. Twelve hours later, it didn’t look as if anything was going to happen and I worried that I’d mucked up the culture and rennet quantities. More language ensued and I went to bed.
However, by the next morning, the goat milk had turned into a silky curd and the cows milk was getting thick. I tipped the goat milk curds into a cloth and slung them up in the laundry to drain. The yoghurt needed to thicken a little more so I left it. Another 12 hours and the goats milk had drained enough to put it into a former to press it into a better shape and drain some more. I washed and sterilized the cloth and the yoghurt – thick and ripe – was poured in and is having its turn draining in the tub.
So far so good!!!
The goat cheese will be ready in another day or two. And when the yoghurt has drained enough, I’ll shape it into little balls and will put it in a jar with olive oil, dried thyme stalks and a little garlic and let it sit awhile to become labneh. While not a traditional type of labneh (it’s supposed to more like a stiff dip or spread) I’ve had it made into the balls and marinated in flavoured oil and I can honestly say it was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever had (and worked magic when crumbled as a pizza topping).
I’ll take some photo’s and put up the recipes properly when everything’s done.
Very exciting stuff!
