Goat cheese is an ingredient which is often used in various European dishes to enhance the taste. It is costly and the quality of the cheese available in the market is pretty tough to determine. It is easy to make this cheese in your own kitchen at comparatively low cost that will also be more hygienic. Here are some easy steps which you can follow to make a tasty goat cheese at your home. Read on.
Complexity Level: Basic
Time Required: 2 hours
Resources Required:
- Goat milk
- Lemon juice
- A big pot
- A bowl shaped strainer
- Muslin cloth
- Salt and pepper
Instructions:
1. Heating the milk
Pour about one gallon of goat milk into a stainless steel vessel and heat it at low flame. Simmer the flame to resist boiling or burning of milk.
2. Separating curd and whey from milk
Remove the milk from the stove and allow it to cool for some time. Add lemon to it and keep it until the curd separates from the whey. Vinegar is a substitute to lemon which can be used if the latter is not available. The process will take about 20 hours. When the mixture separates it should look like big chunk of cottage cheese. Check the whey on a pH scale and if it measures in between 4.5 to 4.7 it is ready to be pressed.
3. Straining the curd
The next step is to cover the strainer with a muslin cloth. It is better to use muslin cloth instead of several layers of cheese cloth because it is comparatively finer. The cheese cloth has big holes and hence instead of placing several cheese cloths you can be economical and use just one layer of a muslin cloth. Now, pour the curd into the strainer casting aside the whey.
4. Pressing out moisture and seasoning the curd
Let the curd cool, draining out the water content as much as possible. Put aside the curd hence obtained and add sea salt to it according to taste. You can also add flavoring agent in it like fresh herbs. If you are fond of garlic, you can also use garlic and salt.
5. Aging the cheese
Wrap the block obtained in a cheese cloth and put it in a refrigerator for at least 5 days before unwrapping and tasting. The cheese hence obtained can be used in salad or sandwich and in many other dishes.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How long can the cheese be refrigerated before serving it?
It depends on taste. If you like fresh cheese, unwrap it after 1 to 2 days or else you can keep it like that for about 5 days. It can be stored in an air tight container which in turn should be kept in the refrigerator. However, the smoothness of cheese reduces with time and it does not remain spreadable enough after a few days.
Quick Tips:
- Aging of cheese should be done according to your taste. Do not leave it for long if you like having fresh cheese.
- Fresh milk is always better. So, instead of buying it from super market you should get it from farmers market.
- While adding the seasonings you should be creative. You can add salt and pepper for a balanced plain taste. However, you can also add fresh herbs, olive oil and parsley.
Things To Watch Out For:
- To get the best taste you should allow the cheese to reach room temperature before serving.
- If you are found of the natural taste of cheese you should not add any seasoning to it.
