The Road Home

The Road Home
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Monday, May 26, 2014

Fresh Herb Cheese


Well, it was time to try a new cheese. I ran across a recipe for Garlic and Chive Cheese in Mary Jane Toth's book, Goats Produce Too! and decided to give it a try. You can look back at some of the other cheese making articles to see some specific techniques like using a double boiler, what the curd looks like when it is ready, using a cheese press and making buttermilk culture.

This is a very simple cheese. The milk is heated to 86 degrees before adding buttermilk and rennet. Let it sit for 45 minutes covered. Then slowly raise the temperature while stirring the curd until it is hot to the touch. I was unsure of how long to heat the curd using this method. I would rather be given a specific temperature, but this time I had to make my best guess. I think I might have cooked it too long, or got it a little too hot, I'm not sure.

After the curd was cooked, it was time to pour off the whey. Next, the recipe called for rinsing the curd in very warm water, another new step I hadn't done before. Then, after the curd drained in a colander for about 10 minutes, it was time to add the salt and herbs. The recipe called for garlic powder and chives. I don't have garlic powder, and my chives didn't smell much like onions. So I substituted a small head of garlic and two small green onions from the top of one of my multiplier or walking onions. The amount of garlic powder was 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. After I chopped up this small head of garlic I figured that was about right. The amount of chives was to taste. Well, we like onions, but I wasn't sure how strong the flavor would end up being. I didn't want it to be over powering, so I only used two small green onions.

The curd was starting to stick together after it drained in the colander, so I broke it up with my hands. Then after I added salt, garlic and onions, I mixed it in by hand again. It just wouldn't work with a spoon.



The next step was to put it into the cheese press for several hours.

Finished. Remove and chill for 6 to 8 hours before slicing. Well, by now it was bedtime so we weren't able to try it until the next day. We jokingly said we may just have it for breakfast. But we didn't.

We did have some for lunch. It is a pretty cheese, and has a nice, subtle aroma of onion and garlic. It is a very mild tasting cheese, with a very subtle taste of herbs. I could have easily added twice as much garlic and onions and it wouldn't have been a strong flavor. I also think I pressed it a little too much because it is drier than I expected or than I would prefer. So, next time I won't press it as hard or as long. Another factor that can affect the moisture content of the curd is how high the temperature is, and how long you cook it. That is another adjustment I will make.

Other than that, it is a very nice, fresh cheese that doesn't take a lot of time. Frank thinks it will make great grilled cheese sandwiches. I am already thinking about the different herb combinations I will try with this recipe. I think it would make a good hot pepper cheese, too, which I like. Basil, parsley and oregano would also be a good combination. I think I will be experimenting with this type of cheese all summer. It will probably freeze well, too. Right now we have four kinds of cheese in the frig to eat up. We made mozzarella last week. I thawed out some Chevre, a soft cheese, and mixed in some salt, dehydrated onion, dill and parsley. We have been eating it with celery, carrots and crackers with our lunches. There is also some 10 month old cheddar that we made last July. It's getting pretty sharp, but it's very tasty. We are cheese happy and the frig is running over with milk. So what will we make next? I might just try some Colby, who knows? Learn something everyday. Learn from your successes. Learn from your failures. But don't just sit around. Try something and enjoy what you learn from it, one way or the other.

Until next time - Fern

10 comments:

  1. Your cheese looks soooo good Fern and sounds like it would taste lovely. I just spent the last few days drying some multiplier onion tops into chives. When I have too much milk &/or too many eggs I use Granny Miller's "Impossible Pie" recipe, only difference is that I add a tsp. of nutmeg to it.

    http://www.granny-miller.com/too-many-eggs-impossible-pie/

    Hope the day finds you both well, and without watering if you got as much rain as we did yesterday up here in the northeastern portion of the state. I'm going to enjoy the day not having to water the garden and watching the chipmunks frolic! :)

    ~~Sassafras

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    1. That's an interesting way to have chives stored up, Sassafras. I will have to try that. By the way, today the herb flavor in the cheese is much stronger. It tastes great. So I wouldn't add anymore onions and garlic than I did this time.

      Thanks for sharing the link from Granny Miller. She has some interesting stuff on her site.

      Fern

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  2. This cheese looks Wonderful! It makes us both get so anxious to get the new place but we have to learn patience. We both love cheese and herbs...what a great combination! I look forward to finding out what other combinations you make. Have you tried any cheeses with fruit? I had some goat with cranberries that was very good at a tasting at our Farmers Market.

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    1. No, Fiona, no fruit, at least not yet. We'll keep you updated on the concoction we come up with next time.

      Fern

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  3. HI Fern! Thanks for sharing about the cheese! It sounds delicious! I hope you try the Colby! How about Monterey Jack? I agree with what you said about not just sitting around! I love learning new things, even if I mess it up several times before it comes out right! Have a nice day! Blessings from Bama!

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    1. Sitting around gets boring, Felecia. Who knows what cheese is next, but it won't be long, the milk is starting to overrun the frig again!

      Fern

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  4. The cheese looks wonderful!!
    I have the same book and have enjoyed many of her recipes.

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    1. Thanks, Sandra. You should try this recipe. It is a good one and it is easy, too.

      Fern

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  5. Oh, I am so tired of making chevre and mozzarella (and have a freezer full of both), and I really stink at making cheddar.

    Our girls are starting to dry off, but not before I give this recipe a try.

    Thank you!!!

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    1. You know, my first try, try and try at cheddar were awful, and I do mean awful. I think the chickens ate them....

      But finally, after a few years of trial and error, we got it right. Somewhere on here is an article about wiping down the cheese press with apple cider vinegar before the last press. That made a big difference. The other thing I think I finally stumbled across was brushing the wheels with apple cider vinegar before waxing, and making sure the wax was as hot as I could get it for the entire waxing process. Then we finally quit having mold grow on the inside of the wax as it aged. Well, most of the time.

      Now we are eating cheddar that has aged about a year and a half and it is great. Keep trying! It took me years, but it was worth the effort.

      This is also a great recipe. You can vary the herbs any way you like them. We also have plenty of chevre and mozzarella in the freezer. It keeps great!

      Our girls are dry now and we're buying milk which is a bummer. We look forward to late December and fresh milk again.

      I always enjoy talking cheese with someone. There aren't many of us. Let me know how yours turns out.

      Fern

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