cheesemaking-msg – 2/9/08
Comments on making cheese. Recipes. Information sources.
NOTE: See also the files: cheese-msg, Cheese-Making-art, cheesecake-msg, butter-msg, dairy-prod-msg, Cheese-Making-art, cheese-goo-msg, clotted-cream-msg, cheese-lnks, fresh-cheeses-msg.
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Stefan at florilegium.org
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(Freydis Haraldsdottir) writes:
>Does anyone out there have a cheese recipe a bunch of neophytes
>couldn't butcher too badly? Or perhaps point me in the right
>direction for finding one? I have no qualms about using inter library
>loan, but have no ideas about what books would be useful, and what
>wouldn't.
>Your assistance would be greatly appreciated, and I'll be happy to let
>anyone know how this great experiment turned out.
>
>Freydis Haraldsdottir m Liana Ohman
>House Anthrax k Dorm Rat
>Canton of the Northern Highlands a Houghton, Michigan
>Club Med. Michigan Tech Medievalists Club
Years ago, when my family had a cow, we had to make cheese and butter
just about every weekend to keep up (I was in charge of the butter,
while my brother made the cheese). The instructions we used came from
a poster that was contained in 'The Mother Earth News'. Sorry, I
don't know the date of the issue, but you may be able to find out from
the editor's office.
Basically, the procedure we used was as follows:
Mix together the milk (and/or skim milk, cream, etc) in a large pot
and heat gently while stirring, till lukewarm (I think the poster gave
an exact temperature here). At this point, stir in the rennet, which
has been dissolved in a little water. Most rennet is made from calves
stomachs. If this bothers you, it is possible to get vegetable
rennets, or you can use other milk coagulants, such as lemon juice or
yoghurt culture. We usually used mostly commercial rennet, and a bit
(say 10% of the whole volume) of homemade yoghurt for the taste. At
this point, let it sit till it coagulates, then use a large knife to
cut the resulting curds in a checkerboard pattern. Then pour the
whole pot into a colander or other holey device that has been lined
with many layers of cheesecloth. Allow to drip for awhile, then put a
plate on top of the cheese (the cheesecloth must be brought over the
top of the cheese first) and add a weight, such as a couple of bricks.
After it has been squeezed dry (overnight or more), the cheese can be
unwrapped from the cheesecloth and put in your cheese cellar :-). The
longer it is aged, the better it will be, but the longest we managed
to keep one was 6 months. 1 - 2 months was more typical.
At any rate, that is the general idea. If you can find a copy of the
poster from the Mother Earth News, it will clear up any loose ends.
Please note that I make no claims for this being particularly
mideval(sp?).
stephanie moore-fuller
ga.smf at forsythe.stanford.edu
ga.smf at stanford.bitnet
From: sscroggi at uoguelph.ca (Sarah E Scroggie)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Cheesemaking
Date: 10 Feb 1995 03:22:05 GMT
Organization: University of Guelph
I know how to make cream cheese and since it is so simple I doubt the
method has has changed much over the years. What's more I learned to make
it in Wales (from a swiss woman). Anyway you take a bucket full of milk,
unpasturized and unskimmed is what we had - straight from the cow - cover
it with a tea towel and leave it in a warm place (eg. beside the furnice)
for a few days until it has a thick, slightly moldy curd floating on top.
Stain the liquids out though a chese cloth and what's left is creem chese
of yogert-like consistancy. It make a tasty desert when mixed with fruit
and honey.I think that if you save somw wey from the last batch of cheese
and keep it in the fridge until you make the next batch, it can act like a
starter. You can probably buy spacific types of cheese starters but I have
never looked into it.
I have no documentation for this type of cheese making and learned
how by watching (that in itself is very period).
I hope this helps
Sarah
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 10:45:36 -0400
From: marilyn traber <margali at 99main.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #262
ND Wederstrandt wrote:
> I was at the wonderful Central Market and found some cheese with Nettles in
> it. I was tempted to get it to try but didn't have enough cash. I also
> read that nettles can be used for cheesemaking as well as being a fiber and
> dye plant. The Vikings were very adept at using it.
>
> Clare St. John
Definitely, one of the current derivations of vegetarian cheesemaking
supplies. The modern stuff [you don¹t need to float the nettles in the
milk] can be mail ordered from:
new england cheesemaking supply co, inc
85 main st, po box 85
ashfield, ma 01330
413-628-3808
margali
Blessed are the cheesemakers....
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 00:21:39 -0400 (EDT)
From: DianaFiona at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - rennet
>>>
Actually when I make cheese I've been using mushroom extract for rennet.
While it is not period it's easily found, vegetarians can eat the cheese
and it's easily stored. I can't recall the name of it right off but I've
found it in three stores here in Bryn Gwlad. One day I'm gonna track down
rennet from a calf and see what happens. I'm getting ready to make some
for a couple of events and one of the things I'm planning on is trying
nettles and a few of the other rennet plants. We have a species related to
Lady's bedstraw that grows here in the spring and I'd like to try that...
see if it works.
Clare St. John
>>>>>>>>>>>
You might want to go to http://www.windward.org/ush/ush.htm (The
University of St Hildegarde site) and look at the cheesemaking article there.
It went into some detail on different ways to obtain rennet from calves'
stomachs, plus a rundown of how well various plants work to achieve the same
effect. Lots of good info!
Ldy Diana, who would love to visit this wonderful place in
person......................
Date: Fri, 24 Oct 1997 20:25:41 -0500
From: Maddie Teller-Kook <meadhbh at io.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #391
Ron and Laurene Wells wrote:
> I would especially like to make my own cheese! But HOW IN AMERICA (I'm
> certian it's possible in other partes of Earth) do I find NON-Homogenized
> milk? The dairy farmers won't sell it to people because of the law that -
> well - says they can't!
Non-homoginized milk can be sold. There is a dairy here in Texas called
Promiseland that sells it at the supermarkets here. It is against the
law to buy raw (unpasteurized) milk. I would check with the health food
stores in your area.
meadhbh
Date: Fri, 24 Oct 1997 22:43:22 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #391
Ron and Laurene Wells wrote:
> I would especially like to make my own cheese! But HOW IN AMERICA (I'm
> certian it's possible in other partes of Earth) do I find NON-Homogenized
> milk? The dairy farmers won't sell it to people because of the law that -
> well - says they can't! I don't know anyone with a "pet" cow or goats or
> whatever. How do I find it? I know it has to be pasteurized - that just
> involves cooking the milk to kill bacteria.
I don't know whether the problem is any different in Oregon that what I
have to deal with, but many farmers' markets, healthfood stores, and
some supermarkets sell unhomogenized milk where I live, usually in the
old-fashioned glass bottles.
It is quite possible, though, to make a decent cheese with homogenized
milk. Before I am drowned out by the protestations of purists, I will
say that the finished product is not exactly the same as when made with
unhomogenized milk, but it is acceptable and often quite good. The
problem with homogenized milk is that the butterfat has been
emulsified into the milk, acting as a shortening: the fat shortens the
protein strands, just as it would with dough, affecting the solidity of
the final product, in this case the curds. When you go to buy your
rennet, though, you should be able to get some calcium chloride suitable
for cheesemaking: it is used to counteract the effects of homogenization
and de-emulsify the milk, rendering the final product almost identical
to that made with unhomogenized milk. You only need a tiny bit, and if I
remember correctly, most of it is drained away with the whey.
Adamantius
Date: Fri, 24 Oct 1997 23:36:26 -0400 (EDT)
From: LrdRas at aol.com
Subject: SC - milk
<< It is against the law to by raw (unpasteurized) milk. >>
It is against the law to sell raw, UNINSPECTED milk for human consumption in
PA. The health food stores carry inspected raw milk and many a farmer can be
convinced to sell it to you for "dogfood". :-)
Ras
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 01:30:44 -0400
From: marilyn traber <margali at 99main.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #391
> I would especially like to make my own cheese! But HOW IN AMERICA
> (I'm certian it's possible in other parts of Earth) do I find
> NON-Homogenized milk?
>
> -Laurene
You can call the local 4h and ask about kids with prohects, OR
you could go to the nearest large animal vet and ask around discretely.
I am lucky to have a dairy farm within an hours drive that sells raw
milk- apparently CT doesnt have that silly law.
BTW, they have a chemical you can add to milk to turn homog milk into
cheesable.
new england cheesemaking supply co inc
85 main st po box 85
ashfield mass 01330
413-628-3808
margali
Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 11:47:46 -0600
From: "Jack Hubbard" <jack at cwebs.com>
Subject: Re: SC - cheesemaking
Ron and Laurene Wells wrote:
> I would especially like to make my own cheese! But HOW IN AMERICA (I'm
> certian it's possible in other partes of Earth) do I find NON-Homogenized
> milk?
We buy pasturized non-homogenized milk from "Whole Foods Markets" other
stores of this type will proabably carry it as well. Watch out for the cost
though. I belive we pay almost $1.50 a quart!
My lady is also intrested in making cheese as she has worked in the selling
of same for some years.
Eoian
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 15:43:59 -0600
From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
Subject: RE: SC - sources
>I am interested in doing research on period cheese making and dairying.
>Does anyone have reccomendations for period sources about this. I am
>looking for recipies, if possible, but anything would be interesting.
>I have a copy of Menaigier de Paris, what others should I see?
>Thank you!!!
>Emmanuelle of Chenonceaux
Here is a web site that just came to my attention. It is on Scottish
cheesemaking.
http://www.efr.hw.ac.uk/SDA/cheese1.html
Bear
Date: Fri, 27 Feb 1998 10:06:48 -0500
From: donna_m_smith at icpphil.navy.mil
Subject: Re[2]: SC - Raw Milk
I agree with Lord Ras. Homogenization is a process of keeping whole
milk from separating into cream and skim milk by breaking up the fat
globules into smaller globules, and distributing it throughout the milk,
which happens by a mechanical process of *shaking*. According to my
reference, cheese curds will still form if you're making cheese, they will
just be softer, and not quite as easy to make into a cheese. Some cheeses
are made from skim milk, cream, or whey as well. (Cheesemaking Made Easy,
Ricki Carroll & Robert Carroll).
Pasteurization will kill off the bacteria found in raw milk. Some of
these are human pathogens (ex. tuberculosis and brucellosis) and some are
not harmful to humans and can add some useful flavors to cheese if you make
it. Some people swear by raw milk cheeses for this reason. You must be
very careful about where the milk comes from if you plan to use raw milk,
unless the cheese is to be aged more than 60 days. (In PA, I can definitely
buy unpasteurized, unhomogenized milk.) There are two ways to pasteurize,
one of which has the least effect on the flavor of the milk or the cheese
made from it. Of course that one is the least economical.
a. The better one: Heat milk to 144 or 145 degrees F (62 C) for 30
minutes. Cool immediately to 40 degrees (F).
b. Flash pasteurization (most economical): Heat milk to 160 deg. F (71 C)
for 15 sec. This results in a cooked taste to the milk.
Another thing that could hinder cheesemaking is the presence of
antibiotics in the milk. When adding cultures to the milk, the antibiotic
could kill it off even at that point. This happens occasionally, and the
culture simply won't grow (the one(s) you *want* in the milk.)
I thought that "rotted" milk was due to the presence of bacteria (which
would enter from the air after the milk was pasteurized) that happens to
produce that kind of result, while cheese (and buttermilk) was due to the
presence of wanted bacteria that happens to produce that particular type of
output.
Meadhbh ni hAilin
East
Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 22:19:48 -0500 (CDT)
From: jeffrey stewart heilveil <heilveil at students.uiuc.edu>
Subject: SC - excitement for the week.
I just thought I would share my triumph and possible triumph with a lot of
fun attached.
I got part of the Barony together to make cheese. We did an easy quick
soft cheese. Essentially, heat up milk, add lemon juice, and drain. It
tasted fine, and everyone had a good time. Granted someone requested we
try to do feta next...
Bogdan din Brasov
Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 00:29:45 -0500 (CDT)
From: jeffrey stewart heilveil <heilveil at students.uiuc.edu>
Subject: Re: SC - excitement for the week.
SIMPLE CHEESE:
One quart milt, heated to 100F. Add the juice of two lemons. Drain in
cheesecloth. Simple but tasty. If you do it this way, ADD SALT. I would
suggest forgoing the lemon and try a nice cider vinegar or somesuch having
done it once. It was easy and fun for the whole guild.
Bogdan din Brasov
ps. next time is Feta!! ( i hope. I know it may be OOP, but it sounded
easy, and a lot of us use a lot on a day to day basis...)
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 21:34:27 -0500
From: "Diamond" <nordgate at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: SC - Trying new stuff
Thought I would let you know that tonight I made some goat cheese. The
first time I ever tried anything like this. The recipe that I used was very
simple, 1/2 gallon goats milk ( I used canned ) and a 1/4 cup vinegar. heat
the milk to 180 degrees then add vinegar stir and remove from heat. I was
supposed to come out with a ricotta type cheese but instead I've got cream
cheese. I'm not sure what I did wrong. It tastes fine but I am going to
have to put it in a mold.
I also made some of Mistress Christiana's Brwi. It turned out fine. If
anyone out there makes cheese let me know what I did wrong.
Arabella
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 23:55:52 EDT
From: LrdRas at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Trying new stuff
nordgate at worldnet.att.net writes:
<< I was supposed to come out with a ricotta type cheese but instead I've got
cream cheese. I'm not sure what I did wrong. It tastes fine but I am going to have to put it in a mold. I also made some of Mistress Christiana's Brwi. It turned out fine. If anyone out there makes cheese let me know what I did wrong.
Arabella >>
Did you put it in a cheesecloth and hang it to dry? This would allow the whey
to thouroghly drain from it and should change the texture also. Many times
cheeses were pressed in molds to achieve the final product. This is off the
cuff, so to speak, but I have made yogurt cheese before and hang it in
cheesecloth for a couple of extra days under refrigeration. This dries it out
somewhat and makes for a superior product, IMO.
Ras
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 20:51:38 -0700
From: "Anne-Marie Rousseau" <acrouss at gte.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Trying new stuff
hi all from Anne-Marie
we are asked:
> Thought I would let you know that tonight I made some goat cheese. The
> first time I ever tried anything like this. The recipe that I used was very
> simple, 1/2 gallon goats milk ( I used caned ) and a 1/4 cup vinegar. heat
> the milk to 180 degrees then add vinegar stir and remove from heat. I was
> supposed to come out with a ricotta type cheese but instead I've got cream
> cheese. I'm not sure what I did wrong. It tastes fine but I am going to
> have to put it in a mold.
I have made a fair amount of cheese, both with goats milk and with cows
milk in my day, using both raw milk and pasteurized stuff. I have never
attempted to use CANNED milk however, and am wondering if the canning
process (which DEFINATELY affects the taste of the stuff) did something
funky to the caseins (milk proteins that make cheese a solid).
When I make goats milk cheese I use the following recipe...
In a stainless steel or other non-aluminum pot slowly heat 1 gallon of fresh
milk to 185 degrees, stirring. Stir in 1/4 cup vinegar. keep at 185 degrees for a few minutes, constantly stirring till a soft curd forms. Line a colandar
with a cheese cloth. Pour in the curd, salt or season to taste (fresh herbs
are lovely), and mix well. Tie the corners of the cloth together and hang
to drip. The longer you hang it, the firmer the cheese. Overnight gives a
semi firm, like feta. A couple hours for standard "chevre" texture. It will
be fairly crumbly/chunky.
Note that this is twice the milk for the 1/4 cup vinegar, plus the
difference in canned vs fresh milk.
- --Anne-Marie
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 23:51:10 -0500
From: "Diamond" <nordgate at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Trying new stuff