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HobbyFrom the Forum: Ricotta Advice NeededThis question came in recently via the Forum:
I don't think a low-fat milk would entirely prevent the proteins from coagulating, it would just likely lead to a drier, less creamy texture. Perhaps the milk was ultra-pasteurized? If you have any further advice for Heather, leave a comment! read more »
Question About Making ParmesanCalling all cheesemaking experts: the following message was recently posted to the forums. Please leave a comment if you have any suggestions! read more »
Ricotta Salata
It's made me get real philosophical about the world and forced me to attempt to come to a separate peace with all of the stupid cruelty that it encompasses. read more »
Crème Fraîche: Heavy Cream Redux
This is something that we, as people trapped in a culture that is treading water creatively speaking, are all too familiar with. The coolest cars on the road look like heavily Photoshopped versions of cars from decades ago when people had style. The best movie I saw this year was a dark re-tread of a cheesy cop-drama I loved as a pre-pubescent kid. My current favorite bands all sound like the distilled essence of bands from the last 30 I already loved. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the End of the American Century. As depressing as recycling can be when used as a metaphor for the death of western civilization as a viable narrative it can be really fucking useful around the house when you need to do something with left over supplies from a truly Roman-vomitorium-style feed. read more »
Making Syrian Cheese
Enter Syrian cheese, also known as Jiben, a fresh, friable cheese--one of the easiest cheeses to make. Syrian cheese actually comes in many different varieties, one of which is sort of like a braided mozzarella, but the one I made is more like a salty Paneer, or Queso Fresco. It's got a very fresh, milky taste, with a firm but elastic texture. It's traditionally used in pilafs and pasta dishes, as well as omelets (edgehs), but it's probably also good with sweet dried fruit like dates, raisins or figs. It couldn't be easier to make*. Bring 1 gallon of good-quality milk to 88° F. Gently stir in 1 tsp. of double strength liquid rennet, and let sit for read more »
Cheese of the Week - Gruyano?A few entries ago, I described the three Gruyère-style homemade cheeses that have been aging in my "cheese cave." The oldest one had been aging for 5 months, the amount of time that Margaret Morris recommends in her book, and after trying a sample using this cheese trier, I determined that the cheese was read more »
Cheesemaking UpdateWhat you see here is a picture of three homemade cheeses at various stages of aging. They were all made according to Margaret Morris' "Gruyère-style" recipe on p.188 of her book The Cheesemakers Manual, and each one has a fatal flaw. However, "mistakes are the portals of discovery," according to James Joyce, and I intend to use these flaws to improve future batches. I have yet to taste these cheeses, so I don't know exactly what effects these mistakes will have, but they are read more »
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