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Cheese Making – Our Recent Adventures at the Remick Farm

From milk to pot and heat
Then, curdle, gather, repeat
You formed into a ball
Which amazes us all
Oh cheese, you, I can’t wait to eat

Courtesy of the Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm, in Tamworth, New Hampshire, learn how to make Mozzarella cheese.

Total Time- 1/2 Hour
Yield-3/4lb.

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon milk (any will do, but you will get the most yield and best taste from 100% milk with no additives)
• Y4- cup cold distilled water (or without chlorine)
• 2 tps. Citric acid (C13)
• V2 tablet rennet (R4) or %t. liquid rennet
• 1/2 tsp. flake salt(Sl)

Equipment:

• Dairy thermometer
• 1 1/2 gallon pot (non-reactive such as stainless steel, Pyrex, or unscratched enamel)
• Larger pot to hold milk pot, making double-boiler
• Microwave and bowl (optional)
• Slotted spoon (non-reactive such as wood or stainless steel)

Directions:

1. Break a rennet tablet in half. Put one half back in the refrigerator for the next time.
2. Crush the rennet tablet in the bottom of a cup or glass (The flat end of a wooden spoon works great). Add % cup of cold distilled water to dissolve. (This will take awhile, so let it set while you do the rest, stirring occasionally as you work).
3. Pour the milk into your pot.

4. Sprinkle 2 level teaspoons of citric acid into the milk and stir to mix.
5. Gradually bring the heat of the milk to 88F degrees. You may do this by putting your pot into a sink of hot water. It’s much easier, however, to create a double boiler by putting the milk pot into a large pot of water or into a bowl you can heat on the stove.
6. Stir the milk a few times while heating it up. It usually takes about 15 minutes to bring the temperature up.

7. When the thermometer in the milk reads 88-90F (92F goat milk), add the rennet solution and stir. Keep stirring slowly as the milk begins to clot. This may take a couple of minutes. When you have big globs of curd in the pot of yellowish green whey, take the pot off the heat.

Note: You should be able to scoop out the curd with a slotted spoon at this point. If it is still too liquidy, let it sit for 10 more minutes, covered. At this point if your curd is not clotted together at, you may have to resign yourself to making ricotta. Just bring the temperature of the curd to 170f degrees, strain it in the muslin for at least 15mins., and add a little salt to taste. Look for a different brand of milk to use next time, and don’t be Discouraged!

8. If all went well, you will have a pot of whey with clots of curd floating around. Use either your spoons or hands to gather the curds together and kneed into one mass. Squeeze out as much of the whey as you can for a few minutes. When you have a ball of curds in your hands with no whey dripping off, put it in a microwave bowl. I prefer a large Pyrex bowl.

Note: If you don’t have a microwave, you will want to put on heavy rubber gloves at this point. Heat the whey up to at least 170 degrees. Add % cup of salt to the whey. Dip the ball into the hot wheyand kneed it with your hands several times until it is smooth and pliable. Proceed to step 10.

9. Microwave on high for 50 seconds· 1 min. Take it out and start mashing it up with a spoon. As it cools off, pick it up and kneed it like bread dough. The heat it up again for 20 or 30 seconds and kneed it some more. After a few times it will flow like taffy until it cools off. You can do this as many times as you like, Because it’s fun! When it’s ready, it will be smooth and shiny in your hands. Can be dipped many times into hot whey. Kneed 8·10 mins or so.

10.1f you like it salted, work 1/2 teaspoon or so into while you’re kneading and stretching. Shape it into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap or plop it into a food storage container (this win make a harder cheese when stored).

11.If you like it fresh, when you have the shape you want, plunge it into a very cold water and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. You may add flake salt to the water for taste. Keep it in cold water in container – will be soft cheese.

Enjoy!