Cheese Making Attempt #3= SUCCESS!

 After searching the Internet for new recipes to try for making chevre (since attempt #2 was good and edible, but didn't have the tang I was hoping for) and feta cheese, purchasing the necessary cheese cultures, and requesting some help with its making from Sean, we were ready for another attempt. I used the recipe I found at Fias Co Farm's website HERE for the chevre and followed it almost exactly. The only change I made was that I did not let it drip for the full time. I stopped when the cheese was the consistency that I was looking for. It worked perfectly and was VERY easy to do. 

It was really good tasting plain. When we added garlic and chives, it was AMAZING. Just perfectly what I had been hoping to make! This recipe is definitely a keeper. We like eating it on crackers or stuffing grape tomatoes with it as a simple snack. Another delicious way to enjoy this is to roast baby bell peppers in the broiler with a little olive oil. Steam the skins off and stuff them with the herbed goat cheese. I have made this treat for friends with store bought goat cheese. I cannot wait to try it with my own cheese! ♥

We make CHEESE!  ♪ Happy Dance to Commence! ♪

Our attempt at making Feta for the first time was a dismal FAILURE. I think the problem was that either the temperature was too high or we used too much rennet to set the curds. The recipe I used called for 1/8 tsp of vegetable rennet to 1 quart of goat's milk mixed with 3 tbsp buttermilk. At the point where we were instructed to add the rennet and mix thoroughly for a minute or two, the curds instantly formed into the gooped ball pictured. They were rubbery and nowhere near the yogurt consistency they were supposed to attain to after an hour. This mixture was thrown out. And, we searched and found another recipe to try. It calls for goat butter milk, which I will make tomorrow morning in preparation. We should be able to collect enough goat's milk to try feta again later this week. We'll keep you informed of how the next try goes. ♥

Additionally, we were successful in coaxing a teeny tiny amount of ricotta from the whey left over from making the chevre. This, too, was really yummy- slightly sweet and creamy. We are so proud that two of the three cheeses we attempted came out perfectly! With these small successes behind us, we are excited and encouraged to try more recipes!

Sean here.  Milk is an amazing substance.  You can drink it of course, but that's just so boring.  After making chevre cheese, we take the leftover whey and make ricotta cheese.  And you would think that would be the end of it but wait, there's more!  Apparantly, according to the internet, we COULD have saved the leftover whey from the ricotta to make a THIRD kind of cheese that's supposed to be even tastier!  So next time, nothing will be wasted.  Behold!  The power of Cheese.....

 

Thanks for stopping in,

Sean and Sonja 

This post also shared with: The Home Acre Hop #3