Re-cheesing

After last weekends organic near-disaster I needed to regain my cheese mojo so made a halloumi, a feta and a ricotta from 6l of (non-organic, bog standard normal) milk. The feta (around 400g) and the ricotta (around 150g) were drained by hanging in cheesecloth and have that 'rustic' look

The halloumi (1.3kg)  is more satisfying as I get to shape it with the cheese press

 After chopping, cooking at 40 degrees C and salting it looks like this

And it tastes great.

Mangled organic

I haven't made cheese for a while so I decided to whip up a batch of haloumi & feta yesterday. We nipped down to the local supermarket and after surveying the fridges for a few minutes I decided to blow the budget and get 6l of organic milk.

It was all going well - temperatures were right, rennet & starter were both safely stored in the freezer, the hangover was subsiding and the V8s were driving round in circles on the telly - but after a few hours the milk was refusing to set. You're looking for what's called a 'clean break' (where the solid curd splits neatly over your finger) and instead I was getting this

 

Even after letting it set overnight I was getting this

 

I dug one of the milk cartons out of the recycling bin and the advertising all looked very homely & healthy

 

 

but then I read the small print - 'Ultra-pasteurised'

 

It turns out that ultra-pasteurised milk is treated differently to normally pasteurised milk. Instead of being heated to around 70 degrees Centigrade for 15 to 20 seconds, ultra-pasteurised milk is forced through a microbial filter and narrow pipes at around 135 degrees Centigrade for 2 seconds. "In the way nature intended" I assume. This kills more of the bugs in the milk but also mangles the proteins in the milk so it won't form curds. It increases the shelf life significantly, which is ironically why it's used for organic and other higher unit-cost milks. So something else to look out for - don't get ultra-pasteurised milk to make cheese as it won't work and it's probably been sitting there for weeks. Full fat 'regular' milk is a cheaper, better, fresher option.

It seemed a shame to throw away 6l of milk so I thought I'd try a soft cheese instead. I ladled the mush into colanders lined with muslin, tied them into balls and hung them to drip dry for the day. In 35 degree heat, which was a little concerning.

 

It actually worked out pretty well as the cheese is soft, spreadable and tasty

 

I added garlic, salt, pepper, spring onion greens and a dash of paprika to one batch and it's great on crackers

 Perhaps I won't take it back to the shop for a refund after all...
 

Easy Peasey Cheese (y)

Panir (or Paneer) is an Indian cheese with a mild flavour that can be eaten raw or used to cook with. It's also really easy to make and you don't need any special equipment or ingredients, so if you've ever fancied making your own cheese it's a good place to start. I'm taking the recipe from Ricki Carrol's 'Home Cheese Making' - an excellent book for budding cheese makers - but there are many similar recipes on line.

The only equipment that you need to make Paneer is

• Saucepan big enough to hold 3L of milk
• Slotted spoon
• Large knife
• Cheesecloth or muslin (available from supermarkets)
• Colander
• String or shoe-lace
• A kettle (to boil water for sterilisation)

 and the ingredients are equally simple

• 3L milk (full fat or semi skimmed)
• Around a cup of lemon juice (ie 3 or 4 fresh lemons) 

First use the boiling water to make sure that everything is clean & sterile. I'm doing 2 3L batches here, hence the 2 saucepans

Next comes the time consuming bit - you need to gently heat the milk up to a rolling boil. If you heat it too quickly or don't stir it regularly you'll burn the milk so you'll need something else to keep you amused. Handy hint - if you take the milk out of the fridge up to 12 hours before you plan to make the cheese it will get closer to room temperature, which saves a bit of cooking time.

While you're waiting juice your lemons

On our crappy rental stove it took around 90 minutes to get the milk up to a gentle rolling boil. Be careful when you get close to the boiling point - keep an eye on the milk and keep stirring it. If it bubbles over it can be very messy.

Reduce the heat to low and pour the lemon juice into the milk before the foam subsides. Them remove from the heat and stir gently until you get chunky bits (the curds) forming. The remaining liquid (the whey) should be clear - in the picture below it's a bit milky so if you see this put the pan back on a low heat and gently stir until the whey clears.

 This is better - nice clear whey. And don't worry, it's supposed to be yellow.

Once you see this take the pan of the heat and leave it to sit for 10 minutes or so. Whilst you're doing this line the colander with the cheesecloth and sit this over a pan.

When the curds have settled below the whey, ladle the curds into the colander. Or you can carefully pour directly into the colander from the saucepan. The curds should look like cream cheese or popcorn. The saucepan underneath is to catch the whey as you want to keep that too.

Wrap the curds in the cheesecloth and rinse under cold water for 5 to 10 seconds. Also gently twist the cheesecloth to squeeze out a little more whey.

 Then just hang the bag somewhere where it can gently drain for 2-3 hrs

 After that, unwrap the cheese and it's good to go

You can slice it and eat it straight away, or you can store it for a couple of weeks and let the flavours mature a bit. It doesn't melt so you can also cook with it - it's excellent in curries and stews.

The whey can be used as a liquid substitute for bread making, for stock, to boil pasta in or (according to the book) "it makes a delicious summer drink when served with ice and crushed mint leaves". I haven't been game to try that one yet!

It's as simple as that. You can also work the cheese a little more after it's drained and add herbs & spices to make a flat pattie you can fry up. This is called a chenna, and if you're interested I'll add another post later showing how to do that.

Go on - give it a go on the next rainy day!

French cheese nightmares

My second batch of Camembert & Brie was looking great in the cheese cave - I'd left it alone for a few days and the mould was fuzzing over nicely. Tonight it had been 11 days since the cheese was made and it was time to take it out and cover it.

Unfortunately the mould was a little over-succesful and managed to embrace the bamboo mat it was sitting on as well as the cheese itself...

The floor of the 'basement' layer of the cheese cave was in a very close relationship with the cheese and the seperation didn't go well...

 Topless french cheese! Oooh la la!

 Probably curtains for the sushi mat as well...

The cheese itself isn't as bitter as last time but I'm not sure how it will fare after its early exposure. I've loosely wrapped them all in silver foil and put them back in the cheese cave (which is at around 10-12 degrees C), so we'll see how we go. It looks like it will probably take a few goes, but I WILL produce a Briesbane cheese.

In the meantime I can take solace in the fact that my carrot & parsnip kimchi is looking good, enjoying the sun on the window ledge and gives a satisfying fermenty hiss every time I open it....

Home again

We got back to Brisbane on Thursday and since then I've been keeping myself busy.

There's been city rides

 Beer rides

 and dirt rides

as well as another go at making my own brie & camembert (with a more luxurious cheese cave this time)

I was also inspired to make some 'pulled roo' - smoked, slow cooked and then pulled kangaroo fillets

and of course checking on the beer - my Imperial Stout has reached a gravity of 1030, which means that it's around 11% at the minute. It's dark, roasty, hoppy & bitter - the only question is whether to age it as it is or add champagne yeast and go for a 15% brew?

It's also Tour De France time, which means many late nights and uncomfortable dozing on the sofa. Liz has already prepared her Tour De France viewing platform in preperation :)

Bruny Island

Bruny Island is an island about half an hour south of Hobart, or a bit longer if I'm navigating and accidentally select the scenic route. It a beautiful island only a short ferry ride away from a small town & harbour called Kettering

 Half of the roads on the island are unsealed, especially if you head North from the ferry, and you wind your way through pasture land and white-barked gum trees

 Every so often the woods part revealing beautiful nautical vistas

 The clean air and fresh waters lead to wonderful local produce, for example the 'Get Shucked' Oyster stand

Which is exactly as it sounds - a shack just off the road serving the freshest oysters that I've ever tasted, as well as a range of clothing branded with the name

 We also stopped off at the Bruny Island Cheese Company, as seen on 'Gourmet Farmer', which was a little more quaint & upmarket

We had a cheese tasting and then a couple of lumps of cheese & artisan bread. The cheese was good but not outstanding (and gave me some ideas to take home with me) and the tasting was a bit rushed - I think in the non-tourist season you're considered a bit of an inconveniance. However I may just be being grumpy because I have a severe case of cheese-cave envy...   

Bruny is almost two islands and the two halves are connected by a slender strip of land known as 'the Neck', which seperates the open ocean on the left from the calm waters of the bay on the right  

The neck is also the site of a penguin rookery, although because we were there in the middle of the day this was the closest we got to seeing any

 In the summer the island with its beautiful beaches and clear seas must be a tourist mecca, but in the winter everything was quiet & deserted

The local council look after their visitors though - Adventure Bay doesn't just provide barbecues but also a pizza oven! (Edit - the facilities were provided by the local residents, not by the council, which explains why they were so well done. See comments for more info)

On the way back to the ferry we stopped off at the Bruny Island Smoke House (or BISH), ideally placed 10 minutes away from the port and providing great smoked meats & fish as well as a wide range of local beers & wines. It's a good place to while away the time until the next ferry....