[Ansteorra] RE cream cheese

[Adrienne R. Ferrell]

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Greetings good gentles,

Neufchatel cheese is cream cheese's very close cousin.  American cream
cheese was our dairy farms attempt at making Neufchatel cheese.
Neufchatel Cheese Recipe..
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Neufchatel originated in Normandy France. It is a very soft, spreadable
cheese similar to cream cheese. It differs from true cream cheese because
it is made from whole milk and not cream. Neufchatel can be molded into
many shapes and is traditionally molded in a heart shape. However, in North
America it is more commonly found in a brick form. This cheese tastes great
on a toasted bagel!
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INGREDIENTS
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1/2 Gallon Fresh Milk
2 oz. Mesophilic Starter Culture
1/4 tab Rennet
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Mix 1/2 gallon fresh whole milk with 2 oz of mesophilic starter.
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Mix 1/4 tab Rennet into two tablespoons of COOL water. Mix this into the
milk thoroughly using a whisk and stirring for at least 5 minutes.
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Cover and set aside to ripen for about 15-20 hours at room temp (70 F / 21 C).
The milk should be a firm curd within 24 hours, however the full 15-20
hours is needed to develop the correct flavor.
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After 15-20 hours, gently ladle the curds into a colander lined with a FINE
cheese cloth.
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Allow the curds to drain for awhile then tie the four corners of the cloth
together. Hang it to drain 8-12 hours.
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After the curds have drained, place the curds into a small bowl.
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Mix by hand until pasty.
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Add salt, herbs, etc. to taste.
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Place the cheese into a sealable container into a refrigerator. The cheese
will firm up a little once under refrigeration.
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from :http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Cottage/1288/soft/neuf.htm
2- History
The supporters of this cheese claim that it is the oldest Norman cheese.
They argue that a text from the year 1035 A.D. mentions the production of
cheeses in the Neufchâtel-en-Bray countryside. In fact, it was born
"officially" in 1543 in the ledgers of the Saint-Aman Abbey (of Rouen)
where a cheese was termed Neufchatel. At that period the cheese was
probably already matured in the cellars of that country that was covered
naturally with penicillium candidum.
It is known that since the Middle Ages the Neufchatel cheese had many
shapes, depending on fashion or simply on the moulds the producer owned !
The legend explains that the heart shape is due to the young Norman women
that wanted to express discreetly their feelings to the English soldiers
during the wars in the Middle Ages ...
During the XIXth century, the prodution of Neufchatel increased strongly
and Napoleon III is said to have received a huge basket of Norman cheeses
containing lots of Neufchatel cheeses that he appreciated.
from:
http://www.fromages.org/fdn/fdn_eneu.htm


Here's a very interesting web site , the food time line:
http://www.gti.net/mocolib1/kid/food.html



Sincerely,
Seraphina

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