[Sca-cooks] Period Cheese recipe

[dseguin]

It was suggested that I post this to the list.  This is a recipe for making
cheese that came out of a book called "delights for ladies".  Oddly enough
the title page says it's printed in 1603.  But anyway, the post following
this one will contain a modern recipe that in parts almost reads verbatem to
this one.  The only place I would make a change, is that I made a cheese
using a 10lb barbell for a pressing weight, and I then made one using a 20lb
weight.  Well I got two laurels that will testify that the taste of the
second was much better.  But then again, they weren't having to use
homogenized milk and this probably freed up the whey more efficiently.  Ta
ta and have fun.

Excerpt from Delights for Ladies

22. How to make a larger and daintier of the same proportion of milke, then
is commonly used or knowne by anie of our best dairiewomen at this day.
Hauing

Having brought your milke into curdes by ordinary rennet, either breake them
with your handes according to the usuall manner of other cheeses, and after
with a fleeting dish, taking away as much of the whey as you can, or else
put in the curs without breaking into your moate, let them repose one houre,
or two or three, and then to a cheese of two gallons of milk adds a waight
of tenne or twelve pound which waight must rest upon a cover, that is fit
with the moate or café wherein it must truly descend by degrees as you
increase your waight, or as the curdes do sinke and settle.  Let your curds
remain so all that day and night following until the next morning and then
turne your cheese or curds, & place your waight again thereon, adding from
time to time some more small waight as you shall see cause.  Note that must
lay a cloth both under and over your curdes at the least, if you will not
wrap them all over as they do in other cheeses, changing your cloth at
everie turning.  Also if you will worke in any ordinarie moat, you must
place a round and broade hoope upon the moat, being just of the selfe same
bignesse or circumference, or else you shall make a verie thinne cheese.
Turne these cheeses everie morning and evening, or as often as you shall see
cause, till the whey be all run out, and then proceed as in ordinarie
cheese.  Note that these moates would be full of holes, both in the sides
and bottome, that the whey may have the speediest passage.  You may also
make them in square boxes full of holes, or else you may devise moates or
cafes either round or square of fine wicker, which having wicker covers, may
be some slight be so slayed, as that you shall need only morning evening to
turne the wrong side upwarde, both the bottoms being made loose and so close
and fitting as them sinke truly with the moate or molde, by reason of the
waight that lieth thereon.  Note that in other cheeses the cover of the
moate shutteth over the moate, but in these covers descend and fall with in
the moates.  Also your ordinarie cheeses are more spongious and full of
eyese than these, by reason of the violent pressing of them, whereas these
cheeses settling gently and by degrees do cut as close and firme as
marmalade.  Also in these cheeses which are pressed out after the usual
manner, the whey that commeth from there if it stande a while will carie a
creame upon it, whereby the cheese must of necessity be much lesse, and as I
gesse by a fourth parte, whereas the whey that commeth from these new kind
of cheeses is like faire water in color and carieth no strength with it.
Note also that if you put in your curdes unbroken, not taking away the whey
that issueth in the breaking of that, that so the cheese will yet bee so
much the greater, but that is the more trouble.  Someway, because the curds
being tender will hardly endure the turning, unlesse you be very careful.  I
suppose that the angelots in fraunce may bee made in this manner in small
baskets, and so likewise the parmesan: and if you whole cheese consists of
unflatten milke they will be full of butter and eate most daintily, being
taken in their time, before they be too dry, for which purpose you may keepe
them when they begin to grow drie, upon greene ruines or nettles.  I have
robbed my wife's dairy of this secret, which hath hitherto resfused all
recompences that hath been offered her. By gentlewome for the same, and have
I loved a cheese my selfe as I like the receipt, I thinke I should not so
easily have imparted the same at this time.  And yet I must needes confesse
that for the better gracing of the title wherewith I have fronted this
pamphlet, I have beene willing to publish this with some other secrets of
worth, for the which I have manie times refused good store both crownes and
angelstand there let no gentlewoman thinke this booke too deare, at what
price forever it shall be valued upon the sale there of, neither can I
esteeme the worke to be of lesse than twentie yeeres gathering.