[Sca-cooks] Cheese Question

[Generys ferch Ednuyed]

This was on the Medieval Encampments list a few weeks ago. Basically, you
just take whole milk, or half-and-half (I haven't tried half and half, but
it ought to produce more cheese than straight milk...), and heat it on the
stove until it gets to about 160-180 degrees.  Remove from the heat, and add
lemon juice or vinegar until it separates - for 1/2 gallon of milk
yesterday, I used about 1/4 cup of lemon juice, but don't be afraid of
adding too much - it drains away with the whey.  You'll **see** when you've
added enough - the separation will be dramatic.  Once it separates, drain it
through a muslin-lined colander (don't use cheesecloth, this is a rather
small-curd cheese and you lose a lot in the weave of the cheesecloth if you
do).  Let drain for a while, squeezing it in the muslin once it cools enough
to handle.  You get a creamy cheese, with a distinct "lemony" flavor and a
somewhat grainy texture.  Not sure how it tastes if you do it with
vinegar...though I've been told the vinegar version can taste a little odd
to the modern palate.  

For those of you who like Andalusian, this tastes WONDERFUL when you use it
as the base cheese for the "Zabarbada" in Duke Cariadoc's
Miscellany...though personally when I made this I cut back on the onions and
cilantro a LOT.

Generys

> -----Original Message-----
> From: sca-cooks-bounces at ansteorra.org [mailto:sca-cooks-
> bounces at ansteorra.org] On Behalf Of Barbara Benson
> Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2003 7:03 PM
> To: Cooks within the SCA
> 
> That sounds wonderful, could you be more specific in the technique that
> you
> are referring to. I have never tried to make cheese (it is on the GREAT
> LIST
> OF THINGS TO LEARN, but I haven' gotten to it yet;)
> 
> Glad Tidings,
> Serena
> 
> 
> > Generys> I agree that it would be a soft cheese. you could always take
> that
> > literally, however, and do the "cream separated with lemon juice or
> vinegar
> > and drained" trick (I've been playing with this lately. it's yummy
> stuff,
> > and really easy, and best of all, much cheaper than decent farmers
> cheese.)
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Sca-cooks mailing list
> Sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
> http://www.ansteorra.org/mailman/listinfo/sca-cooks