[Sca-cooks] Almond Milk Cheese Redux

[Jennifer Lynn Johnson]

> I have been following this thread with some interest, because I have always
> wondered if those almond milk cheeses would work out (I am similarly curious
> about the 'custard' cheeses you see in some period recipes). I can't help
> but wonder if the result is basically a thick almond paste, or if it really
> is coagulated proteins coming out of the fat/oil that the almonds give off
> during the process of grinding etc.
> I'm also curious as to why rennet would have this effect - it is an enzyme
> (or collection of enzymes) designed to digest animal milk, which is a
> different set of proteins to almonds. I wonder if the coagulation is just
> happening from the acidic ingredients, but the period writer thought that if
> you wanted to make cheese you should put rennet in, so they put it in, but
> it's not really doing anything?
> 
> Angharad
> (who has just enough chemistry to be confused)

I have never had any luck with rennet, but I have only tried vegetable
rennet, animal rennet might act differently. Powdered calf's stomach would
have acid, and cause some coagulation that way. Some enzymes cross-react, I
don't know enough about rennet to know if it is possible, but I do know
enough to think it unlikely. (I work in a lab and have a science degree.)
But having an ingredient in a recipe that does not do what it claims in not
unlikely, in period or modernly.

I have also found that if one boils homemade almond milk the starches
convert and create a pudding-like item. This can be drained, and would
release some of the liquid from the starch-matrix. Some of these recipes
call for rose water, and claim that the rose water causes the turning. I
have not tried this. I think I need to make some rose water and check the
pH.

Acid coagulation creates curds that separate from the 'whey,' a much more
dairy cheese like product.

Both are called almond butter in period recipes. I can only recall recipes
being called almond cheese when they call for acid, but my memory is far
from perfect.


An example of acid process:
http://www.medievalcookery.com/cgi/display.pl?wel:26
Butter and cheese made of almonds

This is an excerpt from Wel ende edelike spijse
(Dutch, late 15th c. - Christianne Muusers, trans.)
The original source can be found at Christianne Muusers's website
<http://www.coquinaria.nl/kooktekst/Edelikespijse0.htm>

Butter and cheese made of almonds. Make good almond milk. Then let it boil
in a pan. Take good wine vinegar with a spoon, sparingly and little in all.
As soon the [almond] milk starts to curdle, pull the food backwards and take
a small basket with straw in it and a cloth upon it. Let your food cool on
it. Have a small cheese mould and mix sugar with the food in it. Make cheese
in the cheese mould and butter in the platter.

An example of "pudding"-process:
http://www.medievalcookery.com/cgi/display.pl?lib:11
XI - Butter of fat of almonds (almond butter)

This is an excerpt from Libro di cucina / Libro per cuoco
(Italy, 14th/15th c. - Louise Smithson, trans.)
The original source can be found at Louise Smithson's website
<http://www.geocities.com/helewyse/libro.html>

XI - Butter of fat of almonds (almond butter). If you want to make butter of
almond fat to make dishes for Friday or for lent take three pounds of
almonds to make a tart or whatever dish that you want for 12 persons. And of
this butter you can put to flavor tartare (a sort of pie made of soaked
bread, almonds and sugar) or other pies. In that one does not eat meat, take
the almonds peeled and washed and well ground and stamped with clear water,
and when it has been well strained and pressed put this milk of almonds to
boil. And when it has well boiled throw it (put) over a white cloth. When
the water has strained below take good knife and scrape from the cloth and
put it above the "taiero" and put it in whatever dish you want.

An example of using rose-water to turn it:
http://www.medievalcookery.com/cgi/display.pl?ghj:131
To make Almond butter after the best and newest fashion

This is an excerpt from The Good Housewife's Jewell
(England, 1596)
The original source can be found at Chef Phains - Free Cookbooks
<http://www.harvestfields.ca/CookBooks/index.htm>

To make Almond butter after the best and newest fashion. Take a pound of
Almondes or more, and blanch them in colde water or in warme as you may have
leyfure, after the blanching let hem lye one houre in cold water, then stamp
them in faire cold water as fine as you can, then put your Almondes in a
cloth, and gather your cloth round up in your handes, and presse out the
juice as much as you can, if you thinke they be not small enough, beate them
again, and so get out milke so long as you can, then set it over the fire,
and when it is ready to seeth, put in a good quantitie of salte and
Rosewater that will turne it, after that si in, let it have one boyling, and
then take it from the fire, and cast it abroad upon a linnen cloth, and
underneath the cloth scrape of the Whay so long as it will runne, then put
the butter together into the middest of the cloth, binding the cloth
together, and let it hang so long as it will drop, then take peeces of Suger
so much as you thinke will make it sweete, and put thereto a little
rosewater, so much as will melte the Suger, and so much fine pouder of
Saffron as you thinke will colour it, then let both your suger and Saffron
steep together in the little quantitye of Rosewater, and with that season up
your butter when you wil make it.



Reyni-Hrefna
writing from the Dominion of Myrkfaelinn