Showing posts with label Cheese Making. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cheese Making. Show all posts

May 18, 2007

Basic Soft Cheeses...


Yogurt being poured so you can see the texture at room temperature.
It thickens up nicely in the refrigerator

I shared how to make yogurt recently and in that post I shared how to make your own form of "cream cheese" I used goat's milk yogurt and cow's milk yogurt. You could also use sheep's milk yogurt and soy yogurt to make this.

Finished yogurt ready for storage - made this week

Two other soft cheeses that are rather easy to make at home are Mascarpone and Ricotta cheeses.

Mascarpone Cheese

64 ounces heavy cream (1.92 Liters)
1 to 2 Tablespoons tartaric acid (cream of tartar) (2.5 mL)

1. Heat the cream to 180 degrees F or 82 degrees C, stirring often to prevent scorching. Remove from the heat. Add the tartaric acid and let the cream coagulate into a curd.

2. Drain the curd for at least 24 hours under refrigeration in a strainer lined with a coffee filter.
(first put into strainer last night)

The mascarpone is now ready to use. Alternatively, transfer to a storage container and hold, covered, under refrigeration for up to 1 week.

Yields 32 ounces or 960 mL

Mascarpone transfered to just cheese cloth this morning to sit for 24 more hours.
The whey is straining off nicely! :)

What can you make with Mascarpone?

Well, I like to make desserts with mine. It is PERFECT for Tiramisu.

I will put up my own recipe for this when I have a bit more time. I want to share a little more of what we did today first. Another blog post coming immediately...

My kitchen... the bread and cheese factory!

I baked four loaves of bread today, made yogurt last night and will be checking it soon to see if it is ready to refrigerate and then tonight I am making mascarpone cheese and later in the weekend (after a trip to the grocery store for milk) I will be making whole milk ricotta cheese. If you have ever priced these items in the grocery store I must tell you that making your own (even though it takes a little time) is SO MUCH CHEAPER!

When I make bread...


I also make pizza for the kiddos for lunch.
Doncha love my ugly brown countertop?
I SO need a kitchen makeover!

Here is the yogurt so far.
It needs a little bit longer, maybe overnight, on top of the refrigerator.
(the warmest place in the house for it)
On goes the towel and back on top until tomorrow...

I will put up some cheese recipes a little later.