Need Help With Cheesemaking

[pamela]

Ok, so here's what I did.
I used these directions,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBPYopcoeqs (External Embedding Disabled)

I got some really nice, white but bland cheese.
It turned out beautifully but doesn't have enough flavor to suit me.
Or my husband for that matter.

anyway, what can I do to it to make it more flavorful?
It's in a plastic container with plastic wrap pressed down on the top of it, like in the video.
I tried the olive oil and black pepper, ok, but no cigar.
I was wanting something a bit more tangy, know what I mean?
could I mix it with herbs or garlic to make a spread?
should I wrap it and let it age? will it turn into regular cheese?
any help or hints would really be appreciated.

[rbrgs]

Vinegar is pretty bleck.

Lemon juice is better.

Fresh pineapple juice is just divine.  Best served before it has a chance to cool down.

You can't age it into regular cheese; that's an entirely different process using rennet.  But you can fry it.

[pamela]

thanks RB, that sounds great with the pineapple juice! I would never have thought of that.
I was just writing the post below when I saw what you'd posted.
here's what I've tried.

well, I tried something with part of the cheese.
I have some dried tomatoes that I made using a recipe I found here in the forum, I can't remember who posted the original recipe but what I did was, sliced tomatoes, put in balsamic vinegar with some chopped garlic. Let chill in fridge overnight, take out tomatoes, sprinkle with basil, thyme and or oregano, sprinkle with kosher salt and dehydrate.

ok, so I took about 8 oz. of the cheese, chopped up some of those dried tomatoes, I ended up with a bit over a tbs of them.
added about a tbs of yogurt, a little squeeze of fresh lemon, a bit of salt, some dried parsley, and just a little minced garlic.
I've mixed that all together really well and will let it sit in the fridge cover tightly probably till tonight sometime to give the tomatoes time to rehydrate somewhat.
We'll see how that works out on a bagle!
Oh Yeah!
 

[Rorschach]

Pam

you can smoke your cheese or brine it. But the most important things to flavor are salt and time. Aging will greatly improve the taste.

[pamela]

Oh?
ok, that sounds good, smoked cheese.
do you know how to do it?
do I need anything special?
and about brining (sp?) a cheese, how long would I do that?
how strong a brine?
LOL
I love stuff like this!

[Rorschach]

Pam

I'm with you.  Your advice on hot sauce was great.  Hope I can return the favor.

The brine is 2 cups salt to 2 quarts water.  You have to leave the cheese in for about 12 hours and you have to flip it so it gets covered even.  The brine will cause a crust to form and that will lock in the flavor for aging.  Of course for cheddar and gouda and such you want to cover the cheese in wax for aging. 

The smoking can be done in place of wax or brining I believe as it will put a crust on as well.  You want to use cold smoke.  I'm not sure on the details but you want to make smoke and blow it into another container holding the cheese.  The smoking is a pretty Viking thing to do.  You can add molds and bacteria to create veins and flavoring.  Ricki Carroll sells a lot of that stuff. 

I make sure to put plenty of salt in the original curd.  It keeps the cheese preserved and it really makes it taste nice. 

Hope that helps some.

[pamela]

OH thanks.
I need to put more salt in for sure, and I'll look up Ricki Carroll too and see what she has.
I think I might be able to rig up some kind of smoking set up to put the cheeses in.
I'll look around and see what kind of ideas might be on the interwebs.
glad you had fun with the hot sauce making.
I'm getting ready to do my last batch probably till next year.
I smoke a bunch of Big Jim chili peppers and some cayenne peppers and am going to use them along with some unsmoked ones and see how that turns out.
I would smoke them all but don't have any more good wood to use right now.

Ok, wish me luck, tonight I'm going to try a hard cheese.
I'm using my dehydrator to keep it at the right temp.
there were instructions in the dehydrator book I got.
says to put the milk with yogurt in it or buttermilk in the dehydrator for 12-24 hrs at 80 or 90 degrees, I forget right now, but anyway, after the milk develops a nice acidic flavor you add renet and let it work till it gets set up. I'm trying to remember exactly what all it said, but anyway, you make curds and cut them and drain them, etc...
then make a cheese mold and press it and do more stuff to it...
LOL
well, I'm going to go and get everything nice and clean and ready to work.
be back later with an update.

[pamela]

hey, working on a batch of hard cheese now.
the instructions say I am supposed to add either yogurt or buttermilk when the scalded milk cools.
which one would give a more cheddar cheese tasting cheese?
I'm probably going to use the yogurt unless I hear otherwise from someone.

[Rorschach]

I'd say buttermilk would probably add more flavor but I think you are just trying to get the cultures so in my opinion, either would work just as well. 

The instructions do tell you how to "cheddar" the cheese right?  Keep cooking out the whey until the curds are much reduced?

[pamela]

It says once it is set, to cut the curd and bring it to 110 degrees?
till the curd squeaks when you bite it.

checked the book, yes 110 degrees and hold it there for 30 to 45 min.
then drain and press and all that.

is that right?
is that hot enough and long enough?

[GoatLady]

Pamela, Please get the book "Goats Produce, Too", By Ms. Toth. It will answer all your questions and you do not have to have goat milk to make these cheeses, the recipes work with cow's, too. BTW, use buttermilk for cheddar cheese starter. During an average week I use this book to make: yogurt, buttermilk, fresh goat cheese (cream cheese), a 2# cheddar or colby to wax and age for a few months. Her Mexican cheese queso blanco is wonderful for a fresh, pressed cheese (I mix in a couple of jalepenos for flavor). Occasionally I make her parmesan (age 6+ months), feta (brined) and Montery Jack. I guarantee you will treasure this book like I do.

[pamela]

Oh thanks GoatLady, sounds like a book I could really use!
I don't know why it is, but cheese making is one of those things that has intimidated me for years! LOL
thanks again everyone for the tips and encouragement.

Oh, dummy me had already added yogurt before I read this, will that be ok?
can I also add buttermilk?

[Rorschach]

Oh thanks GoatLady, sounds like a book I could really use!
I don't know why it is, but cheese making is one of those things that has intimidated me for years! LOL
thanks again everyone for the tips and encouragement.

Oh, dummy me had already added yogurt before I read this, will that be ok?
can I also add buttermilk?

I'd say you are fine with the yogurt.  You just want the cultures anyways.  The temp and time sounds right but you have to keep adding the curd back in with clean water to "cheddar" it.  Which is to bring all the whey out, just leaving quite dry curds.

[GoatLady]

Don't worry about the yogurt this time. Please get the book, I used to feel just like you about making cheese. The book is very down to earth; not one of the new 'artisanal" jobs. You will use it all the time, like I do. She will erase your hesitation.

[pamela]

thanks you two!!
ok, the milk is at 90 degrees.
I'm using my dehydrator for this, it has instructions for making " generic " cheese in the book, but it wasn't really clear.

about washing the curds, do you mean I need to use clean water and rinse them after they are finished cooking?