Hey, look – I made goat cheese!
I followed this recipe from Gourmet Sleuth, paraphrased here.
Heat 1 gallon of goats’ milk slowly in a big steel pot to 190-200 degrees. I did this on medium-low, so it took over an hour. The only thermometer I had was a meat thermometer, but it worked fine.
Slowly stir in ½ cup white vinegar or lime or lemon juice without over-stirring. I used fresh lemons for juice because I figured I’d go all out the first time.
Here’s the curdled milk.
I threw the juiced lemons in a bag in the fridge to squeeze in water glasses or for zest.
Let cool undisturbed until around 100 degrees. Add 2 tbsp salt and stir gently to break up curds. Drain cheese into a cheesecloth-lined colander.
Take the corners and tie them together. Hand the dripping cheese until it gets to the right consistency. Cream cheese = 4 hours, harder cheese = 12 hours.
I hung mine for about 6 hours. Next time I’m going with 4 because I wish it were a little creamier.
I ended up with 3 quarts of whey. I’m still not certain what to do with all of it.
I’m going to make pasta with some tonight. Maybe biscuits at some point. If anyone’s got any ideas, let me know!
What can you do with goat cheese? Everything! Add it to salads, pizza, pasta, bread with honey, bread with salt and olive oil.
But my favorite use so far is goat cheese and chilled roasted beets wrapped in sorrel leaves. So good! Even Chris, who is not a big fan of sorrel, liked it.
However, the sorrel wraps may get usurped later this evening by goat cheese marinated in olive oil and sea salt.
I had a fantastic supper at La Pietra Cucina with Foodie Atlanta Wednesday, a joyful parade of deliciousness. But it all started with marinated mozzarella served with fresh bread. The olive oil marinade made the cheese soft, creamy, spreadable, and perfect. I figured I had to try it with my goat cheese and some of the fresh bread from Magnolia Bread Company. I’m not really looking for parity with La Pietra Cucina, though. Just an excuse to eat more goat cheese.
Nice!! When I made goat cheese a few months back I used a purchased culture and really felt like I cheated. I am totally going to use the lemon method next time. Your cheese looks fantastic. Mmm, now I’m hungry…
Good point about the whey. I saw a blog a while ago about what to do with it…let me see if I can find it.
Found it: http://cheesemakinghelp.blogspot.com/2010/04/using-that-leftover-whey.html
Cool site. I’m glad to know the difference between lemon whey and sweet whey.
For lemon whey, case closed: make pasta.
I made linguini with a quart last night, and it was wonderful – substantial and rich with a hint of lemon. I put pesto on it, but next time I’m just going plain with butter and salt to get the full effect of the richer pasta.