Remember those commercials with the happy cows from the California Dairy Board? As someone who owns an annoying rooster, my favorite is the one where the cow’s hit the snooze button, a.k.a. annoying rooster. If you don’t know the one I’m talking about, you can check it out out on You Tube™. By the way, I call my rooster coq au vin, because that’s what I threaten to make of him if he doesn’t shut up.
Last week, I visited the Texas happy cows at a place called Dyer Dairy. Dyer Dairy is located on Highway 29, out east of Georgetown. They typically maintain somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 milk cows, consisting mostly of jersey, holstein, brown swiss and ayrshire cattle. Boy, do these cows have a great life! The dairy is owned and run by multi-generational …show more content…
The milk is so rich and thick and you can see a thick cream line, where the cream separates and rises to the top. I figured I spend a fun weekend experimenting with cheese making. I know you probably think I have a warped since of fun, but none-the-less, I’m pretty excited with my results. With a couple gallons of milk, a piece of muslin, some lemon juice and non-iodized salt, and a rennet tablet I got the the dairy, I made my own ricotta and mozzarella.
The lady at the dairy recommended I start with the ricotta because it’s the easiest. You simply mix the lemon juice and salt into the milk and slowly bring the milk up to 185-195℉, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. When the curds separate from the whey, you drain the mixture through the muslin for about 30 minutes. Ta-Da! Ricotta! Oh my goodness, soooo much richer and creamier than the stuff in the grocery …show more content…
The timing and temperatures are more specific and matter a lot more. Still, it’s one of the easiest cheeses to start with. First, the milk must warm up to 55℉, at which point you must add the lemon juice (and lipase, if you are using grocery store milk). Then heat the milk to 90℉, stirring constantly. Next, stir in the rennet, cover the pot and leave undisturbed for about 5 minutes. It should look kinda like a custard. After cutting the curds with a knife, heat them to 105℉, moving the curds gently with a spoon. Remove from heat and continue to stir slowly for 2-5 minutes. Next, comes a whole series of heating the curds, alternating with kneading, which distributes the heat evenly through the curds. Keep repeating this process until the cheese stretches like taffy. It is done when it becomes smooth and shiny. See what I mean? A little more complicated. I made a pound of plain mozzarella and I also made a roulade (kinda like a jellyroll) of mozzarella, prosciutto and basil.
Last week, I visited the Texas happy cows at a place called Dyer Dairy. Dyer Dairy is located on Highway 29, out east of Georgetown. They typically maintain somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 milk cows, consisting mostly of jersey, holstein, brown swiss and ayrshire cattle. Boy, do these cows have a great life! The dairy is owned and run by multi-generational …show more content…
The milk is so rich and thick and you can see a thick cream line, where the cream separates and rises to the top. I figured I spend a fun weekend experimenting with cheese making. I know you probably think I have a warped since of fun, but none-the-less, I’m pretty excited with my results. With a couple gallons of milk, a piece of muslin, some lemon juice and non-iodized salt, and a rennet tablet I got the the dairy, I made my own ricotta and mozzarella.
The lady at the dairy recommended I start with the ricotta because it’s the easiest. You simply mix the lemon juice and salt into the milk and slowly bring the milk up to 185-195℉, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. When the curds separate from the whey, you drain the mixture through the muslin for about 30 minutes. Ta-Da! Ricotta! Oh my goodness, soooo much richer and creamier than the stuff in the grocery …show more content…
The timing and temperatures are more specific and matter a lot more. Still, it’s one of the easiest cheeses to start with. First, the milk must warm up to 55℉, at which point you must add the lemon juice (and lipase, if you are using grocery store milk). Then heat the milk to 90℉, stirring constantly. Next, stir in the rennet, cover the pot and leave undisturbed for about 5 minutes. It should look kinda like a custard. After cutting the curds with a knife, heat them to 105℉, moving the curds gently with a spoon. Remove from heat and continue to stir slowly for 2-5 minutes. Next, comes a whole series of heating the curds, alternating with kneading, which distributes the heat evenly through the curds. Keep repeating this process until the cheese stretches like taffy. It is done when it becomes smooth and shiny. See what I mean? A little more complicated. I made a pound of plain mozzarella and I also made a roulade (kinda like a jellyroll) of mozzarella, prosciutto and basil.