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SAY CHEESE! By Sheilah Kaufman "The miracle of cheese solved an age-old question of how to save milk. In the beginning, G-d created goats, they produced milk, and that was good….…then came sheep, cows, and other milk-producing mammals, and then came man who realized that milk in stomach pouches coagulated, it was their first miracle. They had discovered cheese." Ricki Carroll, cheesemaker. Recently I attended a fascinating mozzarella workshop at L'Academie de Cuisine (in Bethesda, Maryland www.lacademie.com) that was taught by Amy White, a terrific cooking instructor. Working in groups of 3 or 4, each group made their own cheese, and then used it in several different recipes. It was absolutely fascinating. It was one of the most interesting classes I have attended in quite some time. Apparently fresh mozzarella can be made with whole milk, citric acid, rennet, and kosher/sea salt. That's it. (The citric acid and rennet, which make the milk curdle, cookbook, video, etc. can be ordered from Ricki Carroll's New England Cheesemaking Supply Co. at www.cheesemaking.com) In addition you will need a slotted spoon, and a new clean kitchen glove to handle the hot cheese, and a good cooking thermometer. This is Amy's recipe and the techniques for making your own mozzarella. The mozzarella recipe was adapted from Ricki Carroll's '30 Minute Mozzarella', from her book HOME CHEESE MAKING. Since not everyone can have the pleasure of taking class with Amy, she has gracious shared her recipes and techniques. Good luck and have fun Pour a gallon of whole milk (or 2% milk) into a large non-aluminum pot over medium heat. Do NOT use Ultra Pasteurized, just pasteurized milk. Immediately sprinkle the citric acid over the milk and stir. Cook, stirring occasionally just until the temperature reaches 86 to 88 degrees. Don't rush, just take your time. Then drizzle in the rennet and stir immediately. You will begin to see the solids separating from the whey. Using a slotted spoon, stir occasionally and very gently. Try not to break up the curds when you stir. Continue until the mixture reaches 105 F. Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Using a slotted spoon or ladle, carefully ladle out a portion of the curds into a microwave safe bowl. Gently press on the curds in the bowl to remove excess whey. Continue until all the curds are in the bowl. Press again to drain out any excess whey. Move the curds around, squeezing gently. Place the bowl in a microwave and cook at high heat for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and drain out whey, wearing the glove gently press on curds to remove excess whey. Knead curds by squeezing, until they start to come together and are no longer hot to the touch. Place the bowl back in the microwave and cook at high heat for 35 seconds. Remove from the microwave, drain out the whey, sprinkle with a little salt and knead the curds until no longer hot. At this point the curds should be shiny. Do not over knead or cheese will be rubbery. If the cheese can stretch like taffy and is shiny, taste it for seasoning, and if it is fine it does not need to go back into the microwave. If it still breaks up than return it to the microwave for another 20 to 30 seconds. At this point there should not be any whey. Knead curds until cheese is shiny and does not break when stretched like taffy. Form the cheese into a log, or roll out into a square. To store your mozzarella, place in plastic wrap or waxed paper, then in aluminum foil. Store in the butter drawer of your refrigerator, and use in recipes calling for mozzarella. I like it sliced and served with fresh sliced tomatoes, drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil. PINWHEELS If you roll it out in a rectangle, place some thinly shaved Proscuitto, thinly sliced oil packed sun dried tomatoes, minced garlic, sliced basil, salt, pepper, and some roughly chopped oil cured olives on the cheese and roll up into a log. It will now look like a pinwheel. Let cool. To serve slice thinly and place on slices of lightly oiled French bread and bake at 350F until the cheese is just warmed and soft. RICKI CARROLL'S EASY LASAGNE With the combination of mozzarella, ricotta, and Parmesan, this lasagna is a triple treat.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Mix the ricotta with ¼ cup of the Parmesan. In another bowl mix the sauce and the oregano. Spread 1 cup of sauce in an ungreased 9x13" baking dish. Top with four of the noodles. Spread 1 cup of the cheese mixture over the noodles. Top with 1 cup of the sauce mixture. Sprinkle with 2/3 cup of the mozzarella. Repeat with four noodles, the remaining cheese mixture, 1 cup of sauce, and 2/ 3 cup of the mozzarella. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake about 15 minutes longer, or until lasagna is hot and bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Makes 8 to 10 servings. I got started in this business in 1978, 25 years ago! In 1976 my former husband and I bought 2 Nubian goats from a neighbor and we started experimenting with their milk. Very soon we had 15 goats and eventually we added a Jersey cow. Our experiments were very colorful; we tortured our friends with our meager attempts at cheesemaking-but we learned. We looked around the US for home scale supplies, instructions and equipment but found very little smaller than Kraft. We then started looking around the world, writing letters to various embassies to see if we could find the supplies we needed for ourselves and in the process New England Cheesemaking Supply Company was born. When we received a letter back from England we went over and learned how to make cheese with consistency in the kitchen. Over the years we traveled to France, Holland, Canada, and a large variety of places in the US. We put together a catalog and offered home cheesemaking supplies to the public. We realized Cheesemaking at home could be daunting, there was a need for a hands-on experience. When we came back from England we were making our own cheese on a regular basis and decided to hold classes in our home. We advertised for a maximum of 6 people in a class and today I believe that all of those first 6 have become commercial cheesemakers. After a few years we had so many people wanting to come here to learn the process that we started traveling around the US giving much larger classes. I have been running the business and teaching on my own now for about 12 years. The classes are still hands on and a lot of fun. We make 6 or 7 cheeses in a day including, Mozzarella, Farmhouse Cheddar, Queso Blanco, Fromage Blanc, Mascarpone and Whole Milk and Whey Ricottas. The class limit today is 25 people and we get filled up way in advance. My next classes are March 22nd, April 5th and June 21st. My book Home Cheese Making is given to each participant and lunch is a part of the day where we make dishes, which includes some of the cheese made in the morning. The class fee is $100.00/person and is open to all ages. Over the years I have taught thousands of people how to make cheese at home. It has been very rewarding and a great way to meet some of my customers. Not to boast but this is good J As Laura Werlin says in her book, The New American Cheese, "she has helped more American cheesemakers to make their cheese than any other individual in this country." |
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