Our Fabulous Moosletter
February, 2016
Recipe
Fall in love with cheese and chocolate
Special Moosletter for Valentine's Day
printable greeting cards
For Valentine's Day, this month's Moos-letter is filled with tons of chocolate and cheese just for you! Think of it as one big heart-shaped box of love, because, lets face it, we have a totally cheesy crush on you!

We even made Valentine's Day cards for you to share with other cheese lovers in your life. To download them for free click here, or visit our site to get these cheesy greeting cards along with even more Valentine's Day fun!
You Could Win $175! Share the Love...
We're having a drawing on March 1st for a $175 shopping spree to cheesemaking.com! Writing a review this February will automatically enter you into our drawing. So, if there's a product you love, shout it from the rooftops, or simply leave a review. Even if it's not love, we'd love to hear from you so we can be better next time.  
To leave a review:

1. Click on any product

2. Go to "Reviews" and select "Write a Review"

3. Sign in, create an account or include your email address (for a chance to win)

4. Share your thoughts with other cheese makers

Get 15% Off All Month Long!
15 percent off coupon
As another token of our affection, here's a 15% off coupon* you can use all month long! Enter coupon code VALENTINE15 when you checkout.

We hope you enjoy this Moos-Letter of love. Have a Happy Valentines Day!

Big hugs,
The whole cheese making crew!
*Can't be combined with other coupons. Expires 02/29/16 at midnight.
Recipe
recipe of the month
Combining Cheese and Chocolate
spoon dripping chocolate
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Jim has given us a how-to with everything we ever wanted to know about chocolate and cheese.

You will probably want to print his section on pairing these two together, because we think it's one of the best on the web.

Also included are instructions for making a chocolate rub like the one above (as for dry jack) and creating your own chocolate yogurt (yum!).   
Beginner
beginner resources
cheese making 123
Cheese Making 1,2,3
Learn all about the ingredients, equipment and process for making cheese at home. This beginner's guide will walk you through the process from start to finish.

Click Here to Start Learning

beginner faqs
Beginner FAQ's
Learn all about the ingredients, equipment and process for making cheese at home. This beginner's guide will walk you through the process from start to finish.

Click Here to Start Learning

cheese making how-to
Cheese Making How-To's
Learn how to wax cheese, make a brine solution or even your own cheese cave plus much, much more. Please let us know if you'd like to see a new tutorial.

Click Here to Start Learning

Sarah
learn to make cheese with sarah
chocolate covered cheese bites
Chocolate Covered Cheese
For Valentine's Day, I wanted to make a special treat for Mark (my husband). On his birthday, I always order his favorite cheese, which we can't find locally. Needless to say, a cheesy gift is always appreciated in our home.

With that in mind, I came up with the idea to make him a box filled with chocolate covered cheese. It's so easy and fun to make that I wanted to share it with you! You can find all of the details on how to make your own at our fabulous blog.

questions and answers
 Q    Ganache - I am a pastry chef opening a French macaroon business and want to use creme fraiche, instead of whole cream, in my ganache fillings. Ganache is generally equal parts melted chocolate to cream.  I know creme fraiche used to be used in ganaches.

My question is: If I make the creme fraiche, I need it to be a more liquid consistency, rather than firm.  If I use organic half and half, rather than heavy cream, would it produce this?  

 A    You're in control - Creme fraiche is simply a cultured cream.  The consistency can be controlled by:

1. How long you allow it to ripen before chilling.  Longer ripening means more acid and more moisture squeezed from the draining cheese (drier).

2. How much moisture you retain by controlling the drainage time.

You should be able to find the perfect texture for your needs by using these two controls.

If you were to use half and half, you would simply be moving it away from the butterfat end of the spectrum.  Essentially, it is all cultured dairy but the flavor and texture increases as the butterfat increases.  In addition, it should be noted that the higher butterfat tends to hold onto the moisture more, so the drained creme fraiche will be moister.   

 Q    Cocoa rub for Jack - I have made your recipe for Cocoa Rubbed Dry Jack many times.  I want to try different variations in the rub.  Do you have any suggestions?

 A   Many options - Jim's recipe uses expresso beans, cocoa nibs, black pepper and olive oil.  But, you can use any combination of chocolate and oil, depending on your preferences.  Oils can be any vegetable oil, such as soybean or safflower.

Chili powder is another good combo with the cocoa and it is what Ig Vella used in his original Dry Jack. The chocolate can be unsweetened cocoa powder, bitter cocoa, raw cocoa.  As always, experiment  with your cheese (but keep notes!).  

 Q    Stilton with more - Do you have a recipe for making Stilton with chocolate chips? I saw it in a shop in London and I would like to try it.

 A    Last step - This is white Stilton (without the blue mold).  You would skip the blue addition and add the chocolate chips as the final curds are put into the mold.  Using a dark cocoa rich chocolate would be best and perhaps even using cocoa nibs (raw chocolate) would be a nice contrast without the sugar.
Do You Have a Question About Cheese Making?
Send it to info@cheesemaking.com 
Spotlight
In the Spotlight
cheese
Ela Duban
Warsaw, Poland
Five years ago, our book Home Cheese Making was published in Polish and Ela Duban found it.  At that time, she was feeding 4 young children and she wanted them to have healthy food.  She made everything herself, including cheese, and she still does.

Now, she has a blog (in Polish) about family life - click here.  We asked her to translate one of her posts with her recipe for Chocolate Cheese and she was kind enough to do it for us. 

We think it's wonderful that people all around the world are making cheese and other healthy foods in much the same whey.  Valentine's Day is a good time to see for certain that love is the same everywhere. 
News
Cheese Making News
probiotic cheese
New Probiotic Cheese
Jim received this happy note from Roxanne Barnes, shown at right with her husband, Mark Windt, MD.  Roxanne recently participated in one of Jim's advanced workshops:

I thought I would let you know that our Probiotic Cheddar Cheese Bites will finally be in all 38 North Atlantic Region Whole Foods starting January 23rd!!!!

We have 2 flavors - Regular, and Savory Pepper Cheddar Cheese. They have turned out great!!!! They will be hanging beside the string cheese at the stores.  We are so excited and I just wanted to let you know!

Jim asked Roxanne,  "Just wondering... have you ever had these evaluated by a lab to see how much of the probiotic survived post production and for how long?"

Constantly! We have done over 50 independent lab tests over the last 3 years.  Doing the right formulation and correct process in making the cheese - to keep the viable medical efficacy - was really difficult. But we figured it out and for the last year the tests have come back beyond our expectations. So far, our longest held batch has been over 6 months - and kept the exact same amount of active cultures. 

In fact, our packaging says "Over 750 million CFU's per ounce," but the last 6 months of testing have come back at over 3 billion CFU's per ounce. Unfortunately, I had the bags made over 6 months ago, and they were really expensive. So, I have to wait until we go through 50,000 bags before I have the new ones made.

We are soooo excited. We will be doing demos in all of the stores over the next few months. 
Roxanne Barnes, North Hampton, NH
(Update- So far, Mark and Roxanne have sold out completely within hours at the first 2 stores they visited!)
We'd Love to Hear From You
Please send news & photos to moosletter@cheesemaking.com  
Ricki
fun with ricki carroll
A Royal Valentine For You
Ricki in a plane
Ricki is on a long-awaited vacation in Culebra (an island off the coast of Puerto Rico).  Part of her journey there involved an exciting "puddle jumper" plane trip through a mountain pass.

She's having fun in the sun, away from all the pressures of life as the Cheese Queen, but she wanted you all to get this message:

"Happy Valentine's Day to our entire cheese making family, the world over, who I love with all my heart and soul. Enjoy the day and please pass on the love to everyone you see today!"
Blog
visit our blog
Classifieds
cheese classifieds
Place Free Ads Here! Send copy to ads@cheesemaking.com Your ad will be promptly placed in the classified section of our website. If received by the 15th it will also appear in the following month's Moos-Letter (like the ads below). To see full classifieds - click here
Announcements
Beginner and Advanced Cheese Making Workshops (and Singing Workshops) at the cheese queen's palace in Ashfield, MA, Sarah Carroll's home in Williamsburg, MA and Jim Wallace's home in Shelburne Falls, MA - (click here) 

Check out our fabulous blog with 460 posts (so far). Includes recipes, tutorials, interviews and all kinds of useful cheese making information (click here) 
For Sale
3A pasteurizer for sale. 4 gallon capacity. Was approved for commercial creamery in NY State. Includes agitator, air space heater. Contact jsfarm01@yahoo for delivery details.
Equipment Wanted
My creamery is expanding and I am looking for a 100-125 gallon cheese vat or vat pasteurizer. I am located in Maine. The best way to contact me is via email-
Jobs & Employment 
Farm intern position available in New York, with housing, that will incorporate responsibilities in the areas of cheese making, gardening and livestock, with long term opportunity. We value excellence, have high standards and appreciate individuals who can work in a fluid environment. For further information, please email lauren@rainbeauridge.com  

Cheese maker and/or associate cheese maker to join the team at Valley Shepherd Creamery in Long Valley, NJ.  Over 700 animals milked and 30 products made and aged onsite from cow, sheep and goat milk.  Mostly raw.  Salary, benefits and moving allowance. Email deb at info@valleyshepherd.com
Miscellaneous
Get your milk tested! Send us your milk and we send you results. We offer milk tests for farmers and consumers. We can test the milk of all dairy animals. Make sure your milk is safe with the ADI Lab! We offer discounts for multiple tests. Alternativedairy.org (802)763-7593
 
Events
Cheese Events
Click on one of the event names below for more information

 2/13 - 2/14   Jungle Jim's Big Cheese Festival / Fairfield, Ohio

 3/2    CheeseFest / Auckland, New Zealand

 3/18 - 3/19   Oregon Cheese Festival / Central Point, Oregon

 3/18 - 3/20    California's Artisan Cheese Festival / Petaluma, California

 4/15   Macaroni & Cheese Festival / Bakersfield, California

 4/23   Between the Bluffs Beer, Wine & Cheese Festival / La Crosse, Wisconsin

 4/30 - 5/2   South African Cheese Festival / Sandringham, South Africa

 6/3 - 6/5   Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival / Little Chute, Wisconsin

 6/18   Macaroni & Cheese Festival / Avila Beach, California

good milk list
New England Cheese Making Supply
(413) 397-2012
info@cheesemaking.com
www.CheeseMaking.com

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