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The World of Spanish Cheese
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Ever wonder how Jim comes up with his wonderful recipes? The answer is.....lots of research!
He travels to various countries and visits cheese makers there to learn how they make their unique creations. Then, he brings it all back to us in his amazing recipes.
He just got back from Spain, where he studied the techniques of many artisan cheese makers, so we'll be seeing some exciting new recipes soon. Fabuloso!
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Recipes From Our Archives
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Congratulations to our June winner:
Last chance to enter...
July is the last month for our 2016 Cheese Give-A-Whey. If you place an order with us, you'll be automatically entered to win one pound of cave-aged cheese from Murray's in NYC. The last lucky winner will be announced August 1st.
Grand prize...
Here's some even better news: All of you who placed orders with us in the last 4 months (and this month), are automatically "in the hat" for a special Grand Prize Drawing - an extra special cheese basket! We'll announce the winner August 1st.
Cheese of the Month for July: Gruyere
Marc Freshman, our official cheesemonger from Murray's, told us why he chose this cheese:
"When I'm looking for a great cheese, I've got two things on my mind: depth of flavor and versatility. Gruyere fits the bill on both accounts. Our Gruyere wheels hit a vast spectrum of flavor; hearty, beefy and oniony on one hand, smooth and nutty on the other. It's a great melter, perfect for homemade mac and cheese, but also strong enough to hold its own on a cheese plate. My recommendation: Melt a wedge of this on your burger and top it with some French Onion Confit!"
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This guide will walk you through the process from start to finish.
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Beginner FAQ's
From milk and cream to rennet and aging, the answers are all here.
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Learn how to make a brine, your own cheese cave and more.
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Ida our "Office Matriarch" Has Retired!
For the past ten years, we have been lucky enough to welcome three generations of one family into of our amazing team.
Ida, our "Office Matriarch" is the first generation, Kathy, her daughter, the second generation and April, Kathy's daughter, the third generation! So when we say "Ida's like family" we truly mean it.
Last week, Ida retired at the age of 83 and we sent her off in style, with a surprise party...
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Q
Adding to Brie - I have made brie several times with good, consistent results. Has anyone ever added dry herbs to brie during the curd stage? I also recently made wine infused cheese and it came out beautifully, so I am wondering if anyone has ever made brie with wine in the curds?
A Season awhey - Yes to the herbs (and peppercorns are frequently used), but the wine infusion is not possible because the curds are not cooked.
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Q
Best storage method - I finally sliced into two of the cheeses I made - an Alpine Tomme and a Colby. The Colby was nice and chewy with a very mild taste, lovely yellow color from the annato coloring, and lots of small holes. The tomme had Emmenthaler-like holes, good deep yellow color and a very nice Gruyere-like nutty taste that improved with time in the mouth. My family and I ate about ¼ of each cheese.
My question is - what is the best way to store these partially eaten cheeses? Should I just cover the open faces and put them back in the basement, bag them in a zip-lock and put them in a fridge or something else? Does one of these techniques allow them to further mature?
A Re-wax- The tomme sounds like you aged it a bit warm and the holes may be difficult to keep clear of mold. However, try re-waxing the cut faces and rubbing the surface to clear mold for both this and Colby.
The cheeses will continue to ripen, but you may need to cut away the face as funky mold grows. Do not let them dry out.
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Q
Where's the flavor - I find little difference in taste when eating these fresh cheeses: halloumi, mozzarella, queso fresco, cottage cheese and ricotta. Is this normal? Can I add more flavor and uniqueness in these types of cheese, but without adding lipase?
A
Milk and methods -
All fresh cheeses will taste much like the milk they are made from, except not quite so sweet since lactose has been converted to lactic acid. They will have slightly different textures due to moisture and procedures. You can add herbs and spices for flavor.
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Q
Grainy chevre - I have tried twice to make cream cheese following your recipe, but for some reason it came out like a grainy chevre both times. My milk is raw goat milk from Nigerian dwarfs, so it has a very high butterfat. I'm not sure if maybe it needs more cream? Or perhaps I need to leave the cheese to develop more acid initially? I'm not sure what steps to take.
A
More cream, less acid - There are a couple of issues here:
1. Even though you think your milk is high enough in fat, you really need more cream if you want to make cream cheese. Without the higher fat, the curds will be rather lean and will be more like
fromage blanc than cream cheese.
2. The other reason that it could be grainy is because of an excess of acid production. Allowing the milk and curd to sit too long before cutting and drying out can cause this.
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Maria Schumann & Josh Karp
Cate Hill Orchard
in
Craftsbury Common, VT
Josh and Maria are about to undergo an exciting transition from home cheese makers to artisan cheese makers when they open their new creamery in August.
Josh is building a whole new food processing facility at their farm. When it's finished, they will begin making farmstead cheese and butter from the milk they get from their flock of 34 sheep.
They're very excited and so are we!
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Mozzarella Milk Solution
Well, I just finished making a batch of
30 minute mozzarella, cleaned up, washed my hands ... and had to tell you what I am sure you will just shake your head at and murmur "Yes, dear, I know..."
Milk. It's all about the milk.
I am a microbiologist, and make my own bread, beer, and now cheese. As a modest customer for a couple of years, I have made several purchases, moving up from easy mozzarella/chevre to getting a press and a cheese cave. The bandaged farmhouse cheddar I made remains the best cheese I have ever tasted!
However, I have had issues with milk ... never been able to get raw milk where I lived, and this has led to the occasional failure. Yesterday, I was happy to get a firm curd from supermarket whole milk, only to have the ENTIRE batch devolve into a goopy mess that would not stretch. Sad, really ... disheartening!
Reading up on your web pages and elsewhere, I realize I was likely overheating the curds for stretching ... my microwave is apparently nuclear powered. However, it is now abundantly clear that my curds were always fragile and of poor quality.
As suggested, I went to Whole Foods and spoke with the dairy manager, who in turn introduced me to the cheese deli manager. Not only did they have unhomogenized milk, they had unhomogenized LOW HEAT PASTEURIZED milk from in-state!
Obviously, went from store to kitchen. Curds were firm, clear break, and condensed instead of fragmented while cooking. For the first time, I did not need
cheesecloth to collect and drain the curds, and I started stretching after just 30 seconds microwaving. It was a bit drippy, so I will have to do some range finding on time/number of heatings to get better drainage.
The ball was GORGEOUS, silky and shiny. In the fridge to cool as I type this, at which point I will sample what is likely the best mozzarella I have made.
Just thought you might enjoy the story...I certainly appreciate the resource you are to the cheese making community in terms of information, materials, and resources!
Evan Skowronski, PhD, Austin, Texas
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Hot Off the Press!
By Patrick Kuh
There's a new book out and Ricki's in it! It came as a complete surprise to her and she didn't even know it until a complimentary copy came in the mail.
She began reading it and there she was, with a description of how she started the business 40 years ago!
It's an honor to be in a book about the return to artisanal foods after decades of tasteless, corporate agribusiness. Thankfully, we are now finally finding the wonderful flavors we lost!
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Place Free Ads Here! Send copy to
[email protected] 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
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Announcements
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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)
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Check out our fabulous blog with 509 posts (so far). Includes recipes, tutorials, interviews and all kinds of useful cheese making information
(click here)
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For Sale
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14 gallon Milkplan bulk tank bought new from Bobwhite Dairy in 2015. Brand new tank - has only been filled with water to test. To see complete info on tank, visit:
http://bobwhitesystems.com/collections/bulk-tanks/products/14-gallon-milkplan-bulk-tank. Comes with 2" dust cap and the filler adapter kit. $2,500 new. Selling ours for $1,900. Contact
[email protected]
Like new Hanna Edge Ph meter with capability to download your records by wifi. This comes with stock probe and one specifically for testing cheese. It has been in use less than a month. Cost of new equipment is over $600 with addition of specialized cheese probe. We are asking $500. Text at (254) 723-2663 or e-mail at
[email protected]
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Jobs and Opportunities
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Quality Assurance Manager needed for Maplebrook Farm, an artisan cheese company in Vermont.
Requirements include a BS in food Science, microbiology or related field; Five years in a supervisory role in a food quality plant; GMP, HACCP, Sanitation, and Pest Control experience. Cheese and dairy experience preferred. Respond with cover letter and resume to
[email protected]
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Click on one of the event names below for more information
9/10-11 Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival / England
9/16-18 Green County Cheese Days / Monroe, Wisconsin
9/17 SF Cheese Fest / San Francisco, California
9/30 The Cheese Fest / Atlanta, Georgia
10/1 Apple & Cheese Festival / Canton, Pennsylvania
10/8-9 Riverbank Cheese & Wine Exposition / Riverbank, California
10/14-15 Watonga Cheese & Wine Festival / Watonga, Oklahoma
11/5 Mac & Cheese Festival / Chicago, Illinois
11/7 Mac & Cheese Festival / San Diego, California
11/28-29 New Wine & Cheese Festival / Vajdahunyadvár, Budapest
12/11 Memphis Grilled Cheese Festival / Memphis, Tennessee
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