Today I’m making a mixed-milk (cow and goat) cheese fashioned after Montasio from Friugli-Venezia-Giulia region of Italy. Montasio is related to Asiago and Gruyere so the texture will be much like theirs; firm with a nutty profile as it ages. This one will be wrapped in its draining sack and pressed into a rustic round of about 2 pounds then aged for at least a couple of months. I may coat it. We’ll see. I’ll keep you posted on its development. Go forth and make cheese!
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Hi Mary–
I am looking forward to seeing your book on cheesemaking. I am wondering if you devote a chapter to aging the various types. I have read most books out on cheesemaking and found them terribly lacking in specific detail on affinage. While “200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes” and “Making Artisan Cheese” offer some information on aging and handling your cheese during the aging process, even they don’t provide the specifics for neophyte cheesemakers. If your book could really explain how to age each type (bloomy rind, washed rind, blue, semi-hard, etc.), it would be invaluable for people like me who are just breaking into the process.
Good luck with the book.
Rick
Hi Rick-
I fully appreciate your request for more aging information. To answer, yes, absolutely there is aging information included which has not been offered by other sources. In addition to information in the book there will be expanded companion charts, guidelines and worksheets on http://www.artisancheesemaking.com, the companion site to the book. More aging info will be there. That site will go live when the book is released in Aug. That www. currently takes you to my http://www.elementsoftaste.com. Stay tuned! Love to hear more about your cheese making adventures. Warmly, Mary
Hi Mary
Your new book looks great! I’m a novice home cheesemaker (still working on perfecting my cheddar) and I’m currently searching for information on very traditional forms of cheesemaking. I’m wondering if you include any information in your book on older (i.e. pre-genetic modification) ways of creating starter cultures and rennet. For my cheddar, I use homemade buttermilk or yogurt as a starter and make my own rennet by salting and brining the stomach of a calf. All the best with the new book.
Celeste
Thanks for the questions and kind words.
Yes, the book will cover what you are looking for.
I would be interested in knowing more about the process you go through to make your own rennet. That may be of interest to other readers/cheese makers. If willing to share that, I may post it on the companion www to the book, http://www.artisancheesemakingathome.com, which will go live on Aug 23 (same day book is released).
Warm regards, Mary
Andy-
Thanks for the nod re: my book. Glad you are having fun with it. Hope you have checked out the www as well. Aren’t you fortunate to be near Glengarry.
Here’s what I think about your trial re: Junket Mozz. Though it didn’t stretch, I hope you saved the cheese and pressed it…and ate it!
I’d suggest you try again without making any adjustments. Start with whole pasteurized milk and a fresh
bottle of distilled vinegar. Curds may not have been acidic enough to stretch which could have been the result of old vinegar which had lost some of its acidity. Additionally, perhaps the cream had stablizers which inhibited the curd development. This has been a challenge at times with cream here in States. Reminder to read the labels.
Try again and let me know the results.
Carry on…
Mary
Thanks for the reply. We cannot get whole pasteurized milk, it is always homogenized. I have had success in the past with the skim milk and cream solution for Feta, cream cheese.
The cream contains cream, milk, carrageenan, mono and diglycerides, carboxymethyl cellulose, polysorbate 80. Unfortunately all I can get.
Andy
Well, I know why you did not have success. This recipe will only work with non-homogenized milk. Since you only have access to pasteurized & homogenized milk, I will send you my Simple Mozzarella recipe which I use in my classes. It is made with pasteurized and homogenized milk and can be with non-homogenized milk.
Some of the ingredients in your cream are also inhibitors for stretchability.
If you can get powdered whole milk, you might want to use that and try the Junket Mozz again.
Be on look out for my email.