Homemade Halloumi Cheese

 

 

Haloumi cheese slices

 

What is Halloumi?

 

Halloumi or Halloumi cheese  is a traditional Cypriot cheese that is also popular in the rest of the Middle East and Greece, and is now made in many countries and regions around the world. Traditional artisan Halloumi cheese is made from unpasteurised goats milk, sheep milk or a combination of the two. Traditionally, the mint leaves were used as a preservative. The cheese is white, with a distinctive layered texture, similar to Mozzarella, and has a salty flavor. But, today, Halloumi is often garnished with mint to add to the taste. Many people also like Halloumi that has been aged; it is much drier, much stronger and much saltier.

 

With its ability to withstand high temperatures without melting, Halloumi cheese can add variety and interest to cooked dishes and salads. In fact, Halloumi slices can be grilled or fried on its own. The cheese is very easy to make. Its heat resistant property comes from the fact that the fresh curds are boiled in whey and then placed in a brine solution for storage. The brine solution also makes this a long-lasting, but naturally salty cheese, and the brine is often rinsed off before the cheese is cooked or eaten.

 

The Halloumi cheese is made with only two ingredients: goat milk and rennet. The lack of cultures causes this cheese to be rather bland, and mint leaves are used to impart flavor to it. Some modern recipes also call for the addition of a mesophilic starter culture to add more flavor.

 

Ingredients:

 

  • 1/2 gallon whole goat milk
  • 1/8 tsp. rennet
  • 1/8 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp. chopped mint (optional)

Special supply:

  • cheese cloth -lined colander

 

Directions:

 

  • Warm the milk to 90°F. Add the rennet to the water, and stir into the milk. Continue to stir for 30-60 seconds to be sure the rennet is evenly distributed.
  • Let the milk rest until the surface has gelled, usually about 10-15 minutes. You can check for gelling by lightly touching the surface of the milk with the flat side of a small spoon. If the spoon leaves an indent, the milk has gelled.
  • Multiply the amount of time until surface gelling by 2, and wait that much longer before cutting the curd into 2″ pieces with a long knife. For example, if it was 10 minutes before the surface gelled, wait 20 more minutes to cut the curd – cutting horizontally, vertically and diagonally across the depth of the curd.
  • Let the curd pieces rest for about 10 minutes, then cut them into smaller, 1/2″ pieces. Let the smaller pieces rest for 10 more minutes.
  • Now, stir the curds gently for 10-15 minutes to encourage the whey to separate.
  • Pour the curds into a cheese cloth-lined colander placed over a pot (you will be using this pot of whey later), and let drain for several hours until no whey is left standing with the curds.
  • * Optional – At this point, you can add about 1/2 tsp. chopped mint into the curds, or wait and place mint inside the folded pieces of cheese at the end of the process.
  • Fold the cheese cloth over the curds and press with your hands to remove more whey and to fuse the curds together. If the curds are still very loose and moist, place a weight on top (a gallon of water works fine), and continue to let drain.
  • When the curds are dry enough to stick together well, cut them into approximately 2″ wide strips. Bring the pot of drained whey almost to a boil (around 195°F), and drop in the cheese strips.
  • Let cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the strips float to the surface. Remove the strips from the whey, lightly salt each side, and let cool for 1-2 hours.

 

 

How to store and enjoy Halloumi?

 

To store the Halloumi, you can make a brine solution of 1/2 cup salt dissolved in 1 quart water. It is traditional to fold the cheese slices in half, making a “U” shape (* Optional – with mint leaves inside the folded portion), before storing in the brine.

The brine will keep your Halloumi good for several months, and the flavor will increase with storage time.

You can grill or fry your Halloumi, or use it to top salads and stir-fries. The thick, chewy texture of this cheese makes it a great protein substitute for meat in main dishes.

 

 

Additional  Cheeses RecipesClick the Link NOW!

 

 

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HOW Facial Products Using Cultured Goat Milk Products Benefits YOU?

 

Facials provide a number of benefits for your skin, depending upon the ingredients used. They can help stimulate the skin and increase circulation, help prevent wrinkles, and tone and moisturize skin. Alternatively, help remove excess oils.

 

Skin is classified as the largest organ of the body, and as such, requires nourishment just like our internal organs. While the food we eat provides nutrients for the skin, as well as the rest of the body, our skin also has the ability to absorb substances directly.

 

Homemade facials are a great way to pamper yourself  and your skin without the high price of a spa. Facials can range from the application of a single ingredient, to complex combinations of ingredients applied in sequence. As  goat milk is rich in protein, fat, vitamins and minerals, therefore, it  is just as healthy for you on the outside as it is on the inside.

 

The cultured goat milk products, like yogurt, sour cream and buttermilk, have the added benefit of lactic acid, which is one of the Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) that are found in many commercial beauty and anti-aging creams and lotions. Alpha hydroxy acids help remove the dead surface-layer skin cells, revealing newer, younger-looking cells and its ability to combat acne. AHAs have been used for centuries for skin rejuvenation.

 

Learn How To Make Cultured Goat Milk Facials

 

Why make facial product?

 

While you are soaking in that bath, you can simultaneously be rejuvenating your face with a homemade goat milk facial!

What is the best part about making your own facial products?  They are inexpensive, and they actually work!

The 3 facial recipes below all include yogurt, a great nourishing and moisturizing agent. For all the recipes below, blend all ingredients thoroughly. Using a food processor or blender will ensure a smooth mixture.

 

Goat Milk Yogurt Facial Recipe #1

This one really moisturizes, and leaves skin super soft.

  • 1 Tablespoon.  Goat milk yogurt
  • 1 Tablespoon.  Honey
  • enough Corn starch to thicken

 

Goat Milk Yogurt Facial Recipe #2

The oatmeal in this recipe helps dry excess oils, while the yogurt and honey nourish and moisturize. It is best to blend the oatmeal in a food processor or blender first – before cooking,  to make the particles smaller.

  • 2 Tablespoons.  Cooked Oatmeal
  • 1-2 Tablespoon.  Goat milk yogurt
  • 1 Tablespoon.  Honey

 

Goat Milk Yogurt Facial Recipe #3

Cucumber makes this recipe cool and refreshing, and leaves skin feeling smooth, clean and toned.

  • 1/2 of a small cucumber, seeded
  • 1/2 cup goat yogurt
  • 1-2 tsp. goat milk powder to thicken

 

Dry Goat Milk Facial Recipe 

 

Why make Dry goat milk facial?

 

The facial recipe below utilizes only two simple ingredients to get you started.

Powdered goat milk makes it easier to get a thick paste in this facial, and the use of buttermilk for the liquid gives you the benefit of alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) for smoother skin.

  • 1/2 cup Powdered Goat Milk
  • enough Buttermilk to make a paste

 

For all facials, start with freshly cleansed skin. Then, apply a very warm, moist cloth to the face for a few minutes to open the pores. Apply the facial mixture and leave on for 10-20 minutes. Wash off gently with a warm, wet cloth. Finally, rinse with cool water to close the pores and help retain the nourishing benefits of the facial ingredients.

 

After you have try these recipes, experiment on your own to find combination that work best for your skin.

 

*More Suggestions:

Experimenting with homemade facials is a lot of fun, and no doubt you will find original combination  that are even better than these.  So, get off the beaten path, and make your own recipes! Here are a few more ideas to fuel your thoughts.

  1. Sour cream can usually be substituted for yogurt. When trying this, reduce the amount of thickeners, such as corn starch or powdered milk, as the sour cream is usually a good bit thicker than yogurt.
  2. Most fruits make great additions to facials. Pineapple, papaya, bananas and grapes are commonly used. Orange juice and lemon juice contain vitamin C, but use carefully, as these may irritate some skin types.
  3. Add in crushed fresh herbs, like peppermint, catnip, or chamomile, or use tea from the herbs as the liquid portion of the facial.

Want more fun DIY Facial Product? Check out our other goat milk facial post.

 

 

 

Homemade Saint Maure Cheese

 

Sainte-Maure de touraine 04.jpg

 

Making Saint Maure is trying something really fun, getting moldy. Once you try this moldy Chevre, you may never go back to plain Chevre again. You will need molds like in plastic containers with holes in the bottom, to make this cheese.

 

Ingredients:

 

  • 1/2 gallon of fresh goat milk or raw, unpasteurized goat milk
  • 1 oz. mesophilic culture
  • liquid rennet
  • 1/8 tsp. of white mold powder (Penicillium Candidum).

Special supplies:

  • 5 Chevre molds
  • draining mats

*Remember to sterilize all your equipment before you begin.

 

Directions:

 

  • In a stainless steel pot, warm the milk to 72°.
  • Add the culture, white mold powder and stir well. Now you need to add 1/5 of a drop of rennet. Or measure out 5 Tablespoons of water into a small cup. Add to the water 1 drop of liquid rennet and stir well. Now measure out 1 Tablespoon of the rennet dilution (this one Tablespoon contains 1/5 of a drop of rennet) and add it to the milk. Stir well.
  • Cover the milk and place the pot somewhere that it can sit undisturbed and will stay about 72° for about 18 hours. But, you can let it go for 24 hours. What you do is place the pot in the cold oven until the next day.
  • When the milk has coagulated, you are ready to mold the cheese.

 

To make moldy cheeses:

 

Pour off any whey that has separated from the curd. Place your molds on a rack over a large baking pan. A lot of whey will drain from your cheese, and you will need a large pan to catch it. Carefully ladle the curds into the molds. Let the curds drain for two days at room temperature.

 

After the cheese has drained you can carefully unmold them into your hand. Sprinkle all the sides of the cheese with a little Kosher salt. When you unmold the cheeses, they may already have started to develop their fuzz.

 

For this aging, you will need some draining mats. For smaller weave in the mat, you can use a plastic craft “canvas” and it is available at Wal-Mart. If you want a larger hole in your drying rack, use “egg crate”. It comes in a large sheet intended for use in suspended ceilings and is available at home improvement stores. You can use these two “mats” separately and in combination to dry and age cheeses.

 

To age your Chevre, place them on a drying mat cut smaller than a large gallon size ziplock freezer bag. Slip the mat with the cheeses into a gallon ziplock bag, blow up the bag and seal it. Now you have a little aging “cave”. Let the cheeses age on the counter for a few more days and then move them into your cheese aging fridge. Here they continue to fuzz up for a few weeks. You can eat your little fuzzies at any time, but try to let them age a couple weeks to develop a good covering of mold.

 

 

Additional Cheese Recipes, click the link to view the details.

 

 

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