Goat Milk

 

 

 

Feta Cheese Recipe

 

 

What is Feta ?

 

Feta is a salty Greek cheese, usually made with either goat or sheep’s milk. Feta is neither soft nor hard cheese but in-between. It is wonderful crumbled on salads and crackers, and can also be used in cooking. Unlike most cheeses, it is ripened in brine. Feta develops quite a strong flavor and if you like “hardy” cheeses, you must give it a try.

 

Ingredients:

 

• 2-3 gallons goat milk – ( use a little over 3 gallons for raw, unpasteurized goat milk)
• 4 oz. mesophilic culture
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. Kid or Kid/Lamb Lipase powder
• 1 tsp. Liquid rennet dissolved in 1/2 Cup water
• Kosher salt
• Brine: 1/2 Cup Kosher salt per 1/2 gallon of water (boiled and cooled to below room temp.)

 

Directions:

 

• In a double boiler pot set up, warm the goat milk to 86°. Add the culture and lipase. Lipase is the enzyme that gives Feta that great Feta flavor.
• Stir well and let ripen, covered, for one hour.
• Keeping the milk at 86°, Add the rennet and stir briskly for 15 seconds. Cover and let set about 30-40 minutes, or until you get a “clean break”.
• You can check for a clean break by sticking your knife, or thermometer, into the curd at an angle. Pull straight up out of the curd; if the curd breaks cleanly around the knife and whey runs into the crack that is made; you have a “clean break.” Once you see this for the first time, you will know just what I mean.
• Cut the curd into 1/2″ pieces.
• Cutting the curds can be the most confusing part, but just don’t worry so much. Use a long knife held vertically and cut 1/2″ slices in the curds. Then turn the pot 90° and cut across in 1/2″ slices the other direction, making a kind of checkerboard pattern. Now hold the knife at a sideways 45° angle and retrace your cuts. Turn the pot 1/4 turn and retrace the cuts. Turn it again and cut and then one final turn and cut. By the last turn you probably won’t be able to see the original cuts, but just do the best you can. It is alright if think you did not cut the curd perfectly.
• Do not stir yet. Let the curds rest for 10 minutes.
• After this rest period, stir the curd gently and cut any pieces that you missed when you first cut the curd. Hold the curd at 86° for 45 minutes, carefully stirring occasionally to prevent the curd from sticking together. This process of “cooking” the curd helps the curd “toughen up” as well as release it’s whey.
• Place a big colander over a big pot and line the colander with a large piece of dampened cheesecloth. If you dampen the cheesecloth, it will stick slightly to the colander, holding it in place.
• Carefully pour the curd into the colander. Tie the corners of the cheesecloth together and hang the bag to drain.
• After 3-4 hours, take the cheese down and turn the cheese over in the cheesecloth, from top turned to bottom. This turning will “even up” the cheese into a nice form. Otherwise, it will have a rough form cheese; it is edible, just not so attractive.
• Let your cheese hang and continue draining for about 24 hours, at this point it will start to develop a distinctive odor. Inform your family of the odor if you need to.
• After your cheese has hung for about 24 hours or so, remove it from the cloth and cut it into  slices or usable size cubes (about 2-3 inches). Sprinkle all the sides of the slices or cubes with kosher salt and place them in a sterilized, large, seal-able, container. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 2-3 days to “harden up” the blocks. The blocks will continue to release whey during this time; that is normal.
• Transfer the blocks (and their whey if you wish) to a large sterilized glass container. Add the brine. Do not add the brine too soon, the cheese sometimes starts softening up. The cheese is still good; you may just want to use it in cooking instead of for crumbling.
• Age for at least I month before use in order to develop flavor. Your Feta cheese will keep in its brine (refrigerated) for a very, very long time ( up to a year), and will only keep getting better (stronger). On occasion, you may find some mold forming on top of the brine. When this happens, just skim it off, the cheese is still fine. If a piece of the cheese was sticking above the brine, it may mold. Just remove it, the rest of the cheese is still good.

 

Always remember that it takes a lot of milk to make a little cheese. And how much cheese you get will also depend on other factors, like type of milk used, fat content of milk, stage of lactation of the goat that produced the milk, handling of curds, temperatures during cheese making and hang time, just to name a few.

 

 

More Goat Cheese Recipes, Check them out!

 

 

 

Related recipe for you;

 

Halloumi

 

 

 

 

Learn How To Marinate FETA Cheese

 

You can use feta purchased from the store, or learn how to make feta cheese using unpasteurized goat milk, and follow the above Feta cheese recipe.

Feta cheese is an excellent choice for making marinated cheese.

Marinated feta cheese will keep at room temperature for a time, if it is prepared properly. It can also be stored in a container in the refrigerator.

To keep the cheese at room temperature, you will need to use glass canning jars.

To use canning jars, first sterilize the jar, lid and ring by boiling in water for ten minutes. Remove all parts from the water with tongs and allow to cool.

Place alternating layers of herbs and cubes of feta cheese into the jar. Leave about 1″ space at the top. Cover the cheese and herbs completely with vegetable oil.

Stronger herbs will produce a more noticeable flavor in the cheese, but choose according to your taste. You can use either dried or fresh herbs. Some herbs that are typically used include:

 

• peppercorns
• garlic
• dill
• rosemary
• basil
• thyme
• bay leaves
• fig leaves

 

 

Directions:

 

• Olive oil will have the strongest flavor, and will add a beautiful golden-green color, but you can also use canola, soybean, or other vegetable oil if you prefer a lighter taste and look.
• Place the lid and ring on the jar and tighten. The cheese will keep without refrigeration for a while, as long as it is completely covered by the oil.
• Use your marinated feta as a snack.
• Experiment with your own combinations to find your favorite taste. French Feta Cheese

 

 

 

More related Goat Cheese recipe;

 

• Goat Milk Butter

 

 

 

 

 

A delicious Panna Cotta flavored with dried fig leaves. The recipe shows how to combines striking ingredients to make easy dishes. The recipe below is for 4 individual serving.

 

Ingredients:

 

• 1 oz fig leaves – about 6 leaves
• 8fl oz goat milk
• 8fl oz double cream
• seeds from ½ vanilla pod
• 2¾ oz caster sugar
• ¼ oz gelatine – about 4 leaves
• 8 fresh figs, quartered

 

Directions:

 

Wash and dry the leaves and leave in an airing cupboard or warm place for about a week to dry. Strip out the stems and blitz the leaves to a powder using a pestle and mortar or food processor.

Pour the goat milk and cream into a saucepan, add the vanilla seeds and sugar and bring to the boil. Simmer for one minute then remove from heat. Add the powdered fig leaves and cover with clingfilm. Leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Meanwhile soak the gelatine in cold water.

After 10 minutes squeeze out the gelatine leaves and add to the cream, stirring to help it dissolve. Infuse for a further 20 minutes, then pass through a fine sieve into a jug. Pour into four 5fl oz moulds and leave to cool completely before refrigerating until set – about four hours.

To serve, dip the moulds briefly in hot water, run a blunt-tipped knife around the edge and gently tip on to a plate. Decorate with fresh figs and serve.

 

 

More related topic;

 

Click the link  Goat Milk Dessert for more details.

 

More Gourmet Recipes for you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is Yogurt cheese ?

 

Yogurt cheese is a soft cheese made from draining the whey from yogurt. You will not find this cheese in the grocery stores but, it can be easily made at home.

 

Believed to have originated in Lebanon, yogurt cheese has a very smooth consistency much like cream cheese, but with the distinctive tangy taste of yogurt. It can be made from flavored yogurt, as well as plain. Besides being delicious, yogurt cheese is high in calcium and great for those who are lactose intolerant, as the yogurt-making process converts the lactose in the milk into lactic acid. Yogurt cheese is extremely versatile and can be used to add a nice zip of flavor to virtually any recipe in which cream cheese is used. Once you make it, you probably would not have any problems coming up with your own original serving ideas that suit your tastes.

 

Homemade yogurt cheese is going to make a hit at your next social gathering, therefore get started today!

 

 

Learn How to Make Labneh – Yogurt cheese

 

 

Labneh, also known as Yogurt Cheese, is probably the simplest of all cheeses to make. To begin with you will need a quart of yogurt. You can use plain or flavored yogurt, and either homemade or buy from the grocery store. However, if you buy yogurt for making labneh, make sure yogurt does not contain gelatin, as the gelatin will prevent the whey from draining.

 

Ingredients:

 

• 1 quart yogurt
• 1 tsp. Salt

Special supplies:

• cheesecloth
• strainer
• bowl

 

 

Directions:

Begin by shaking or stirring the yogurt until it is thoroughly mixed and smooth. Mix in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt, to taste.

 

Next, place a strainer over a pot or bowl, and line with cheesecloth. Pour the yogurt into the cheesecloth.

 

Cover, and let the yogurt drain for 24 hours in the refrigerator.

 

Remove the cloth from the strainer and scrape the cheese to form a mound in the center of the cloth. Then, using the cloth for handling, form it into a ball or log and place onto a plate.  Store in the refrigerator.

 

It does not get any easier than that!

 

 

How to Enjoy Yogurt Cheese (Labneh) ?

 

More suggestion:

 

• Traditional – Serve covered in olive oil with crushed mint and black olives. Eat on toasted pita.
• Breakfast toast – Spread on toast and top with a thin layer of jam.
• Crackers and cheese – Mix with fresh herbs and serve on crackers.
• As a spread – Mix with diced pimientos and black olives and spread in celery sticks, or use as a filling for finger sandwiches.
• As a dip – Combine with taco seasoning or ranch dressing mix to create a dip for vegetables or chips.

 

 

More Goat Cheese Recipes for Beginners. Check them out!

 

Click the link  Lactic Cheese to view the details.