Goat Milk

Goat cheese is well-known for its distinctive flavor, thanks to the larger proportion of three classes of medium chain fatty acids present in the milk.

 

If you are new to cheese making or if you have ever wanted to learn how to make goat cheese, you have come to the right place. It is unbelievably easy to make, not to mention inexpensive compared to the cost of a store-bought portion.  Seriously, it is about half the cost.

 

There are many different types of goat cheese, each with its own unique flavor and texture.

 

There are a few different types of cheese that are easy for beginners:

 

Soft cheeses – fresh, unripened soft cheese is a good place to start for beginners, because it involves the basic processes of cheesemaking without pressing and aging.

 

• Chevre
• Chhana
• Traditional Ricotta
• Cottage Cheese
• Cream Cheese 
• Quark Cheese
• Lactic Goat Cheese
• Labneh
• Kefir Cheese

 

Acid cheeses –  Acid cheeses are another good episode to start for beginners. The recipes require only a few basic ingredients. These cheeses are made by combining heated milk with an acid, like vinegar or lemon juice to help the milk coagulate.

 

• Vinegar Cheese
• Paneer
• Modern Ricotta
• Fried Cheese Sticks

 

Hard cheeses – If you are looking to create a homemade cheese with a little tang, or if you are feeling very adventurous and want to jump right into making hard cheeses, here are a few good ones that are easier and will give you a feel for the basics of hard cheesemaking.

 

• Goat Velveeta
• Saint Maure
• Mozzarella
• Halloumi
• Feta
• Provolone
• Queso Fresco

 

Ready to learn more related homemade goat cheese recipes?

First and foremost, the ingredients and  effort required for these recipes vary a bit hence, take a peek at each to see which looks most feasible for you.

 

• Smoked Provolone
• Marinate Feta cheese
• Baked Chevre Spread
• Fried Chevre
• Goat Milk Butter

 

Summerhill Dairy, Goat Milk 32 Fl Oz

What Chevre means?

 

Chevre, means “goat cheese” in French. It is a soft, molded, fresh cheese. It has a texture similar to cream cheese, though slightly drier, and is lighter and fluffier. You can usually substitute chevre in recipes that call for cream cheese or ricotta.

 

It is quite simple to make and does not require a lot of special utensils. It also does not consume a lot of goat milk or time to make and it is one of the simplest. You can make this cheese as “bag cheese” or molded. If you wish to mold it, you will need molds like in plastic containers with holes in the bottom, to make this cheese. Once you have your molds, you are ready to make your very own Chevre.

 

Ingredients:

 

• 1/2 gallon of fresh goat milk or raw, unpasteurized goat milk
• 1 oz. mesophilic culture
• liquid rennet

Special supplies:

• 5 Chevre molds, or
• Fine cheese cloth (butter muslin)

 

*Remember to sterilize all your equipment before you begin.

 

 

Directions:

 

• In a stainless steel pot, warm the milk to 72°.
• Add the culture 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 drain the curds or mold the cheese.

 

How to make  “bag cheese” ?

• Pour the curds into a cheesecloth lined colander. Tie up the ends and hang the bag and let drain 6-8 hours. When it is thickened, salt to taste and enjoy. Unblended, this cheese substitutes nicely for cream cheese.

 

How to make  molded 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 or you could drain the cheese in the fridge if there is enough space.
• 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 and wrap them in plastic wrap. The cheese will keep for about 2 weeks in the fridge.

 

 

More Goat Cheese recipes – Check them out!

Labneh

 

 

 

Baked Chevre Spread Recipe

 

Baked goat cheese naturally sweetened with fruits and honey makes a fantastically easy appetizer!

You can use baked goat cheese spread on toasts, crackers, bagels, and more for a delicious treat. This warm, smooth, melt-in-your-mouth goat cheese is blended with two different fruits and honey to create a satisfying accompaniment to your selection of toasts or crackers for breakfast or a snack. I am certain this is going to become one of your favorite appetizer recipes, though it does not necessary be reserved as an appetizer.

 

Spread this warm, creamy spread on a morning muffin or bagel for a warm breakfast. A great way to let you start the day, and keep you going!

 

Ingredients:

 

• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup crushed, unsweetened pineapple
• 1/4 cup honey
• 8 oz. chevre goat cheese
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon

 

 

Directions:

 

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. Spray a small casserole or baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place cheese mixture in dish and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the sides begin to bubble and brown.
• Serve warm with crackers or bread.

 

 

Nutritional facts

 

 

 

 

Fried Chevre Recipe

 

The recipe is simple. You can use either homemade Chevre or buy from the grocery store. If you are using homemade chevre, it will be best if you let it drain until it is fairly dry and crumbly, like chevre purchased from the store. That way, it will stick together better when you form the patties.

 

Directions:

 

• Mold small scoops of chevre cheese into patties. I prefer a size that is about 1 1/2″ in diameter, but you can use smaller or larger as preferred. Dip each patty in a well-beaten egg, and then roll in bread crumbs.
• You can generally use Italian bread crumbs, because of the seasoning, but you can use plain, or add your own seasonings. *Optional – You could also add a little parmesan cheese to the bread crumbs for more flavor.
• Fry in hot vegetable oil for a few seconds until the bread crumb coating has browned. Remove from the oil, and drain on a paper towel.
• Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish, if desired.

 

It does not get any easier than that!

 

This warm goat cheese makes a fantastic appetizer. And when you bite a piece of fried cheese, a crispy bread crumb coating gives way to creamy, warm goat cheese that fills your mouth with a delightful flavor. And, once you have tried the plain fried Goat Cheese, your imagination will start soaring!

 

*Experiment with your own combinations to find your favorite taste or add your favorite flavor combination to create an entirely new taste sensation.

 

 

 

How to enjoy Homemade Chevre

The best way to enjoy your homemade Chevre is on crackers and breads. It can also be used in any recipe calling for “goat cheese” and can be substituted for cream cheese.

 

 

More related Goat Cheese recipe;

• How to Marinate Feta Cheese

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary

 

Ricotta cheese is a soft, slightly sweet, mild fresh cheese. Ricotta is similar in appearance to cottage cheese, but has a much smaller, grainier curd and slightly sweeter taste. Ricotta in Italian means “cooked again,” a reference to the fact that it is traditionally made from whey produced from making other cheeses, like mozzarella, feta or provolone. Modern ricotta, on the other hand, is generally made with fresh whole or skimmed milk to which acid is added directly. As a result, most packaged ricottas are a bit fattier and creamier than ricotta made by the traditional method.

 

The original cheese-making process removes the majority of the casein protein from the goat milk (the cheese) leaving behind the liquid whey portion. When left at room temperature, the original inoculating bacteria continue to act upon the remaining lactose in the whey, converting it to lactic acid, and further lowering the pH of the liquid. The lower pH reduces the solubility of the small amount of remaining protein in the whey. Heating the whey then causes the protein to precipitate out as a very fine-grained curd.

 

Each time when you make cheese, you end up with a lot of whey i.e., The nutritious liquid left over from curdled milk when the curds are removed. Whey contains the water-soluble proteins, vitamins, and minerals in the milk. And there are many things you can do with this leftover whey. You can use it in bread baking and soup stock, and even to cook pasta. You can even drink whey plain or sweetened. And in a pinch it can be used to ripen your cheese if you are out of culture.

 

Ricotta is made by using heat to precipitate – separate out the remaining albumin protein from the whey left over from making lactic acid/rennet precipitated cheeses. Usually recipes call for the use of an acid, such as vinegar in precipitating the curds. I have found, that in most cases, due to the fact that you ripen the milk as you make your hard cheese, the whey has enough acid on it’s own and does not need the extra vinegar. I also find that leaving the vinegar out creates a smoother cheese. If you use the vinegar, the cheese will tend to be slightly grainy. Ricotta is not a high yield cheese, but it is worth the effort.

 

 

Traditional Ricotta Recipe.

 

 

• Making Ricotta is very simple. Over direct heat, heat the hard cheese whey to 200°. By the time it has reached this temperature you will see very tiny white particles – the albumin protein,  floating in the whey. The heat and acid from the ripe whey has precipitated the protein. You can add a little vinegar at this point if you really think it necessary ( 1/4 Cup. per 2 gallons of whey), it is up to you as it would not affect the Ricotta.
• Line a colander with very fine cheesecloth, called “butter muslin”. You must use a very fine cloth here, or your cheese will pass through the regular cloth. If you do not have fine cheesecloth, use a clean cotton cloth. Place the colander over a big pot so you can save the whey and carefully pour the whey into the colander. Be very careful because the liquid is hot. Tie the ends of the cheesecloth together and hang the ricotta to drain for a couple hours.
• When it has drained, place the ricotta in a bowl and add salt to taste. You will find that the Ricotta made from the whey of different cheeses has different tastes and textures.

 

In my opinion, Feta makes the strongest taste as the taste increases as it ages in the fridge. Whereas, Mozzarella makes the best. Your Ricotta will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge. Enjoy!

 

* Note: You cannot make Ricotta from the whey left over from making an acid precipitated cheese such as Paneer/ Queso Blanco or whole milk Ricotta. Reason being, you have already precipitated out all the albumin protein the milk has to give using acid and heat and there is nothing left over in the remaining whey to make whey Ricotta.

 

 

Click the link Chhana to view the details.

 

More Soft Cheeses Recipes for Beginners. Check them out NOW!

 

 

 

Modern Ricotta Recipe.

 

 

Though it is not traditional but,  it is nice to be able to make ricotta out of plain whole goat milk you can buy at the store. The Ricotta cheese  will be drier and not as smooth and creamy as the traditional  Ricotta cheese. Anyway, it tastes great and can be used as a ricotta substitute in most recipes.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts whole goat milk
• 3 Tablespoons white vinegar or ¼ Cup fresh, lemon juice
• ¼ tsp – ½ tsp salt to taste

 

Directions:

• In a heavy pot, over direct heat, heat 2 quarts of whole goat milk to 200°F. Add 3 Tablespoons of white vinegar or 1/4 Cup of fresh, strained lemon juice. Make sure to bring the temperature back up to 200°F. You will realize that very tiny white particles called albumin protein, floating in the whey. The heat and acid from the ripe whey has precipitated the protein.
• Remove the pot from the heat and set it, covered, to rest undisturbed for about 15 minutes.
• Line a colander with very fine cheesecloth, called “butter muslin”. You must use a very fine cloth here, or your cheese will pass through the regular cloth. If you do not have fine cheesecloth, use a clean cotton cloth. Place the colander over a big pot so you can save the whey and carefully pour the whey into the colander. Be very careful because the liquid is hot. Tie the ends of the cheesecloth together and hang the ricotta to drain for an hour or so because the longer you hang it, the drier your finished cheese will be.
• When it has drained, place the ricotta cheese  in a bowl, break up, stir and add salt to taste.

 

The ricotta cheese will keep for about a week in the fridge.

 

You can use your homemade ricotta in almost any recipe that calls for cottage cheese. It can be used instead of cream cheese to make cheesecake. You can also stir in some herbs and eat it on crackers.

 

Click the link Fried Cheese Sticks to view the details.

More  Goat Cheese Recipes, Check them out NOW!