The publicist starts as she always does with her big stainless steel pot full of two gallons of rich goat's milk. She then warms it to 88*
Then she adds 1/2 cup of cultured buttermilk. This time she used buttermilk she cultured herself! She used the buttermilk leftover from when she made butter! She just added some commercial buttermilk to it to culture and it was ready to go in a couple of days. After the buttermilk ripened in the goat's milk for an hour she then adds a diluted rennet solution and lets the milk sit for 45 minutes until it curds up.
Then the publicist cuts the curds, lets them rest for 20 minutes and then she has to stir them gently while slowly bringing the temperature up to 98*. This is what the curds look like after all of that.
Then the curds get to sink to the bottom of the pot and rest for about half an hour. Then she pours off the whey and let the curds sit in her cheesecloth lined stainless steel colander for about 10 minutes.
Then they go back into her pot with 4 tsp. of kosher salt. She mixes them all up and they sit for an hour.
After this the curds get put into a cheesecloth lined cheese press.
The follower goes on - this is basically the wooden lid.
Then they sit with 15lbs of pressure for 20 minutes.
Doesn't it look like some kind of cheese torture device?
The cheese gets turned and re-wrapped three mored times; each time for longer periods at higher pressures. The last one being at 40lbs for 24 hours.
Then the cheese gets unwrapped and has to air dry for several days before it can be waxed.
Next week the publicist will show you how she waxes her cheeses.
An no, they are not hairy!
Heh heh.
Don't forget the sale in the publicist's shop. It ends tonight - 30% off and free shipping.
Tomorrow: On the bark hunt.
