Simple Homemade Goat Cheese Recipes

HOW TO MAKE GOAT CHEESE RECIPE - CHèVRE

Steps:

• Line a colander with two or three layers of fine cheesecloth.
• In a heavy bottom sauce pan heat the goat milk until it reaches 180°F. Stir frequently to ensure even heat throughout.
• Remove from heat immediately; add the lemon juice, and stir a couple of times until combined.
• Add the vinegar, stir briefly until combined and allow it to sit for about 30 minutes.
• The curds will not be large, on the contrary they will be like tiny specks.
• Slowly ladle into the cheesecloth. Add the salt and stir lightly.
• Gather the ends of the cheesecloth, and tie them with kitchen string. Tie to your faucet.
• Allow it to hang and drip for about 1 hour.
• Place on a cutting board and shape. Sprinkle with died herbs of your choice.
• Refrigerate and serve when set.

SIMPLE FRESH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat milk until it reaches 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Let stand until set, about 15 seconds. If milk does not set, add a little more lemon juice.
• Line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth. Ladle set milk into colander. Tie the four corners of cheesecloth together; hang on the handle of a wooden spoon set over a deep bowl and let drain until it is the consistency of slightly dry cottage cheese, 1 to 2 hours. Transfer to a bowl and fold in salt and herbs, if desired. Store in an airtight container, refrigerated, up to 1 week.

QUICK GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• In a large sauce pot over medium heat, bring the milk to a slow boil; be careful not to scorch. Add dried onion and salt, if desired. As the milk really bubbles up, turn off the heat and pour in the vinegar; wait for the milk to curdle, then pour it through a cheesecloth-lined colander. Let cool, and enjoy!

CHEVRE (GOAT CHEESE) RECIPE

Steps:

• A Simple Recipe for Making 1 Gallon of Goats Milk into Chevre Here we will begin with the simplest Chevre recipe. We have developed a special Chevre culture pack available from our website that contains both the culture and powdered rennet to set 1 gallon of milk and easily produce a delicious Chevre. Below this simple recipe, we have a more in depth recipe for an aged Chevre. Acidify & Heat Milk Begin by warming the milk to 68-72°F (20-22°C). You do this by placing the milk in a pot or sink of warm water or, if fresh from the herd, allow the milk to cool naturally to this temp for an hour or so. Ricki suggests heating to 86F but I find that in the summertime 72°F works well for me here and slows the acid production and curd formation down for a more even textured curd. In the winter time I have used the 86F as a starting point but rarely find good goats milk then. Once the milk is at the correct temperature the Chevre culture can be added. To prevent the powder from caking and sinking in clumps, sprinkle the powder over the surface of the milk and then allow about two minutes for the powder to re-hydrate before stirring it in. Coagulation The milk now needs to sit quiet for 6-12 hours while the culture works and the rennet coagulates the curd. The thermal mass of this milk should keep it warm during this period. It is OK if the temp drops a few degrees during this time. The longer the curd sets the more acid will be produced. Drain Curds & Release Whey When a good curd has formed, you will see a thin layer of whey over the curd mass and the curd may show cracks and separation from the sides. It will also show a clean break when tested with a knife or finger. This curd can now be transferred to a butter muslin lined colander with a ladle or slotted spoon to allow the whey to drain. The amount of time needed for draining will be about 6 hours at 68-72°F but this is dependent on what you want as Chevre-less time for a sweeter and moister cheese and more time for a drier and tangier cheese. Remember that the bacteria is still working and as long as the whey is present they are able to convert the lactose (in the whey) to lactic acid. The time of draining and the temperature of the room determine how much whey drains from the curd. The draining period regulates the body characteristics and determines the final quality of the cheese. This period can be as much as 12-36 hours at a temperature of 68-72°F. Higher temperatures promote gas formation and excessive moisture loss; lower temperatures inhibit whey drainage and produce a very moist cheese with very short shelf life. Salting & Finishing Once the cheese has drained to your preference, it is time to salt the cheese and refrigerate your finished Chevre. About 1.5-2 tsp. of the cheese salt will be good. The salting will help the flavor but more importantly it will slow/stop the bacteria from producing excessive acid. This is also the time that fresh herbs or spices (use your imagination) can be added and mixed in well with the salt. Now your fresh Chevre needs only to be chilled ASAP to further slow the bacteria from working. Just store this in a bowl with a cover and it is ready for eating or cooking. As with any fresh cheese it will be best consumed in a week to ten days. Beyond the Basics with Chevre As promised earlier, here are a few more options for variety in your Chevre making projects. This is truly why goat cheese is so popular and why the number of goat farms and cheese makers has increased so much in North America over the past 25 years. These are all still the "lactic" style cheese with just a little rennet added. Using Larger Culture Packs and a Few Drops of Liquid Rennet There are two variations in culture that can be used when making Chevre: The simple acid producing type such as our C101 small pack or MA011 large, provide a very close texture with the lactic flavor dominating. Use this one to focus on the milk character as it's primary function is to convert lactose to lactic acid-nothing more to get in the way of the flavor of your milk. The more complex buttermilk type such as the MM100 large packs providing a more buttery flavor (from the L. diacetylactis bacteria) and a small amount of CO2 gas production for a more open and lighter texture-more suited to the moister and sweeter versions of Chevre. Use this one for a lighter more complex flavor. The mixed strains also produce a buttery flavor as well as a bit of gas to lighten the texture. Best for fresh cheese. The amount of culture per gallon to use can also be varied: 1/16 tsp for coagulation in 15-20 hours. 1/32 tsp for coagulation in 20-28 hours The longer coagulation time will form a more cohesive curd and retain more moisture with draining. They should both be molded at about the same level of ripeness (acidity). The cultures above have no rennet included so it is necessary to use a small amount of the liquid rennet. The amount for these cheese can vary from about 2 drops to as much as 10 drops (1/2 ml) per gallon. The more rennet used, the closer the texture comes to being a firm rennet coagulated cheese. You want to use the absolute minimum amount, to prevent a tough curd texture. If you get a spongy textured cheese, use less rennet next time. Molding the Chevre The Chevre can be molded into forms either before or after draining. There are a variety of forms that can be used for making the Chevre into wonderful compact shapes. Two hours after forming, a quarter teaspoon of kosher salt is added to the top of each cheese in its form. In the morning the cheeses can be turned and returned to the forms. Another quarter teaspoon of salt is sprinkled on top. The cheeses are then left until the late afternoon when the cheeses are removed from the forms and placed on drain matting set on open air shelving in a 60-65°F room with a fan to move air over the cheeses. Surface Treatment & Aging The Chevre is finally unmolded and allowed to ripen with the added surface ripening cultures. As these cheeses age, molds will grow on the surface producing enzymes that change the pH and general curd structure from the surface inwards. This includes: Natural yeast and molds from the environment that will form a natural mottled surface of white and blue molds as seen in many French style farmstead cheeses. Adding a commercial culture of Geotrichum and P.candidum as a combo to the milk at the same time as the base culture for a velvety white surface upon aging or even Geotrichum in a solo addition for a unique moist wrinkled surface. An Ash coating to the cheese surface when mixed with the salt and the combo in #2 above. This forms a very beautiful jet black layer which is quickly over grown by the velvety white of the P.candidum. The ash functions to lower the acid level and speed up the ripening of the cheese. When cut this cheese provides a very beautiful presentation. Velvety white surface with a thin black line and snow white curd becoming somewhat translucent as it ripens from the surface inwards. Simply rolling the surface in chopped, herbs, spices, or even flower petals for a unique appearance and flavor. Many combinations of these can produce wonderful compatible flavors. If ripening cultures are added, the cheeses should be turned over the second day and then left until there is visible mold growth on the surface. This should take three to five days. When there is growth, turn the cheeses over and move them to a more humid place at 45-48°F and 90% relative humidity with a gentle air flow. Turn the cheeses daily until they are completely covered with white mold (about ten days after forming the cheeses). The cheeses are generally ready to eat in two to three weeks and can be ripened longer as flavor develops. Ripened goat cheese, which represents perhaps 10 percent of America's total goat cheese production, is aged for about four weeks, just long enough for a skin to develop, as with Brie or Camembert. This brief aging evaporates moisture, giving the cheese a pleasantly chalky texture and a tangier, more concentrated flavor than that of fresh cheese. Even lower in moisture and more concentrated in flavor is aged goat cheese. It makes up only about 5 percent of all goat cheese produced in the United States because it requires six months or so of aging. All in all I think these options should inspire the goat cheese producers to experiment and provide many sessions of fun in making cheese. This should be plenty to keep everyone busy until next month when I return from the Slow Foods Cheese Festival in Bra Italy and visits to cheese makers in Italy and France.

SIMPLE HOMEMADE GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• in a a non-reactive pot on med-high, bring milk up to just below boiling while stirring gently but constantly. you'll see a bit of foam starting to form.
• add the vinegar and stir gently. if the milk doesn't curdle and separate cleanly right away then let it heat a few min longer or add a touch more vinegar a tsp at a time.
• drain in a strainer lined with several layers of cheesecloth or an old pillowslip that has been bleached and rinsed very well. that liquid you're pouring off is whey, btw, and useful. you might want to catch it in a big bowl.
• move your cheese to a mixing bowl and stir in salt to taste. add heavy cream to make it smoother if desired.
• you can press into mini quiche dishes (line with more cheesecloth so you can un-mold cleanly) and refrigerate overnight to solidify if desired. you can also form into a log and roll it in herbs or marinate it in flavored olive oil. be sure to wrap tightly before storing for up to two weeks but i doubt it will last that long! the whey can be used for baking or boiling in place of water to add some extra protein and vitamins. you can also give it to your pets or water your plants or lots of other things. make a protein shake with some fruit perhaps. happy cheese making!

HORSERADISH GOAT CHEESE SPREAD

Steps:

• Using a silicone spatula, gently fold together the goat cheese, cream, and horseradish until thoroughly combined. Season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate for up to a week.

HOMEMADE GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• In a large nonreactive saucepan, combine the goat's milk, buttermilk, and rennet. Heat over low heat until the mixture reaches a temperature of 180 degrees F. Transfer to a nonreactive bowl and allow to sit overnight, covered, until the curds and whey separate. Line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth and ladle the curds into the colander. Discard whey. Fold cheesecloth over top of curds and allow to drain overnight, refrigerated.
• Remove cheesecloth and season, to taste, with olive oil and salt and pepper, if desired.