lemon sage cheese.

i promised that i would have a video of me making mozzarella and it's coming. i made one but it was too long for blogger and i also have my back to the camera for have of it and you couldn't see anything anyway.

all the cheese i've made so far i've needed enzymes that i had to buy online. but this one you can make right now without waiting for packages that say they'll be there in 2 days but really take a week! (sorry, i'm just bitter. the mail system here is so bad.)

this is a crumbly dry cheese that is also spreadable somehow. it's great on toast with jam and good in spicy enchiladas. it's subtly lemony and just a nice fresh cheese.

1 gallon whole milk (can NOT be ultra pasteurized, if it is, it won't work)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbs fresh chopped sage
dash of cheese salt (optional)
butter muslin - a very fine cheese cloth. this can be found at cooking stores. sorry i lied you do have to go buy one weird thing for this cheese)

heat your milk to 190 degrees, making sure to stir and keep it from burning on the bottom.
add lemon juice and stir well in an up and down motion. (that is not sloshing everything around). remove from heat, cover and leave undisturbed for 15ish minutes. check at 15 to see if a curd has formed.

**a notes on curds and whey. curds and whey is real! who knew? also if you were eating it just like that, that would be super gross and mushy and little miss muffet was gross.
anyway. when milk is heated up and enzymes (or lemon juice) are added it separates into curd and whey. whey is a opaque liquid on the bottom and curd is the cheese a solid white mass on top.

push down gently on the curd to see the whey. is is clearish? then you're done waiting! is it milky? then wait a little longer until it clears up a little more.

once the curd is set scoop it into a colander lined with butter muslin with a bowl underneath or do it in the sink! once you have all the curds in there grab the corners of the muslin and tie them up. hang the bag to drip for 2 hours. i rigged this set up over my sink to dry my cheese. you can also tie it to the faucet if it's high enough. or come up with your own fancy ideas. in any case, your cheese bag need gravity to drain so just let it hang somehow.

in 2 hours open the bag and carefully pour the cheese into a bowl. don't lose any! add salt and sage and mix well.

tada! store in a air tight container for a week.

taste the victory. you just made cheese.

if you get addicted like i did you can visit this website to learn more and buy all the things you need to get started. i just made cream cheese yesterday and it was so liberating.

enjoy, friends.

love,
keighty