OUR CHEESES: CREATING A CHEESE OASIS
We needed recipes and resources, so we began with Mary Karlin’s book, Artisan Cheese Making At Home. Based on good reviews on Amazon, we ordered this book in and started making some mental notes. We also began investing a decent amount of time into the Cheese Maker’s Forum (a treasure trove of useful information). First off, we were going to need some supplies. We needed pots, specific utensils, specialized measuring spoons and cups, aging containers (caves), cheesecloth, and a variety of cultures. That part was easy. Outside of the cost for getting everything ordered, it is online for the taking. The harder issue was going to be finding milk.
MILK: [mil-que] milk, milking. Noun, verb
1. An illegal item in Indiana if sold raw.
2. An over pasteurized substance, especially tough to find if the word “goat” precedes it.
2. An over pasteurized substance, especially tough to find if the word “goat” precedes it.
GoJack
This Jack-Style cheese is a delicate blend of goat and cow's milk. What really sets this cheese apart is its washed-rind. Typically, a jack is a more basic cheese, but by mixing milks and washing this cheese over the course of 7 weeks, it takes on an amazing new life. This is one of our signature cheeses, and will delight the taste buds of all who try; We're very proud.
This GoJack actually evolved by chance as our winter goat's milk yield began to decline. The result was an experiment to deal with leftover milks. Boy are we glad we tried to play around. Now we have a replicable cheese that is truly not something you can make from a book.
Hello GoJack! You were born on February 14, 2013. Welcome to the cheese world! As Beethoven once said to a young Mozart, "One day, you will make your mark on the world."
This GoJack actually evolved by chance as our winter goat's milk yield began to decline. The result was an experiment to deal with leftover milks. Boy are we glad we tried to play around. Now we have a replicable cheese that is truly not something you can make from a book.
Hello GoJack! You were born on February 14, 2013. Welcome to the cheese world! As Beethoven once said to a young Mozart, "One day, you will make your mark on the world."
MISS. UNDERSTOOD
We had so many extra curds one day that we filled our Chèvre molds. Although we used a Valencay recipe and process, we didn't ash this cheese. I introduced this cheese at the neighborhood ladies club and she didn't have a name. So as I was trying to describe it I ended up naming her Miss. Understood. She isn't a Valencay. She isn't a brie. She isn't a cow. She isn't a chèvre. She is just Miss. Understood. This cheese is delicious and fits all palates. A star is born!
ALBERT
Albert is our all-goat farmstead style cheese. This cheese is good young (one week), but even better when aged up to six weeks. This cheese is similar in texture to a mozzarella, but has more of a nutty goat flavor, and chalky texture. After pressing, this cheese spends a day in a salt brine. Young cheeses are not washed after the brine, but if the plan is to age the cheese, molds are kept at bay with a vinegar/water solution.
OVER THE MOON
On our travels to New Zealand we found small Crotin molds at a wonderful shop on the North Island called Over The Moon. These small goat rounds are a perfect snack and a great way to share our passion.
MANCHEGO
We love making our Saffron-Infused Manchego. While not a stinky or moldy cheese, we love the Manchego for its ability to pair with just about anything. Our favorite pairing is tart fruits, but you can't beat the pairing with Quince Paste; which could make a nice Christmas hors d'oeuvre. While not in a traditional Manchego mould, we press ours in an 8" tomme and finish it with a skinny coat of unfiltered olive oil and a dusting of smoky Spanish Paprika.
SAINT MARCELLIN
Our latest batch of Saint Marcellin!
Saint Marcellin is a soft cow's milk cheese, and is finished in ceramic crocks. It's one of our favorites because it's small, smelly, and tasty! We're excited to be starting this cheese and look forward to adding it to our arsenal!
Funny story: During a trip to visit my folks in Wheatland, WY we brought a St. Marcellin with us (from the Truffle Cheese Shop in Denver). Kelly and I enjoyed watching the family turn their noses to this stinker (while we lovingly ate half of it). Mom eventually couldn't take the smell and kicked it out of the house, banishing it to the back porch.
Funny story: During a trip to visit my folks in Wheatland, WY we brought a St. Marcellin with us (from the Truffle Cheese Shop in Denver). Kelly and I enjoyed watching the family turn their noses to this stinker (while we lovingly ate half of it). Mom eventually couldn't take the smell and kicked it out of the house, banishing it to the back porch.
REBLECHON
Our Latest Reblechon
Of course, Mary Karlin’s book very clearly says to start simple before moving on to more advanced cheeses. I suppose we took this more as a challenge than a warning, as our 2nd adventure in cheese was the very advanced washed rind cow’s milk cheese called Reblechon.
After five intimate hours with 2 gallons of whole milk, a duo of starter culture, rennet, and calcium chloride, we were flipping and re-wrapping our first advanced cheese. We then salted it and put it under pressure overnight and popped it into the fridge the next morning.
The trick with the Reblechon is that it is a washed-rind cheese. This basically means that you lightly wash the outside of the cheese with a saltwater solution to develop the rind and control unwanted mold. The end result took many attempts to perfect, but when properly controlled, this cheese is a prize. The oozy-creamy texture with tangy, salty notes is the perfect accompaniment for a baguette or cracker, and begs for a Fume Blanc or Pinot Noir.
After five intimate hours with 2 gallons of whole milk, a duo of starter culture, rennet, and calcium chloride, we were flipping and re-wrapping our first advanced cheese. We then salted it and put it under pressure overnight and popped it into the fridge the next morning.
The trick with the Reblechon is that it is a washed-rind cheese. This basically means that you lightly wash the outside of the cheese with a saltwater solution to develop the rind and control unwanted mold. The end result took many attempts to perfect, but when properly controlled, this cheese is a prize. The oozy-creamy texture with tangy, salty notes is the perfect accompaniment for a baguette or cracker, and begs for a Fume Blanc or Pinot Noir.
GNARLY VAL
Our Valencay aging cycle
Say Hello to Gnarly Val. A change in our goat milk supplier and a new ash blend have created a revelation in our Valencay-style cheese - so much so that it's truly gnarly! (Gnarly: when you've gone beyond radical, beyond extreme, it's balls out danger, & or perfection, & or skill or all of that combined.)
This was the first goat cheese we started to make. Valencay is an advanced cheese so our effort was all about jumping in with both feet. This cheese takes approximately 72 hours to ripen, mold, and grow firm, and another 2-6 weeks to age. Our original Valencay’s ripened too quickly, but still produced a beautifully flavorful cheese within about two weeks - with a shelf life of about two weeks (when kept in the normal refrigerator). This very smelly cheese was instantly a favorite for us, but our friends struggled with the smell and the moldy nature of such a strange cheese, seeing it as an imposter in the cheese desert. “Couldn’t we just make regular goat cheese (they must have been secretly asking), you know, the type we can buy in the grocery store?” We did not waiver. And, slowly but surely, we found pockets of appreciative palates as we shared our Valencay with friends and neighbors.
Our latest Gnarly Val cheeses are now rivaling their French cousins and have become a real signature cheese for us. Part of what makes this cheese so savory, delicious and gnarly is our new ash. We don't just use vegetable ash - NO SIR. We use Cook County Charcoal Seasoning from Savory Spice shop. So our ash now includes garlic, onion, black pepper, cumin, thyme, chipotle and oregano - and that is beyond extreme!
One of our November 2012 batches is shown in stages here. These aging photos were taken over a period of three weeks.
Additional Valencay photos below:
This was the first goat cheese we started to make. Valencay is an advanced cheese so our effort was all about jumping in with both feet. This cheese takes approximately 72 hours to ripen, mold, and grow firm, and another 2-6 weeks to age. Our original Valencay’s ripened too quickly, but still produced a beautifully flavorful cheese within about two weeks - with a shelf life of about two weeks (when kept in the normal refrigerator). This very smelly cheese was instantly a favorite for us, but our friends struggled with the smell and the moldy nature of such a strange cheese, seeing it as an imposter in the cheese desert. “Couldn’t we just make regular goat cheese (they must have been secretly asking), you know, the type we can buy in the grocery store?” We did not waiver. And, slowly but surely, we found pockets of appreciative palates as we shared our Valencay with friends and neighbors.
Our latest Gnarly Val cheeses are now rivaling their French cousins and have become a real signature cheese for us. Part of what makes this cheese so savory, delicious and gnarly is our new ash. We don't just use vegetable ash - NO SIR. We use Cook County Charcoal Seasoning from Savory Spice shop. So our ash now includes garlic, onion, black pepper, cumin, thyme, chipotle and oregano - and that is beyond extreme!
One of our November 2012 batches is shown in stages here. These aging photos were taken over a period of three weeks.
Additional Valencay photos below:
Our US Valencay Style (left) and French Valencay (right)
VALENCAY IN EUROPE
Our latest Valencay (left) ~ Our earlier Valencay (right).
We initially felt proud of our Valencay until a trip to London in Oct, 2012. While there, we popped into the Paxton Whitfield Cheese Shop and had a great visit with the gentlemen at work that day. We shared our passion for cheese making as well as some of our photos from our cheese making. They shared our enthusiasm and actually locked the door behind us (end of the business day) to spend some time sampling cheese with us. We got to taste the ever hard to find Stinking Bishop (Britain’s Smelliest Cheese), and a wonderfully earthy and homemade Truffle-Infused Brie. The Stinking Bishop had long been on my list of cheeses to try, and it didn’t disappoint. It was ripe, pungent, supple, oaky, fermented, and creamy with a hint of herbaceous saltiness. And the smell – huge! In fact, the smell of that cheese shop is one I hadn’t forgotten in the ten years since I had last visited. For an artisan cheese lover, it is the epicenter of aromatic glory!
On our way out of the cheese shop, we purchased a French Valencay and a wooden cheese knife. (We couldn’t leave London without trying the cheese we were just working on perfecting back in the Cheese Desert.) While I’m glad we tried it (aboard a boat with our dear friend Esther on the Thames River), we were left wondering. After experiencing the “authentic” Valencay we knew we still had some work to do on ours. There was a stark difference in texture and moisture in this true Valencay. The tart minerality and chalkiness of this supple, semi-firm cheese was nicely balanced and the flavor was complex. Our Valencay was much softer and creamier, and could never age to this level of chalkiness without breaking down. We went to work on the recipe, utilizing less humidity and more airflow to control the aging process. The result has been great (see before and after photos here). This just goes to show that you have to find and taste the real thing to ensure quality! That's what I call a good research project!
On our way out of the cheese shop, we purchased a French Valencay and a wooden cheese knife. (We couldn’t leave London without trying the cheese we were just working on perfecting back in the Cheese Desert.) While I’m glad we tried it (aboard a boat with our dear friend Esther on the Thames River), we were left wondering. After experiencing the “authentic” Valencay we knew we still had some work to do on ours. There was a stark difference in texture and moisture in this true Valencay. The tart minerality and chalkiness of this supple, semi-firm cheese was nicely balanced and the flavor was complex. Our Valencay was much softer and creamier, and could never age to this level of chalkiness without breaking down. We went to work on the recipe, utilizing less humidity and more airflow to control the aging process. The result has been great (see before and after photos here). This just goes to show that you have to find and taste the real thing to ensure quality! That's what I call a good research project!
FETA/CHEVRE/FROMAGE BLANC
Fresh aging Feta
While our goat cheese making was progressing, we decided to begin alternating Valencay cheeses with other goat varieties. We began making Feta, Chevre, and Fromage Blanc in the off weeks. This process yielded very consistent output, delighting the simpler palates in our Indianapolis area.
QUESO BLANCO
Finding whole cow’s milk in the grocery store is a simple task. And, for most cow’s milk cheeses, store-bought whole milk will suffice. That being said, raw is always better. For us to get started, we wanted to play with simplicity. We decided to make a simple Queso Blanco. This cheese is as simple as 1, 2, 3:
1. Heat a gallon of whole milk to 195 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Add a 1/3 cup vinegar and gently stir
3. Remove from heat and strain in cheesecloth
While that recipe simplifies a few things, it is the simplest of cheeses, and our first Queso was a great success. The second and third were also beautiful. See below:
1. Heat a gallon of whole milk to 195 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Add a 1/3 cup vinegar and gently stir
3. Remove from heat and strain in cheesecloth
While that recipe simplifies a few things, it is the simplest of cheeses, and our first Queso was a great success. The second and third were also beautiful. See below:
Brought to you from deep within the Cheese Desert: Population 2 – Kelly Wensing & Tommy Reddicks
