Anyway, here are photos of my Alaskan mozzarella, with rennet and citric acid from the good folks at New England Cheesemaking Supply.
My curds and whey:
Heated ball of mozzarella curd ready for stretching:
Finished log, ready for slicing for salad with fresh tomatoes, but jarred pesto (my basil died):
Thank you Northern Lights Dairy! Without you, I would have no fresh cheese.
Two fuzzballs. They are getting quite energetic with the cooler weather. I can't wait until ski season starts!
And now, a question for you readers... Any suggestions of what to do with whey? I'd bring it to Autumn and Linden's former family for their pigs, but they haven't been coming to the Farmer's Market lately, and I don't feel like driving to Two Rivers just to avoid a few dollars of wasted whey. What else can one do with whey? I see recipes for breads and stuff, but they only use a cup at a time, and I want to use up the whole gallon. Thanks!
11 comments:
Wow, home made cheese! Is there no end to your talent?
Apparently ricotta is made from whey, and might be fund to try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricotta
Wow Debs, that's really cool! My ricotta recipe calls for fresh milk, but this recipe actually calls for whey that's been sitting around at room temperature, which mine actually has been! I'm going to try that! Thanks!
If only I could have a taste... but pics will have to do ;-) Good luck, it'll be great to hear if the ricotta is a success.
Well, I started heating the whey, but then read that ricotta can only be made from whey with cultures, so I realized that mine wouldn't curdle. However, as it cooled, it started to form... something at the bottom of the pot. I think it might thicken up as it rests. I'll let you know what it looks like when I get home tonight!
I left a msg regarding those bear pictures
have you tried home made pizza with that cheese? you could make traditional pizza margherita with a few dollops of cheese (don't overdo it the american way)
I did last night. It was not as tasty as I had hoped it would be because I think my milk was lower in fat than that used to make commercial mozzarella (I did use whole milk though). The cheese didn't really melt nicely. But it had a nice flavor and was healthier! And the crust used ONE CUP of the whey! One cup down, fifteen to go!
No, actually I think when I get home tonight I'll strain off whatever pseudo-ricotta I have produced and dump the rest. That liquid will then have been twice-wrung for nutrients; there won't be much left.
No whey! You made cheese?
That's really cool. I've been reading a bit on lacto-fermented veggies, but I can't experiment as the kids can't take the milk.
Love the pictures.
Well, sure enough, the ricotta attempt was a bust. It did stratify, but the heavy white stuff on the bottom was not at all solid. I read that the reason my whey wouldn't form ricotta is that it had most of the proteins already removed. So I guess I needn't feel so bad about throwing out the whey. Still. Hrrmph!
You can use whey as a great soup stock for a veggie or seafood type soup. Doesn't work well for a stronger meat soup though.
I've made two types of ricotta; the traditional is made from whey, and the quick and easy way is milk (as you know).
I like your blog!
Soup... that's a good idea. Thanks!
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