Close Encounters

Not too long ago, I had a close encounter of the cheesy kind. I originally wrote this for Gina’s blog, but since I’m sure there are many of you who didn’t see it, I’m reposting it here for you today.

I made goat cheese.

I now have a jar of fresh, homemade, local-dairy goat cheese full of organic chopped basil in my fridge that I wish I could ship to each and every one of you, but alas, I can’t. But sharing the process and product photos with you is something I can do!

Don’t be scared… it’s really no more difficult than a pot of stovetop oats!

Step 1: Procure pasteurized goat’s milk. Not ultra-pasteurized, just plain old regular pasteurized.

Step 2:

Step 3: Heat 2 to 3 quarts of goat milk over a medium flame until it reaches 180*Fahrenheit.

Step 4: While the milk heats…

Step 5: When the milk reaches 180*Fahrenheit, add the lemon juice. Allow it to sit until curds form, about 40 seconds to a minute.

Step 6:

Step 7: Wait. Then wait some more. Then wait a bit more… I waited about 4 hours. Avoid the temptation to put the cheese-in-training in the fridge. The warmer air in the house is good for it!

Step 8: Scrape the cheese into a bowl.

Step 9:

Step 10:

Step 11:

So there you have it. Homemade goat cheese (about 10 ounces worth!) for $6 and about 4 hours. It’s easy, it’s fun, and it made me feel oddly, what’s the word… resourceful.

You’ve gotta try this… and let me know how it goes!

Tagged as: cheese, fun, goat cheese, simple, simple recipe, vegetarian