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curds and whey
posted 9 June 06 & filed under urban aran
hey there ~ yesterday was a lesson in procrastination – my umpteenth one that nope, i didn’t learn yet again. ah well, still got a ton done. not what was at the top of the list, but whatever. i’m still excited about it all because i made cheese! two kinds! so stoked.
the final product - homemade ricotta! served with nuts, dried fruit, and a sprinkling of local sage honey. delish.
i only have pics of the ricotta for now, but i also made gjetost – or at least a version of it. i plan on getting some fresh goat’s milk from someplace or another and making some chevre, mmm, and then truly authentic gjetost from the leftover whey.
some links for fellow cheese enthusiasts:
~ the original inspiration, homemade ricotta recipe via becks & posh nosh
~ a simple paneer recipe that’s basically the same thing
~ an article on what cheesemakers can do with all that leftover whey
~ one easy option is to use it in place of water, milk, or even broths in many recipes – like these biscuits, as it packs a lot of nutrition and flavor.
~ the best part of that article was realizing i could make gjetost from whey – and this page, set up by a fellow cheese fanatic, shows the process easily. since i only had half a gallow on whey, that reduced to about a 1/4 cup of actual cheese that i ever so slightly burned :( but it’s so darn close to the real thing, i could care less.
a good fiber post coming up early tomorrow – lots and lots of pics. i’m the process of seaming up my urban aran, though i still need to buy a zipper, and am impatiently waiting for the sleeves of crinkly to dry – cotton takes forever! especially in this weather. here’s to a lovely june weekend ~ ~
p.s. the book in that first pic is Lost Arts: A Celebration of Culinary Traditions by Lynn Alley and is filled with info about making your own vinegars, mustards, cheeses, and more. lovely!
Comments
Now you’ve inspired me to try making ricotta again. Only tried once and I didn’t have the right ingredient (rennet?) so I used lemon juice instead (saw that on a recipe somewhere). It worked, but the ricotta tasted a lot like lemon! I also didn’t have a good cheese cloth; mine was too loose and had to be doubled up so in the end it was too dense. And my drainer was too small. ok, I gotta try this with all the right equipment and ingredients.
the ricotta recipe looks amazing—i’m so used to buying the storebought stuff, but i imagine homemade tastes better.
after school dies down, i vow to get in touch my inner chef. thanks for the inspiration.
btw—i’ll be in touch about plans for sometime next week or the week after; i still want to come over and meet the kitties.
~ lalitha
yum!! you made cheese!!! it looks delicious. my mouth is watering. thanks for all the links, especially the ones for whey—now i’m more likely to try since there is no waste. yum yum yum.
~ meowgirl
OH, YUM! I’m totally going to try that! Actually, seeing your cheese cloth reminded me that my mum used to make ricotta when I was younger. Neat! Can’t wait to try it myself :)
~ amanda
I love gjetost and am impressed that you made it! I occasionally buy a small square from Norway, via Whole Foods, but must try the local, homemade method.
~ JBB
Beautiful ricotta! Be careful… cheesemaking can be addictive. ;)
Chevre is super easy to make if you have the right culture. And soft cheeses can easily be frozen if you’re feeling overwhelmed with the quantities involved.
~ Liz
how fun! I would love to learn how to make my own cheese, too. I love it!
~ moni
oh, the ricotta looks delish. yum.
do show us pics of the gjetost! (or if you used cow’s milk you can just call it brunost – brown cheese – which is what we call all those, well, brown cheeses.)
~ kris
The cheese looks absolutely delicious. Very impressive.
That’s next on my “to do” list.
Cheers,
Anais
~ Anais