In March, I always seem to have an abundance of energy...there is something about the Chicago winter thaw that re-energizes me. Although, we did get 5 inches of snow a few days ago...I guess my energy spike may be a tad bit pre-mature...but today I saw green peeking through the brown matted grass of winter... and the dirty, slushy snow piles that line the streets are finally almost gone. The only thing remaining are a few small mounds of snow lining parking lots. The pond on my daily work commute is no longer frozen over, and soon I'll see my crane friend that greets me every morning.
With Spring in my step, I made goat cheese for the second time in a month! I am super excited about how my 2nd batch of chevre turned out. I really think that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I took off from work for a few days so I was able to focus on cheese and cheese alone. This time, I let the curd set longer (14 hours instead of 12) and after cutting the curd, I let it drain for 8 hours instead of 6. The result was a light and fluffy cheese. I added the right amount of salt this time, so the tang was nice and balanced. We hosted our annual wine and cheese party and it was a hit with smoked salmon on baguette!
I even got better pictures thanks to my wonderful husband who played photographer for me...
With Spring in my step, I made goat cheese for the second time in a month! I am super excited about how my 2nd batch of chevre turned out. I really think that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I took off from work for a few days so I was able to focus on cheese and cheese alone. This time, I let the curd set longer (14 hours instead of 12) and after cutting the curd, I let it drain for 8 hours instead of 6. The result was a light and fluffy cheese. I added the right amount of salt this time, so the tang was nice and balanced. We hosted our annual wine and cheese party and it was a hit with smoked salmon on baguette!
I even got better pictures thanks to my wonderful husband who played photographer for me...
My favorite part about this batch was that I molded the chevre. The first time around, I just kept the cheese in a big blob state dumped in a Tupperware. Mind you, it was a really nice white blob...this time, I molded the cheese into 3 ounce rounds using a ramekin that I had in the kitchen. I lined it with cheesecloth, and voila! the cutest little cheese rounds that even Mary Keehn would've been proud of...
I gave some to friends and family. I brought it into work and shared with my team...I was proud of my budding craft. I shared some with my foodie boss and think I won him over for life.
Cheese making isn't easy. It's like learning a new language...limping along picking up bits and pieces here and there, taking notes, "half getting it." But then one day, you just get it...everything falls into place and things just start to flow.
Stay Cheesy out there!
Cheese making isn't easy. It's like learning a new language...limping along picking up bits and pieces here and there, taking notes, "half getting it." But then one day, you just get it...everything falls into place and things just start to flow.
Stay Cheesy out there!