Chat
06-05-2014, 10:54 PM
Well, I had a very good evening out riding and it put me in a much better mood than I was in earlier. I also went to a friend's house for game night afterwards, which was fun.
This cheese I attempted today is simpler than mozzarella. My rennet is old, so this was the kind you make with just a bit of vinegar. I have a friend who makes it all the time and it comes out great (very similar to mozzarella actually). But when I made it last time it came out as sort of a cheese paste (not too bad, but kind of bland so it just tasted more like salt than salty cheese). Today's batch, on the other hand, never formed any proper curds at all. It ended up as something more like gruel and half the "curds" actually strained through the cheesecloth. I think I salvaged the cheesecloth in the end, but the "cheese" went to the dog. And I spilled milk all over the kitchen and had to scrub countertops and cabinet fronts and mop the floor. I had to do a special load of dishes just to clean up all the mess, and I hate that because we are on a cistern and have to haul water. Every extra load of dishes makes me cringe a little, especially if I have nothing to show for it.
I tried making mozzarella properly with the rennet and citric acid last year, but it really didn't come out very good. It came out more like a piece of rubber. It had no flavor at all. I know mozzarella is supposed to be bland, but it's not supposed to be flavorless. It was so rubbery I might as well have added spearmint extract and turned it into chewing gum. The next batch wasn't so bad, but it didn't melt very well when we tried it on pizza, and once it began to cool it hardened up into blobs.
I'm having more success with sweet stuff. I made a cake last year and used goat's milk for the frosting. It was the most amazing frosting I've ever put in my mouth. I didn't know frosting could be that smooth and creamy. It had a very full flavor too. I also made a pretty killer batch of whipped cream today. Too bad neither of those things uses much milk.
This cheese I attempted today is simpler than mozzarella. My rennet is old, so this was the kind you make with just a bit of vinegar. I have a friend who makes it all the time and it comes out great (very similar to mozzarella actually). But when I made it last time it came out as sort of a cheese paste (not too bad, but kind of bland so it just tasted more like salt than salty cheese). Today's batch, on the other hand, never formed any proper curds at all. It ended up as something more like gruel and half the "curds" actually strained through the cheesecloth. I think I salvaged the cheesecloth in the end, but the "cheese" went to the dog. And I spilled milk all over the kitchen and had to scrub countertops and cabinet fronts and mop the floor. I had to do a special load of dishes just to clean up all the mess, and I hate that because we are on a cistern and have to haul water. Every extra load of dishes makes me cringe a little, especially if I have nothing to show for it.
I tried making mozzarella properly with the rennet and citric acid last year, but it really didn't come out very good. It came out more like a piece of rubber. It had no flavor at all. I know mozzarella is supposed to be bland, but it's not supposed to be flavorless. It was so rubbery I might as well have added spearmint extract and turned it into chewing gum. The next batch wasn't so bad, but it didn't melt very well when we tried it on pizza, and once it began to cool it hardened up into blobs.
I'm having more success with sweet stuff. I made a cake last year and used goat's milk for the frosting. It was the most amazing frosting I've ever put in my mouth. I didn't know frosting could be that smooth and creamy. It had a very full flavor too. I also made a pretty killer batch of whipped cream today. Too bad neither of those things uses much milk.