CHÈVRE

“sheh-voir”
     
Storage: Refrigerator 
     
If you are lucky enough to own goats (or know someone who does), you can make mini goat cheeses easily at home! Chèvre is ideal for making homemade cheesecake, or whip fresh chèvre with a vanilla bean and a little powdered sugar (and serve with fresh fruit).
     
Ingredients: 
4 litres (1 gallon) goats milk
1 dose M036 mesophilic culture
8 drops calcium chloride (in ¼ cup filtered water)
6 drops liquid rennet (in ¼ cup filtered water)
2 teaspoons (10ml) cheese salt
    
Warm milk.
Pour goats milk into a pot, sit the milk pot in a second, larger pot of boiling water and heat (indirectly) to 30°C. Remove from heat.
    
Add cheese ingredients.
Add 1 dose of MO36 (mesophilic) culture to the milk and stir to combine. Add the calcium chloride mixture into the milk and stir to combine. Add the rennet mixture into the milk and stir to combine.
    
Rest mixture (covered) for 12 hours at 23°C (a little warmer is okay).
    
Check for a clean break.
Cut into the curd and lift the side – if it has a clean edge (and isn’t too soft) it is ready for collecting the curds. If too soft, wait another 10 minutes and check again. Cut curd into 1-1.5cm cubes.
    
Collect curd, strain through cloth to discard liquid (whey).
Using a slotted spoon, carefully collect the curd cubes and place into a cheesecloth lined colander. 
    
Hang to dispel whey. Drain for 24 hours in a cool area of your home.
    
Salt and serve cheese – or salt, press and serve firmer goats milk cheese later on. This cheese will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.