Post by deejaydebi on Aug 18, 2009 21:37:58 GMT -5
I've been a chese making fool lately. Got a few new molds in I just love and my mini cave going and I am just going cheese crazy!
Here's one of my homebrewed Italian cheeses called - Crosta Rossa now to be called Crosta Rossa Pistacchi! becuase I have added chopped pistashchios to the mix. This is a great tables cheese with fresh bread and wine. It has a nice buttery texture and it's soaked in wine. Only takes a month or two to age so it's a quick chese to make.
Here's the cheese in the molds:
and here it is as it's headed for the cave after the wine bath:
Crosta Rossa Pistacchi - Deejays Cheese to red crust with pistashios
Ingredients:
Whole cows milk
Mesophilic Aromatic Type B starter culture
A few drops of diluted Annatto (optional)
finely chopped pistachios (optional)
Rennet
Kosher Salt
Procedure:
Heat milk to 86°F.
Add a few drops of diluted annatto (you are looking for off white)
Add a mesophilic culture ripen for 45 minutes.
Add rennet
Cut curd into 1/2 inch pieces and rest 5-10 minutes.
Now cut curd with a whisk into rice sized pieces.
Raise the temperature slowly to 95-96°F stirring gently.
Continue stirring for about 30-45 minutes to firm up curds.
Maintain 90°F and drain the whey down to the curd level but retain the whey.
Warmed you cheese cloth in the whey and line your molds.
If you choose to add pistachios mix them with the curds a this point.
As you fill your molds with cheese, return them to the pot of whey.
Once all of the molds have been filled, flip them over, rewrap and stack them.
This will help them drain and get a smooth rind.
After 20-30 minutes flip the cheeses rewrap and press with a light weight.
I will flip and repress the cheese every hour until bedtime.
Leave cheeses in the mold and let sit over night.
Next morning remove from the molds and pat dry with paper towels.
Sprinkle kosher salt all over a plate big enough to hold the cheese.
Roll the cheese on the salt to get it on the sides and rub it on gently.
Flip the cheese to salt both sides and let it rest for 24 hours.
This will extract more whey and add salt to the cheese.
Repeat this step again twice more for 24 hours each
NOTE: you could just do a heavy brine solution and wet brine the cheeses.
Wash the cheeses with a mixture of salt and water to remove the loose salt.
Pour a sweet red wine into a container large enough to hold the cheeses.
Soak cheeses in the wine for 24 hours. Turn the cheeses every few hours.
This is where the name comes from.
Next dry the cheeses and wash them with cheese cloth and salt water brine.
Age at 52-58°F and 95-97% humidity in covered boxes for 45 to 60 days.
Turn the cheeses daily. If mold develops wash with cheesecloth and brine.
Salute’!
Here's one of my homebrewed Italian cheeses called - Crosta Rossa now to be called Crosta Rossa Pistacchi! becuase I have added chopped pistashchios to the mix. This is a great tables cheese with fresh bread and wine. It has a nice buttery texture and it's soaked in wine. Only takes a month or two to age so it's a quick chese to make.
Here's the cheese in the molds:
and here it is as it's headed for the cave after the wine bath:
Crosta Rossa Pistacchi - Deejays Cheese to red crust with pistashios
Ingredients:
Whole cows milk
Mesophilic Aromatic Type B starter culture
A few drops of diluted Annatto (optional)
finely chopped pistachios (optional)
Rennet
Kosher Salt
Procedure:
Heat milk to 86°F.
Add a few drops of diluted annatto (you are looking for off white)
Add a mesophilic culture ripen for 45 minutes.
Add rennet
Cut curd into 1/2 inch pieces and rest 5-10 minutes.
Now cut curd with a whisk into rice sized pieces.
Raise the temperature slowly to 95-96°F stirring gently.
Continue stirring for about 30-45 minutes to firm up curds.
Maintain 90°F and drain the whey down to the curd level but retain the whey.
Warmed you cheese cloth in the whey and line your molds.
If you choose to add pistachios mix them with the curds a this point.
As you fill your molds with cheese, return them to the pot of whey.
Once all of the molds have been filled, flip them over, rewrap and stack them.
This will help them drain and get a smooth rind.
After 20-30 minutes flip the cheeses rewrap and press with a light weight.
I will flip and repress the cheese every hour until bedtime.
Leave cheeses in the mold and let sit over night.
Next morning remove from the molds and pat dry with paper towels.
Sprinkle kosher salt all over a plate big enough to hold the cheese.
Roll the cheese on the salt to get it on the sides and rub it on gently.
Flip the cheese to salt both sides and let it rest for 24 hours.
This will extract more whey and add salt to the cheese.
Repeat this step again twice more for 24 hours each
NOTE: you could just do a heavy brine solution and wet brine the cheeses.
Wash the cheeses with a mixture of salt and water to remove the loose salt.
Pour a sweet red wine into a container large enough to hold the cheeses.
Soak cheeses in the wine for 24 hours. Turn the cheeses every few hours.
This is where the name comes from.
Next dry the cheeses and wash them with cheese cloth and salt water brine.
Age at 52-58°F and 95-97% humidity in covered boxes for 45 to 60 days.
Turn the cheeses daily. If mold develops wash with cheesecloth and brine.
Salute’!
