Here is a second version of Herbed Yogurt Cheese (Suzma) with Ryazhenka in which I switched from fresh to dried herbs, consistent with the recipe for Boursin-style fresh cheese with garlic and herbs . I also added the refinement of pressing the fresh cheese into a mold (such as an English muffin tin) so that Read More …
I recently revisited Herbed Yogurt Cheese (Suzma) by making two changes. First, I started with Ryazhenka which is less tart than conventional yogurt. Second, I thought that sometimes previous batches of Suzma were not thick enough, so I decided to take advantage of my cheese press to press the curd after draining it. Here is Read More …
Ryazhenka (also spelled Ryazhanka) is a variation on yogurt of Ukrainian origin, in which the milk is slowly cooked before it is cultured. The process causes Maillard reactions, which gives the ryazhenka a tannish color, and thickens the milk through evaporation. Traditionally, it would be baked at a low temperature in a traditional oven, but Read More …
A fresh cheese with a similar texture to goat cheese can be made from whole-fat cultured buttermilk. This is very non-technical, with the separation of curds and whey accomplished through heat. Here is how I made a batch out of 2 quarts of buttermilk, using Ricki Carroll’s Home Cheese Making as a guide. Allow the Read More …
I spotted an article in a Southern magazine on Sam Talbot’s version of the Southern classic, Pimento Cheese, while staying in an historic B&B in Savannah. Here is my adaptation, which mainly consists of halving the quantities. It is an interesting sign of the internationalization of food in the US that Sam Talbot would prefer Read More …
In process This is my first attempt at a cheese with mold. I followed the Petit Blue recipe and video by Gavin Webber, an Australian cheese-maker. I made one major mistake while making the cheese. I was supposed to add the salt to the curds before draining, but it was after I was well along Read More …
Pimento Cheese is a Southern classic. This version is taken from Southern Living in November 2019 and used Farmhouse Cheddar – First Try , which was rather crumbly and thus quite suitable for a cheese spread. This was quite tasty, but more saucy than I expected. The next time I would start with less mayonnaise Read More …
This post is about my first try at making a pressed cheese, a farmhouse cheddar. I learned a lot from the process, and the result was a much more accomplished second effort in this posting: Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese. It will probably be a couple of months before I try this second effort, but I opened Read More …
The photo shows Gouda out of the brine and beginning to air dry in the cheese cave. Gouda is an example of a washed-curd cheese, and this is the first time I have made one. When making a washed-curd cheese, one of the steps is to drain some of the whey from the curds and Read More …
I have now made two batches of Parmesan cheese using the instructions in Ricki Carroll’s Home Cheese Making pages 140-141. The photo is of one of the cheeses after 6 months of aging in the cheese cave. It looked and tasted like Parmesan – a success. To assist myself in planning the day and keeping Read More …