First Time Cheese - Not a Resounding Success

 

My sandwich requires cheese. I will therefore learn to make cheese then later start sourcing the things I will need to make it from scratch.

The University of Atlantia is an SCA event that occurs several times a year. In it volunteers present an hour or so of their expertise (or even their hobbies). As it’s an SCA run event the expertise and hobbies tend to be historical in nature but many of them are often crafty as well.

I was lucky that the late winter University session contained a cheese making class. 

I signed up for it (all classes are free) and together with 5 or 6 others watched a dude make cheese.

It looked tricky enough that I decided to order a kit. The kit had mushroom derived rennet, a pack of citric acid, a booklet and a pack of salt.

Following the instructions I bought some whole milk and tried to make some mozzarella.

The heating went well and I added carefully measured acid and rennet. 

I got a good curds and whey product.

Here is where things went wrong. 

I think I did not let it strain enough. I think probably I should have squeezed this until as much whey as possible was dispelled. 

I did not.

The booklet said to drain the curds. 

I drained them for a few minutes and then heated them up with hot water and tried to kneed them into a cheese.

Maybe not surprisingly this is exactly where thing fell apart in the class as well.

I kept getting shined stretchy mozzarella on the edges but something very like ricotta in the center.

It tasted fantastic. It was maybe too salty but delicious.

I eventually gave up and scraped it into a bowl to use as a scoop-able cheese.

I will try again. I have lots left from the kit and have a theory to test out with the liquid elimination.

Cross your fingers!