Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Cows, Blue Tits and Little Miss Muffet

Chronica Domus
 Ingredients for making Farmers' Cheese: whole milk, white vinegar, kosher salt and chives, photographed in the glare of the early morning light
Photo: Chronica Domus


As we drove through the countryside headed for the town of Petaluma recently, one could not fail but to notice how green the surrounding hills had become.  This brought me much happiness as just a few months earlier the alarming sight of a palette of mahogany and chestnut tones dominated the landscape.  Obviously, the drought had markedly taken its toll. A few necessary and welcomed rain showers have now transformed the landscape into a picturesque vision of spring, making the herds of dairy cows that graze along the hillsides very content.  I feel most fortunate indeed to live in an area where farmers care for the well-being of their bovine beauties by allowing them to roam freely and graze on pastures green.  Not only is this responsible husbandry of benefit to the animals, it is also healthy for us as consumers.  I appreciate knowing the provenance of my milk when retrieving it from my refrigerator.

Part of my childhood was spent in Kent, known also as The Garden of England, where the gently undulating hills were more suited to grazing sheep than to cows.  Back then, our milk was delivered daily by a milkman before dawn, in pint-sized glass bottles with either red or silver foil tops.  It was my job to set out the empty bottles at night and retrieve the fresh delivery each morning from the doorstep.  I recall my annoyance most mornings at finding the clever little Blue Tits had already beaten me to the milk.  They were skillful masters at pecking their way through the foil tops of our full-fat non-homogenized milk (as that is what we drank back then), and craftily getting at the prized creamy layer that settled on top.

All of these thoughts on where our milk originates, and seeing the cows ambling on the lush hillsides of Petaluma, reminded me that we had not made any cheese for quite some time, something that had to be remedied posthaste.  So, early last Saturday morning, we set about the task of making a small batch of a mild and crumbly cheese known as Farmers' Cheese. We have made other cheeses in the past, some requiring several months until maturity, and much fussing and babying as they matured within their cloth bindings or wax coatings.  In contrast, this cheese can be eaten as early as the day it is made, although it tastes even better the following day.  I want to assure you that making deliciously fresh, home-made Farmers' Cheese is not as daunting as one would imagine, especially when considering the ingredients required to do so are readily found at the most basic of food markets; whole milk, white vinegar, salt and, optionally, some fresh herbs. Neither complex additions of enzymes and cultures are required, nor any special equipment besides a large pot, a kitchen colander and a square of muslin or cheesecloth.

To begin, a gallon of organic whole milk (never ultra pasteurized) is poured into a stainless steel pot and gently heated over a medium flame.  One must insure that the milk is continuously stirred so it does not scorch and stick to the bottom of the pot.

Chronica Domus
 Milk being transferred to the pot from our ceramic jug
Photo: Chronica Domus


Chronica Domus
 The milk is almost at a rolling boil
Photo: Chronica Domus


Just as soon as the milk reaches boiling point, immediately switch off the heat and stir in three quarters of a cup of white vinegar. There will be an immediate reaction to the vinegar and one will witness the magic of milk separating into its constituent curds and whey, a sight Miss Muffet would welcome.

Chronica Domus
 In goes the white vinegar
Photo: Chronica Domus


Chronica Domus
Miss Muffet would be proud
Photo: Chronica Domus


While the curds are being allowed to cool undisturbed for about twenty minutes, prepare a colander in a sink by lining it in a layer of muslin, or two layers of loose weave cheesecloth. By now, you should feel like a satisfied dairy farmer in your very own home kitcheen.  It is a gratifying feeling to discover that a gallon of milk, a little vinegar and some heat can produce approximately a full pound of cheese.

The next step in the process is to pour the curds into the colander to drain off the liquid, known as whey.

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 Draining the curds of their whey
Photo: Chronica Domus


You will be left with a beautiful heap of fluffy white curds resembling something akin to the consistency of cottage cheese.

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 The drained curds
Photo: Chronica Domus


To aid in further draining, remove the muslin from the colander, with the curds intact, and hang from a wooden spoon over your pot, as demonstrated in the photograph below.  Do resist the temptation to rush the process by squeezing the curds.

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 The curds now hanging in their cheesecloth sack
Photo: Chronica Domus


Allow the muslin sack to drain for twenty minutes before removing it and placing the curds in a clean ceramic bowl.  Slowly add desired amount of salt.  We like to use kosher salt to flavor our cheese, but regular table salt will also suffice.  How much salt is added is dependent on your personal taste so do sample the cheese as you go along.

Chronica Domus
  Drained curds ready for salting
Photo: Chronica Domus


We enjoy all manner of cheeses in our household, from the very pinnacle of pungency, the great "king of cheeses" Stilton, to the delicate mildness of Fromage Blanc.  However, Farmers' Cheese is a mild and agreeable cheese indeed.  Once salted and allowed to firm up in a mold, it can be eaten as is, on grilled bread, or accompanied by seasonal berries as a delicious breakfast treat.  If like us you enjoy a little more flavor to your cheese, add some freshly chopped herbs to the curds and infuse them with a little more character. On this occasion, we added a bunch of fresh chopped chives, but other combinations of herbs work too. We have in the past experimented with parsley, thyme, and even caramelized roasted garlic.

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 Chopped chives awaiting the curds
Photo: Chronica Domus


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 Chives thoroughly distributed throughout the curds
Photo: Chronica Domus


Once you've added your herbs, brush a layer of olive oil to the inside surface of three small bowls (we used cereal-sized bowls for this task).  The oil will aid in the removal of the cheese once it has set and is ready to be served.  Fill the bowls with as much of the curd mixture as can fit, and then tamp it down to flatten the surface.  Line the cheese with a layer of plastic wrap, and set the bowls within your refrigerator allowing the curds to become firm and cold.

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The cheese is tamped down into bowls
Photo: Chronica Domus


When you are ready to devour your culinary efforts, gently run a sharp knife around the cheese to loosen it from the bowl, and invert it onto a serving platter.  A trickle of good quality extra virgin olive oil, and a crack or two of the pepper mill will assure you of a satisfying hors d'oeuvre accompanied by a glass of wine and some grilled bread or crackers. I guarantee not a morsel will remain for dear Miss Muffet.

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Won't you help yourself to a bite or three?
Photo: Chronica Domus


What a pleasurable experience it is to serve fresh cheese, made directly at one's kitchen stove, with milk that was locally produced by cows that have actually been allowed the freedom to graze on grass.  It gives one a taste of the ideal bucolic existence right in the heart of town. 

Have you tried your hand at cheese making or anything else that connects you to your nearby agricultural community?  Perhaps I've inspired you to make Farmers' Cheese?

12 comments:

  1. I love curd cheese, I sometimes drain yogurt when I have too much of it to make a sort of cheese but had no idea you could this with milk.
    Oh and the joy of the milk in bottles and that top quarter inch of cream - there was always a squabble for it in our house.

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    1. Hello Tabitha, I've never tried my hand at yoghurt making, but it seems like a natural progression from cheese. I'll give it a try. I hope you too try your hand at Farmers' Cheese.

      So, do they still have milkmen deliver the milk up in Scotland?

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  2. Well done! I made butter a few summers ago, and it was much easier than I anticipated. Of course, I used my immersion blender...
    http://pigtown-design.blogspot.com/2011/09/like-buttah.html

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    1. What a clever idea to use the immersion blender. I just read your blog post on the butter making, and it has now inspired me to try it for myself. I've not made butter since doing so in school, many moons ago as a little girl, using a jar to shake it in.

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  3. I enjoyed this post very much. I remember visiting my grandmother in Baltimore when I was a small child and having the milkman deliver little bottles of milk. I also recall that the milk would taste different at different times of year, depending upon what was growing in the fields where the cows grazed.

    Like Tabitha, I have drained yogurt, usually for making tzatziki. This looks like a fun and satisfying project!

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    1. Hello JW, how marvelous that you were perceptive enough to differentiate the taste of milk from season to season. I never noticed that in England when our milkman delivered daily. Wouldn't it be wonderful to resurrect the tradition again?

      I hope I've inspired you to try and make Farmers' Cheese for yourself. If you do, let me know how it turned out. It really is easy!

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  4. What a delightful post, and such a clever project you have shared. I, too, remember the days -- long gone -- of delivered milk and other dair products. It died out in this country in the early 1970s I believe. We have wonderful old-fashioned milk in glass bottles from Ronnybrook Farm available here in NY, a real treat, indeed. RD

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    1. Hello Reggie,

      We too buy our milk in glass bottles periodically, namely from the Straus Family Creamery in Tomales Bay.

      I suggest you procure a bottle of Ronnybrook Farm's milk and make some Farmers' Cheese to enjoy at Darlington. You will love it!

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  5. Now that looks and sounds fabulous and I might well have a go. We are surrounded by sheep rather than cows here in North Wales but I am pretty sure I can lay my hands on some organic milk. Lovely blog. Good to have found you.

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    1. Hello Elizabeth, and welcome to the blog! I'm happy you've been inspired to make this very simple cheese. I promise it is not only easy to make, but it will taste delish!

      I spent a few very pleasurable days in Wales several years ago and absolutely loved the scenery, people and the thousands of books that were to be found in the town close to where we stayed. I think there were almost as many sheep in the nearby hills!

      You too have a wonderful blog that I've been reading for a while. I'll be adding it to my blog list.

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  6. This is a certain project for bored but greedy bots over the long Easter holiday. I too remember the glass bottles and naughty blue tits and it was a rule growing up that the first one down got the top of the milk on their porridge. A crumble of dark brown sugar, a pinch of salt and there was a bowl fit for the gods.

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    1. Hello ELS, so glad you remember those naughty little birdies too. We don't have them here in California. What we do have is a far larger bird, with even more shenanigans, if you can imagine that. We are regularly visited by Blue Scrubs who now have us trained to practically hand feed them nuts. One even managed to peck away at the colored Easter eggs held within a basket on my kitchen table. He flew right through the open window and made war. My table looked like a battlefield!

      Happy you've been inspired to try the cheese with your bots. Let me know how it all works out.

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