Goat cheese has a typical soft texture similar to that of spreadable cheese. You can make it at home starting with fresh goat's milk. You will need muslin food cheesecloth that you can buy online or at a kitchenware store. The whole process takes some time, but once it's done you can enjoy a healthy and delicious product.
Ingrediants
- 1 liter of goat's milk
- The juice of 2 lemons
- 30 ml of vinegar
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- Dried aromatic herbs of your choice
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Heat and Flavor the Milk
Step 1. Heat the milk over medium heat
Measure it out and pour it into a saucepan, then put it on the stove and heat it over medium heat.
Step 2. Wait for it to reach 87 ° C
Stir it often as it heats to distribute the heat evenly. At this stage it is essential to have a kitchen thermometer available to keep the temperature of the milk under control.
Step 3. Add the vinegar and lemon juice
Pour both of them into the hot milk, then stir briefly to combine the three ingredients.
Part 2 of 3: Prepare the Cheese
Step 1. Line the inside of a colander with muslin food gauze
Note that the strainer must be large enough to hold all the milk. Cover it internally with food gauze, making sure it is lined in every part.
Step 2. Pour the milk into the colander
Remove the saucepan from the stove and pour the goat's milk into the colander lined with the muslin gauze. Do this very slowly to avoid spilling it.
Step 3. Add the salt
Once the milk is inside the colander, add the salt, spreading it a little at a time and evenly. Make several samples to check if you need to add more until you reach the desired degree of flavor.
Step 4. Hang the gauze with milk and wait for an hour
Grab the four corners of fabric and tie them together, then hang the bundle over the sink tap. Leave it in that position for an hour to help the cheese thicken.
Step 5. Add your favorite herbs
After an hour, remove the bundle from the sink faucet, open it and sprinkle the cheese with your selected dried herbs. Finally mix to distribute them evenly.
For example, you could use thyme or rosemary, or both
Step 6. Chill the cheese in the refrigerator
At this point it will still be quite soft, so place it in the refrigerator wrapped in parchment paper to make it thicken. Let it rest until it reaches the typical consistency of spreadable cheese.
The time required depends on the temperature of the refrigerator
Part 3 of 3: Serving and Storing Goat Cheese
Step 1. Use it on pizza
If you have a habit of making pizza at home, add it to the mozzarella. The taste of goat cheese goes well with that of tomato sauce and will make the pizza even more appetizing.
Step 2. Spread it on the bread
When you feel like having a snack, there's nothing better than toasting a slice of bread and spreading your homemade goat cheese on it. If you want, you can also add a layer of honey to get a sweet snack.
If you have guests, you can serve croutons with goat cheese and honey as an aperitif. Get ready to receive lots of compliments
Step 3. Pair it with meat
For example, after cooking chicken or pork, you can spread a thin layer of cheese directly on the meat to add flavor and creaminess to the dish. You can use it to sprinkle several recipes that you prepare regularly, for example by spreading it on pork chops.
Step 4. Store the cheese properly
Goat cheese needs some moisture to keep it fresh. Wrap it in parchment paper and place it in a refrigerator drawer. This way it will stay soft and fresh for longer.
Step 5. If it goes bad, throw it away
Homemade goat cheese generally lasts about two weeks, as long as it is kept in the refrigerator. If you're not sure it's still good, scrape it off the surface. If there is yellowish mold present, it means that it has gone bad and you need to throw it away.
