BS: Cheesels and why I like them

Subject: BS: Cheesels and why I like them
From: freda underhill
Date: 25 Jan 05 - 10:03 PM

many years ago i used to make my own ricotta cheese. not that it was strictly ricotta, but it looked and tasted like it. This is what I remember of the recipe.

Ricotta Cheese


First, I put 1 gallon whole milk or skim (1 gal. whole milk = about 1lb cheese) in a large saucepan, with some natural yoghurt culture. Wrap it in a blanket and left it overnight, the yoghurt grew in the milk overnight, in the morning it would have set and there would be a huge tub of yoghurt.

Step 1 = eat yoghurt (add banana, honey, dates, shredded coconut, maple syrup, whatever)

OR step 2 = continue and make ricotta cheese

get a heap of either white vinegar or fresh lemon juice

a large colander lined with fine cheesecloth.

Heat the yoghurt slowly and mildly in the saucepan, stirring to prevent it scorching on the bottom. Add about half a cup of vinegar or lemon juice.

it should instantly curdle, the milk protein and fat separating from the whey in smallish white blobs and foam. once the separation occurslet it sit for a few minutes, with an occasional stir.

Place your lined colander in the sink, drain open and carefully pour the entire contents (DO NOT skim anything off) of the pot into it. Take your time, and allow the water to drain through the cheesecloth. If it goes too quickly and nothing is left behind, you will know that your cheesecloth is too coarse and your cheese has gone down the drain! Do not despair, this has happened to many experienced cheese makers, just get finer cheesecloth and try again, or fold your cheesecloth double over next time.

allow the ricotta to drain and cool, gather the ends of the cloth up and tie into a bag which must be suspended over the sink until it stops dripping. You can hang it on the tap or drape it from a wooden spoon laid across the sink, whatever works. The ricotta will be finished draining in about an hour and be ready to use in any recipe that calls for this type of cheese.

Depending on how you are going to use it, you could add some celery or onion salt if for savoury use, or if the cheese is to be used in a dessert, add a little cream, or a touch of vanilla, whatever, and mix in well to make a richer product.

If you are not going to use the cheese immediately, pack into a container and either refrigerate or freeze. This cheese freezes well and will always be available that way. It keeps in the fridge a few days.

freda

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesels and why I like them
From: Peace
Date: 25 Jan 05 - 11:11 PM

It is also an excellent addition to lasagna. Goes great on toast with jam. Man. I LOVE FOOD. Good recipe, Freda.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesels and why I like them
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 26 Jan 05 - 12:06 AM

BTW Freda - where can you find Celery Salt any more - no one around here stocks it any more....

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesels and why I like them
From: freda underhill
Date: 26 Jan 05 - 12:09 AM

.. some health food shops.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesels and why I like them
From: Teresa
Date: 26 Jan 05 - 12:23 AM

What a Friend We Have in Cheeses
Hard cheese of Old England

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesels and why I like them
From: GUEST,foolestroupe
Date: 26 Jan 05 - 07:52 AM

You old cheese, Teresa.....

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesels and why I like them
From: Rapparee
Date: 26 Jan 05 - 09:44 AM

Yeah! Cheese! Manchenga, emmenthraller, double gloucster, farm, parmesan, all of 'em. Haven't had limburg and don't want to, but cheese, yeah. I'm a mouse.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesels and why I like them
From: GUEST,Ooh-Aah2
Date: 26 Jan 05 - 03:49 PM

I wike cheezles co' yoo cand 'dick yo' tongue frew 'eb...

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesels and why I like them
From: Teresa
Date: 26 Jan 05 - 04:04 PM

I like the hard cheeses best, and my favorites are swiss/Lapis (sp?) those type ... the nutty and almost sweet flavored with the holes and the high butter-fat content! Good on anything with sesame seeds and also with almost any kind of mustard.

Teresa

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesels and why I like them
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 26 Jan 05 - 04:12 PM

I have very rarely found a cheese I didn't like.

recently found a recipe for marscapone - very similar to the ricotta recipe above only it started with double cream instead of milk - and the coagulating agent is cream of tartar.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesels and why I like them
From: Rapparee
Date: 26 Jan 05 - 09:56 PM

Marsacapone is the filling in cannelloni. Feel free bring some around.

I like to eat parmesan cheese all by itself. Try putting cubes of it on a cheese tray and see if people know what it is.

I had a wonderful strawberry-filled white stilton over the weekend. QUITE tasty, thank you.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesels and why I like them
From: hilda fish
Date: 27 Jan 05 - 01:23 AM

Freda, we used to do that with goats cheese. The stupid bloody goat was so unobliging that we had to tie her to the tank stand to milk her and feed her lamingtons to keep her quiet. we'd warm up the milk in a big pan and drop in the lemon juice and leave it overnight. In the morning we'd put the mess into muslin and let it drip. The resultant ricotta was great in lasagnes, baked cheesecake etc. We gave the goat away to some animal lovers as we just couldn't take her any more. They've not spoken to us since. Do you think that the goats personality or lack of it had something to do with it?

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesels and why I like them
From: GUEST,freda
Date: 27 Jan 05 - 07:28 AM

about that goat.

did you give her to a man wearing a beaver hat, socks with sandals, shorts and with a fire extinguisher?

was her name esmerelda?


she may be missing the lamingtons.