Author Notes
One of my main goals as a cheesemaker is telling everyone how lovely and healthy and versatile goat cheese is. But there's one more secret-it's super easy to make for yourself! I learned how to make it from an artisan with decades under her belt, but you can perfect your own technique with some practice in your kitchen! Whether you make your own, you use Belle Chevre or any other goat cheese, I want you to enjoy and feel at home with this beautiful cheese! —Tasia Malakasis
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Ingredients
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1 gallon
goat milk
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2 teaspoons
citric acid, rounded
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2 teaspoons
salt (or to taste)
Directions
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Mix the citric acid with 1/2 cup of water. In a heavy-bottomed, nonreactive
pot, combine the goat milk and citric acid to 185 degrees over medium heat, stirring continuously.
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Once it reaches this temperature, turn off the heat and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
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Lay out a towel or several layers of cheesecloth in a bowl. Pour in the milk mixture. The curds simply resemble curdled milk at this point.
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Tie the ends of the towel together so it becomes a bag. Hang it on a wooden spoon and let the bag hang free. The whey should strain for at least two hours, but for best results you can leave half a day. This makes forming easier
and results in a denser cheese.
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Before taking the cheese out of the
cloth, squeeze the cloth to extract more liquid from the cheese. Transfer the cheese from the cloth to a bowl and season it with cheese salt to taste. To shape into a log, simply place on a clean smooth surface and begin to roll out gently, like a playdoh snake.
I started out in the software marketing world, but left my old life behind in 2005 to become a cheesemaker. Belle Chevre, my artisan cheese company based in Elkmont, Alabama, was founded in 1989, and continues to be the country's most playful (and delicious) artisan goat cheese creamery. We sell our goat cheeses, which range from classic to daring (honey-laced fromage blanc) in stores nationwide as well as on our website, http://bellechevre.com. I love my job, but when I do stop working I love to entertain, take walks, and play with my three babies: two gigantic dogs and a nine-year-old son.
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