Thursday, September 2,2010

Making your own cheese

By Julianne Glatz

Who says there’s nothing to do in Springfield? Not anyone who reads the weekly IT calendar section, for sure. And if that weren’t enough, the IT special edition guides – fall, summer, holiday, etc. – offer even more possibilities and insights.

But just in case there are any doubters among local food/culinary enthusiasts, a trifecta of intriguing food events will take place on Saturday, Sept. 11: a class on home cheese-making, an oyster and beer festival, and the annual Hope School Celebrity Chef Benefit featuring four-star Chicago chef Curtis Duffy.

It’s especially nice to have so many things to look forward to on Sept. 11, which happens to be my birthday. It’s not been fun having a birthday on a day of national mourning. I don’t mean to whine about it – nothing I’ve experienced could even remotely be compared to the suffering and trauma experienced by the 9/11 victims, their families, New York City and the entire nation. Still, too many times I’ve heard “Your birthday is 9/11? That’s a bummer!” from folks perusing some form I’ve filled out or looking at my driver’s license (sadly, not to check if I’m over 21).

Event #1: Merryl Winstein will teach an all-day, hands-on cheesemaking class in Springfield. Winstein lives in Webster Groves, a leafy St. Louis suburb. She’s been raising goats in her backyard for 17 years and making cheeses from their milk, and eventually cow’s milk, for almost as long.

“But at first they didn’t turn out very well,” she says. She read as many books on cheesemaking as she could find: some specifically about home cheesemaking, as well as agricultural college textbooks – at least those published before the 1970s. In the seventies, college courses began focusing on large-scale commercial production. Earlier textbooks were geared to small-batch production on family farms.

Despite all her reading and experimentation, Winstein continued to be frustrated with the cheeses she was producing. Eventually she concluded that some of the information was just wrong – especially in books geared to home cheesemaking – and virtually all of it was inadequate.

“The books weren’t cutting it,” she says. “Then one day I realized that those textbooks were meant as an accompaniment to a professor demonstrating the methods and techniques. And I decided that I needed to watch cheese being made in a class instead of just reading about it.”

Winstein traveled to Massachusetts to take an advanced class at the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company. Six months later she enrolled at the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheesemaking in Burlington. “They teach a three-week series, and you could take all three weeks at once, or do one week, then come back for the second and third weeks at different times,” Winstein laughs. “I was going to do it that way, but as soon as I got home after the first week, I turned around, went back, and took the whole series at once.”

She had found the missing link: “Watching master cheesemakers and dairy science professors, it was very clear what I needed to do differently. How much to stir. Making judgments about moisture level and curd texture. Recognizing subtle changes – things a teacher can demonstrate that you don’t get in the books.”

For the last seven years, Winstein has been sharing that knowledge with others. At first she gave classes only occasionally, but interest has grown in home cheesemaking. “Homemade craft cheese is where craft beer was 20 years ago,” says Steve Shapson, founder of TheCheeseMaker.com, one of many websites offering cheesemaking supplies and information. “Home cheesemaking is where all the creativity and inspiration is happening.” Winstein now offers classes “every few weeks” in the St. Louis area and elsewhere – she’s even given cheesemaking classes in Wisconsin!

I sampled three of Winstein’s cheeses: a mild, creamy blue, a Lorraine-type Swiss, and a Swiss Gruyre. All were delicious, although the Gruyre was substantially milder than the original, because it hadn’t aged as long. “Oh, it’ll get more intense,” Winstein laughed. “If it lasts that long!”

Participants in Winstein’s Springfield class will learn to make Chvre, Feta, Cheddar, Yoghurt, and Mozzarella/Scamorza. That’s a lot of cheeses in a single day, but Winstein strongly feels that students can learn the essential techniques of cheesemaking in a day. “I try to cover as many methods as possible,” she says. “Why should they keep coming back day after day, when they can learn it all in a day? They can use the methods I teach and apply them to recipes in books. And they can always call me and ask questions as they begin making cheeses on their own.”

The Springfield class will start at 9 a.m. and last until approximately 4 p.m. The cost is $135 per person; $260 for two.

Winstein provides all supplies for the class, but participants should bring a bag lunch to be eaten during a lull in the cheesemaking process. Visit her website, www.cheesemakingclass.com for more information. E-mail Winstein at merrylcheese@yahoo.com or call 314-968-2596 for details about the Springfield class or to register.

Next week: 9/11/10, part II: Springfield’s first Oyster and Beer Fest and the annual Hope School Celebrity Chef Benefit.

Contact Julianne Glatz at realcuisine.jg@gmail.com.

RealCuisine Recipe
Switzerland cheese toast

I first had Switzerland cheese toast decades ago in the most perfect setting imaginable: an outdoor restaurant in Zermatt, Switzerland, overlooking the Matterhorn. I hadn’t ordered it: cheese toast sounded mundane, like grilled cheese sandwiches at home. Much as I loved those, I wanted to try something new. Fortunately my friend ordered the cheese toast for exactly the reason I hadn’t – she only wanted to eat familiar foods. We ended up switching dishes: my ravioli were boringly bland, which was perfect for her; while her cheese toast was a deliciously different experience for me.

A few years later I found a recipe for Switzerland cheese toast and I’ve been making it ever since. I mostly pair it with a salad and/or soup to make a complete meal. But the cheese mixture is also good as a topping for baked potatoes, stuffed mushrooms (especially with some crabmeat underneath), grilled eggplant, or roasted halves of sweet peppers as an appetizer, not to mention using leftover mixture on a piece of breakfast toast.

• 1/4 c. dry white wine or vermouth
• 2 T. unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 T. flour
• 1/2 - 1 tsp. minced garlic, or more or less to taste, 1/2 c. warm milk
• 1 c. grated Swiss cheese, preferably Gruyere. Other good choices:
• Swiss Emmentaler, French Comté, or a flavorful domestic equivalent
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 baguette, cut into diagonal slices one-half-inch thick and toasted on one side, or halved horizontally

Put the wine into a microwavable bowl, cover and microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until the wine just comes to a boil. Remove and let come to room temperature.

Heat the butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and garlic, and stir until the flour just barely begins to turn golden.

Whisk in the milk and stir constantly until the mixture is thick and smooth. Remove from the heat and let come to room temperature.

Mix in the wine, cheese, egg, salt, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. The mixture can be used immediately, or refrigerated until needed. (Either is fine, but it’s easier to spread if it’s chilled first.)

Heat a broiler to medium high.

Spread a thick layer on the untoasted sides of the bread slices or halved baguette. Broil until the cheese is puffed, bubbly and lightly browned. It’s OK if it drips down the sides. Serve immediately.

Phone first, 314-968-2596.

1041 Bompart, Webster Groves, MO 63119

From Lambert International Airport, St. Louis, MO STL

You may take the Bi-State Bus or Metrolink to 2 miles from our house.  Check schedules/prices.

Driving:  Go out of parking lot, go East on Highway 70.  In only a mile or two, Right (South) on 170.  All the way to end.  There is NO SIGN FOR BENTWOOD SOUTH!.  There is only a sign for Brentwood North (far right lane), but you want Brentwood South, which is the lane immediately adjacent on it's left.  If you get to Brentwood, turn left, go south.  In a mile, cross Manchester Rd.  Third LIGHT after Manchester, Left on Marshall.  Second stopsign, left on Bompart. 1041 is 5th on left, next to tennis court.. 

If you accidentally go NORTH on Brentwood, turn around and come back south, then continue to cross Manchester, etc.

If you accidentally wind up going EAST on Highway 40/64, soon you'll get to Big Bend.  Exit, turn right, go south.  Cross Manchester.  Keep going.  Just after McDonalds on right, turn right onto Marshall or Shrewsbury (same street, 2 names).  Cross Laclede Station light.  2nd stop sign is Bompart. Turn right.  1041 Bompart is 5th house on left, next to tennis court.

If you accidentally got on Highway 40/64 WEST, take next exit, McKnight.  Turn left/south.  At Manchester turn left, east.  At Brentwood, turn right, south.  3rd light, left on Marshall.  2nd stopsign, left on Bompart.  1041, 5th on left, next to tennis court.

West from downtown St. Louis:

West on 44, exit at Shrewsbury.  Left on Shrewsbury.  Stay on that street.  Cross Big Bend.  Cross Laclede Station.  2nd stop SIGN, Right on Bompart.  5th house on left, next to tennis court.

Coming EAST on 44:  go east of 270 another few miles.  Exit at Elm.  Left on Elm. Right on Big Bend.  Go about 1/2 mile and go THROUGH first stopLIGHT at Edgar.  Immediate left on Bompart.  Go 10 blocks to 1041 Bompart, last house on left, next to tennis court, street continues down the hill.

Coming EAST on 40/61/64 or whatever they call it now:  Drive east on 40.  They are working on it so at the end you must choose Brentwood or 170.  Choose BRENTWOOD.  Exit there.  Turn Right, south (Away from Galleria).  Whole Foods will be on your right in a block.  Keep going south on Brentwood.  Cross Manchester Rd.  At 3rd LIGHT after Manchester, turn Left on Marshall.  2nd stop sign, turn Left on Bompart.  1041 Bompart, 5th on left, next to tennis court..  

Going North on 55 towards St. Louis.  You can exit onto 44 and go west once you are near downtown.  West on 44, exit at Shrewsbury.  Left on Shrewsbury.  Stay on that street.  Cross Big Bend.  Cross Laclede Station.  2nd stop SIGN, Right on Bompart.  5th house on left, next to tennis court.  

Or take Scenic Shortcut instead:  exit at Carondolet.  Left on Carondolet, which becomes River Des Peres.  Go to end.  At light, Lansdowne, turn left (don't go into Metro Link Station).  Go till light at Shrewsbury.  Right on Shrewsbury.  Cross Big Bend.  Cross Laclede Station.  2nd stop SIGN, Right on Bompart.  5th house on left, next to tennis court.

From Illinois on 55 or 64 - aim for "Downtown St. Louis" and also aim for "44"

If you are coming from Illinois (coming south on 55, or west on 64) cross the Poplar Street Bridge, where the Arch is, and take the 2nd exit, for Highway 44.  Currently that is the 2nd lane from the right.  (It is IMMEDIATELY after the first exit, which is to the Arch/Memorial Drive).  Keep going a mile or two till you turn right onto 44.

From Illinois, heading west on 70:  You can turn on 55 south towards downtown St. Louis, then follow directions above.

Otherwise, take 270 west, cross Mississippi River.  Go quite a few miles to 170.  South on 170 till the end.  Aim for Brentwood.  There is only a sign for Brentwood North (far right lane), but you want Brentwood South, which is the lane immediately adjacent on it's left.  Then, at Brentwood, turn left, going south on Brentwood.  Cross Manchester Rd.  At 3rd LIGHT after Manchester, turn Left on Marshall.  2nd stop sign, turn Left on Bompart.  1041 Bompart, 5th on left, next to tennis court.. 

Finally, if you are coming from Southern Illinois, take the JB Bridge (Jefferson Barracks), west on 255, (or maybe it is 270), then North on 55.

You can exit onto 44 and go west once you are near downtown:  West on 44, exit at Shrewsbury.  Left on Shrewsbury.  Stay on that street.  Cross Big Bend.  Cross Laclede Station.  2nd stop SIGN, Right on Bompart.  5th house on left, next to tennis court.  

Or take Scenic Shortcut instead:  exit at Carondolet.  Left on Carondolet, which becomes River Des Peres.  Go to end.  At light, Lansdowne, turn left (don't go into Metro Link Station).  Go till light at Shrewsbury.  Right on Shrewsbury.  Cross Big Bend.  Cross Laclede Station.  2nd stop SIGN, Right on Bompart.  5th house on left, next to tennis court.

You have your equipment, rennet, cultures and citric acid, a kit and directions - BUT

unfortunately, there is NO brand of pasteurized milk in the St. Louis, MO area suitable for cheesemaking, and none of them will stretch for mozzarella. 

Even though your directions or kit lead you to believe you can use milk from a store for cheesemaking and mozzarella, I can only guess that must refer to milk from a store in some other state far away from here.  Ours is all pasteurized at 170 F or higher, rendering it unable to coagulate firmly, stretch, or drain.  Even the low temperature pasteurized brand hits very high temperatures in certain specific areas of the pasteurizing equipment, although the overall vat stays at 155 or lower.

Luckily, if you want to make cheese, RAW MILK will work.  For sources check www.realmilk.com or www.localharvest.org .  Also, the "Local Harvest Grocery Store" and "Tower Grove Farmer's Market" are possible sources of raw milk in St. Louis.

Also, on www.cheesemaking.com (Ricki Carroll's site), there's a method for using powdered dry milk, plus cream, for making mozzarella, which she says works well.

Luckily, if you want to make YOGURT or RICOTTA, any brand WILL work.  For yogurt, you don't seek a firm curd, and for ricotta, you will heat the milk past pasteurization temperatures anyway.

By the way, it's completely legal to buy raw milk in Missouri, under Mo. Statute 196.935, which states:  "an individual may buy and have delivered, for his own use, raw milk and cream from a farm."  That's pretty simple to understand in plain English.

Aug. 25, 2010

Merryl Winstein

I felt very adventurous when Mom started bringing home white American cheese.  So we had four kinds of cheese at our house - both the golden and the white, then the circular brilliant orange Colby (and were you supposed to eat the red wax or not?), plus Velveeta.

Then I traveled to Denmark alone when I was 14, to join in an International Girl Scout Jamboree, and to be the houseguest of my Danish penpal (who knew pretty much English).  Although everyone there spoke an unintelligible language, and the signs and architecture were baffling, I somehow at least had enough sense and courtesy to eat exactly what my hosts ate, whether or not I knew what it was.

There were open faced sandwiches on thin flavorful dark rye bread, eaten with the knife in the right hand.  And toppings for these "smorrebrod" included anything new, or leftover from the last meal.  Including cheese.

Tilsit, Havarti, Esrom, Samsoe.  Fynbo, Elbo, Tybo, Moribo.  Every one of them strong and odorous - and, to my teenage surprise - utterly delicious!  I knew that I would NEVER have eaten such substances at home - but in a new setting, I found the wonder of real cheese.  None of it resembled the creamy mild versions sold in local stores now - the Havarti was strong, chunky and dark colored, the Tilsit almost sour.  I was shocked that I actually loved the strong smelly cheeses and craved them intensely. Once home again, I did find a shop which sold these Danish selections, but my family never shared my enthusiasm.

In a Canadian food co-op in the late 70's I found English style cheeses - stacks of them.  Cheshire, Wensleydale, Leicester, and every one of them different and delicious. 

During that time I made some cheese, cobbling together barely existing descriptions into a guesswork method.  It tasted interesting and strange.  The first person I gave some to judged darkly, "You should not be giving that to anyone to eat!"

I haven't thought much about any of this till recently.  When I did get some goats in 1993, of course I wanted to make some of those wonderful cheeses I had loved in the past.  Turns out the one-day class I did find, omitted a lot of crucial information.  Like, how firm is the curd supposed to look and feel when it is ready to remove from the whey?  How could I know that the mush we viewed in the class was incorrect, but was all that could be accomplished using store bought milk?

Really, the first 12 years of cheesemaking were simply stumbling in the dark, in complete isolation, although somehow some amazing blue cheese came about, and the ricotta worked most of the time.  My sporadic attempts at cheesemaking were interspersed with dairying, raising my human babies, lack of time to concentrate, and not being able to understand the few recipes I could find.  And suddenly, a few years ago, the cheese started working, for no perceptible reason.  I think it's probably because my kids grew older and I could concentrate.

Meanwhile, I have become a competent herd manager for my goats, their milk tastes extra delicious, and I read all night (my "free time") about goat raising, cheesemaking, and historical references on both which tell how people do it pre-gizmo, pre-electricity, pre-refrigeration.......but for cheesemaking I was running into new roadblocks.  And the cheese problems I found were not addressed in any books I could find. 

So I took a super two-day workshop from Jim Wallace in Massachusetts.  As everything he did created more and more sense, I suddenly realized - I have been making cheese all these years without anyone ever showing me how.  Did I only manage to succeed because cheesemaking is so inherently easy and natural anyway?  Really, I wonder why I even kept trying all this time.   I have no answer.

Once at home I put into practice all he had taught. 

And, on a roll, within a few more weeks, I landed in Vermont for three intensive weeks at the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheesemaking (VIAC) (featured in Nov. 2009 Martha Stewart's Living magazine, page 12 and 160-169)  With a population of 500,000, Vermont leads the nation per capita in licensed cheesemakers (at least that's the claim I heard) - 45 of them so far, and quite a few new ones attending the classes I took were about to start up.  (So far there are about 10 such cheesemakers in Missouri, with a few more opening soon). The Vermont Department of Agriculture works cooperatively with VIAC to actively encourage people to open cheesemaking operations, to provide jobs, preserve the working rural landscape, while increasing revenue from product sales, and increased tourism.

VIAC fed us plates and plates of Vermont cheese, all the best types that could be found, and fresh as could be since it was all locally produced.  It was simply out of this world in quality and flavor, barely resembling the pallid versions shipped to St. Louis.  Then there were the wonderful classes.  The multi-day classes in cheese and milk chemistry, starter cultures, aging, sanitation and pathogens, demonstrations in the cheesemaking room by experts from other countries, unbiased scientific discussion and documentation of raw milk properties, myths exploded, questions answered.  My idea of heaven.

And here we are together, you the reader and me, an ordinary person who can, however, probably answer a few questions you have about cheesemaking.  So I hope you will take a class and find out how cheese is created.  It all starts with the same few ingredients - milk, some bacteria, rennet and salt, and usually that's all - and how does it turn into myriads of evocative satisfying flavors and textures?  You can find out.  You can make cheese yourself.  I will help show you how.

Merryl Winstein

Nov. 2009

ARTICLE on making Hard Cheeses, by Becky Pastor, SAUCE MAGAZINE, JULY 2010, including Merryl Winstein, Cheesemaker

PHOTOS of MERRYL WINSTEIN in the ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH, APRIL 16, 2010:

http://stltoday.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=28912372&event=980496&CategoryID=50974&picnum=12&move=F#Image////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

ARTICLE on CHEESEMAKING IN MISSOURI, ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH, APRIL 16, 2010:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/1F7DAC0BBCEAD97686257707000BED1A?OpenDocument

http://www.seasonsmagazinedigital.com/seasonsmagazine/2009holiday/#pg78  is the link to this fun article about Merryl Winstein and Cheesemaking Classes.  You may have to copy and paste it.

PASSIONATE PALATE | MARGI LENGA KAHN

Backyard barn is perfect for homemade cheeses

MARGI LENGA KAHN

BY MARGI LENGA KAHN, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

I was inspired to make fresh mozzarella cheese after reading Barbara Kingsolver's book, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." But to make the cheese, I needed rennet, which is a combination of enzymes that coagulates milk and separates the solids from the liquids and the curds from the whey. I spent an hour on the phone trying in vain to find a local source. Frustrated, I Googled "rennet St. Louis." The results indicated that I might have found a source. Actually, I found much more.

Her name is Merryl Winstein, and she lives in Webster Groves. She gave me her address, and off I went.

Driving down the quiet, tree-lined street in what seemed a typical suburban neighborhood; I had no idea that in the backyard of Winstein's home were six goats. Yes, goats. To be precise, three Saanen, one Nubian, one Alpine, and a young kid not old enough to be milked.

Yes, milked. Winstein milks her goats once a day in her backyard barn, which was converted from a shed on the property. Her barn has five stanchions, which are platforms that hold the goats still while they are milked. Winstein designed the stanchions and built them herself.

"We knew this house was perfect for farming from the moment we saw it," Winstein told me. "The house was on a triple lot, which provided ample space for a pasture to raise chickens. Over the course of about a year, I found that the Webster Groves ordinances allowed for the raising of farm animals, too. We added the goats later that year. "

Winstein stocks the rennet and other cheese making supplies because she is an accomplished and passionate — and superb — cheese maker. She has been making cheese from her goats' milk and local cow's milk for more than 16 years. She honed her skills by taking advanced classes in Massachusetts and a three-week class at the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese.

Winstein offers cheese-making classes in her home. She teaches techniques for controlling temperature, moisture and acidity levels and achieving the proper textures at different stages in the cheese-making process. Additionally, students learn about aging and how to set-up an aging cabinet in their homes. And, of course, they get to sample Winstein's delicious cheeses.

So how does a nice Jewish girl, raised in Olivette, a 1974 graduate of Ladue Horton Watkins High School, get into farming and cheese making?

"There is no history of farming in my family," said Winstein. "My parents wouldn't even allow us to have a pet in the house."

After her first year of college, Winstein moved to Canada, where she enrolled in art school to study illustration and graphic design. She spent summers as a farm hand on different farms.

In 1980, she returned to St. Louis and enrolled at Washington University, where she completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a minor in Biology. Following graduation, she worked as an illustrator and designer, and eventually wrote, illustrated and published the book, "Your Fertility Signals —Using them to Achieve or Avoid Pregnancy Naturally."

When she wasn't in school, Winstein traveled the country, often staying on farms. She enjoyed the farm work. Although it was hard labor, it was personally satisfying. So much so that she was determined to make farming a lifetime goal.

When her first child, Sarah, now 18, was born, Winstein became a full-time homemaker and began farming.

When I visited her in mid-January, all five of her adult goats were pregnant. Their litters will range from one to three kids each, and their milk supply will provide not only enough to feed their babies but for at least one, and sometimes two, additional daily milkings.

The last time her goats gave birth, Winstein raised some of the males for extra meat and kept some of the females for milking. From this new litter, she plans to keep a male (a buckling) for breeding and one or two females (doelings) for milking. A number of people have expressed interest in buying some of the babies.

The chickens on the farm are multi-taskers. In addition to laying eggs, they pick through and eat parts of the goat manure, which keeps the barn and yard clean and, amazingly enough to me, free of odor.

Winstein's husband, Richard E. Hibbs, is the gardener in the family. He grows potatoes, various greens, green beans, tomatoes, and assorted sweet and hot peppers.

I asked Winstein how her love of farming relates to her Judaism.

"For one thing," she said, "the Torah is a lot easier to understand if you are a farmer. If you think about Abraham, Isaac, Moses and others, they were shepherds. Their lives revolved around raising goats and sheep to provide meat and milk to feed their families, skins for leather, and hair to weave into cloth.

"Having raised goats myself," she continued, "I can also understand the animal sacrifices that they made and why they chose to only use the males for that purpose. They understood that the females provided much needed milk and could produce offspring to guarantee that their families would have food to eat and clothes to wear."

And, of course, there's Winstein's commitment to hard work.

"I was not raised with a strong work ethic," Winstein said. "It's something I learned from watching other farm families. I wanted my children to understand that life is about learning to do things we enjoy as well as those we don't. It is an enormous confidence builder. The discipline learned in doing farmyard chores goes beyond the physical and is applicable to learning in school and later in life. "

One year, Winstein's son, Joseph, wanted an expensive pair of roller blades. He spent a couple of days digging out blackberry plants in the yard and potting them in small cups. At 5:30 one morning, Winstein took him to the local swap meet. There, her son was able to sell all of his plants in less than two hours. He made enough money that morning to buy his roller blades.

"Counting the money on the way home," Winstein said, "he began to understand the value of hard work."

Despite the hard work and dedication, there are limits to what you can accomplish on a "farm" in your backyard.

"We eat what we raise, but we are tied to suppliers for the hay and feed," Winstein explained. "That being said, our food is better tasting and free of chemicals and preservatives. And we've created a model for farming that is entirely usable in cities."

Winstein offers both half-day (3 hours) and full-day (7 hours) cheese-making classes. Laurie and Michael Vandervelde, both active in Hazon's Community-Supported Agriculture Program (CSI) here in St. Louis, each took a full day class from Winstein on different days.

"We figured it was too much information for both of us to grasp over two days," Laurie Vandervelde said last week, "so we split it up. Merryl Winstein makes cheese-making workable, is very hands- on and very clear. She is very passionate and knowledgeable," Vandervelde remarked. "We're looking forward to trying the simple recipes, the ricotta, mozzarella and queso blanco."

Here are some of the ways I enjoy serving and cooking with fresh (no rind) goat cheese:

* Appetizers:

Quarter fresh figs (when in season), leaving the quarters attached at the bottom, and place a dollop of goat cheese in the center of each fig. Drizzle figs with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with chopped fresh thyme and fresh ground black pepper.

Place 3 ounces of goat cheese in a jar and cover with extra-virgin olive oil. Add finely chopped garlic, black peppercorns, and a few fresh herb sprigs such as thyme, oregano, or marjoram. Refrigerate for 2 days. Drain and serve with crackers or toasted baguette slices.

* Salad:

Crumble goat cheese over a salad of mixed greens such as arugula, spinach, or field green mix, thinly sliced pears, toasted walnuts, and dried cranberries. Drizzle salad with a citrusy vinaigrette.

* Main Course:

Use a combination of finely chopped, sautéed vegetables gently mixed with goat cheese as a stuffing for raviolis made from wonton wrappers or fresh pasta dough. Boil stuffed raviolis in salted water until tender. Drain the raviolis and serve them in a hearty vegetable soup or as a pasta entrée with tomato sauce.

* Dessert:

Drizzle honey over slices of goat cheese and top with toasted sliced almonds. Serve alongside fresh sliced strawberries.

To learn more about Winstein's classes, contact her by phone at (314) 968-2596 or visit her website, www.cheesemakingCLASS.com.

Margi Lenga Kahn is the mother of five and grandmother of two. A cooking instructor at the Kitchen Conservatory, she is currently working on a project to preserve the stories and recipes of heritage cooks. She welcomes your comments and suggestions at margikahn@gmail.com.

By Matt Sorrell | Photos by Carmen Troesser
Posted On: 11/12/2009     ShareThis

From the individually wrapped slices in the dairy case to the rarest French Camembert at the local wine shop, the sheer variety makes it easy to forget cheese’s humble beginnings. Cheese-making began as just a way to keep milk around longer, before the advent of refrigeration and other methods of preservation. And if you don’t mind spending a little time in the kitchen, it can still be made relatively easily and inexpensively at home.

Image 1 of 2

Left to its own devices for a day or two, raw milk will turn into a basic cheese with only the assistance of the handy bacteria present in the air. Bacteria often get a bad rap in the supersanitized modern world, but these little guys are what make cheese, well, cheese. The bacteria increases the acidity of the milk by “eating” the lactose and producing lactic acid, which helps the milk to curdle and start on its way to cheesy goodness. You can also buy specific starter bacteria and introduce it yourself. Once those hungry bacteria produce lactic acid, an enzyme called rennet can be brought into the process. Rennet (available in animal or vegetable forms), the acid and milk proteins interact and cause the milk to coagulate, which eventually creates curds. The curds can then be cut to any desired size and then pressed into a dizzying variety of shapes and consistencies.

Leery of messing around with bacteria and enzymes, or just have a short attention span? Try the “acid plus heat” method in which milk is heated, then an acid, like vinegar, is added into the mix, causing the curds to separate out. Strain the mixture and that’s it, the easiest cheese-making method possible; ricotta is one of the most well-known cheeses made this way.

After these basic processes are completed, the resulting cheeses can be eaten fresh or massaged further by aging, salting, adding herbs or even various molds to create different flavors.

Like anything else, cheese is only as good as what goes into it. According to local cheesemaker extraordinaire Merryl Winstein, who offers classes in the lactic art at her home in Webster Groves, any milk pasteurized at more than 160 degrees won’t coagulate well and needs calcium chloride added to the mix to help out the rennet; if the milk has been pasteurized at more than 170 degrees, it will hardly yield cheese at all because the cures will be too soft and mushy. Winstein advised using raw cow or goat milk for best results. She also recommended using coarse salt with no additives and no iodine if you decide to salt your creations.

Matt Sorrell is a Richmond Heights-based freelance writer and amateur cheese aficionado.

Merryl Winstein teaches classes if you’d like to learn more about cheese-making; visit cheesemakingcCLASS.com for details. Winstein also sells cheese-making supplies and raises dairy goats, whose milk, when available, is ideal for making cheese.

Raw cow milk can be purchased completely legally in Missouri.  For suppliers, visit www.localharvest.org, www.realmilk.com, or order from Greenwood Farms in Newburg, which delivers regularly to St. Louis: 800.253.6574, greenwoodfarms.com.

Ricotta and Queso Blanco

cheese-making teacher Merryl Winstein

Makes 1/2 pound

Cheese can be pressed under a weight to make queso blanco.

INGREDIENTS

½ gallon cow, goat or sheep milk (raw or whole milk is best)
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, plus a few teaspoons more if needed
1 to 2 tsp. salt

PREPARATION

• In a heavy pot, gently heat the milk to 180 degrees. (Do not use an aluminum pot – it will give a sour flavor.)
• Add 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar to the hot milk and gently stir.
• Thick white curds should separate from the greenish-clear liquid whey. If not, gently stir in more vinegar, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the curds and whey separate.
• Leave the thick curds in the hot whey for 10 minutes. Drain through a cloth.
• Stir in the salt and let sit for 15 to 30 minutes until the cheese’s texture softens up evenly.

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