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Just made a batch of halloumi (style) cheese.
Very nice but can't say it's much better if at all than descent bought stuff.
Anyone else make this or other cheeses. Please tell me your recipes.
Blessed are the cheesemakers!
I received a kit for Xmas that can make a variety of Mediterranean style cheeses. I’m quite looking forward to it!
Often make paneer to put in curries or Indian sweets.......(mmmm kalakand!!!) Does that count?
If so, bring a litre of whole milk to the boil, turn off the gas, let it cool for a few seconds and stir in a tablespoon of lemon juice (might occasionally need a second tablespoonful) .
Stir it as it curdles, and when it has completely separated the solids from the whey, strain off the whey (tip: use this instead of stock or water in your next veggie curry)
Put the solids into a muslin cloth and hang it over a bowl and squeeze as much liquid out as you can.
Put the curd into a bowl and weight it to press it. Overnight in the fridge should do it if you're going to crumble it into kalakand or barfi, a bit longer if you want to cube it for a saag paneer or matar (mutter) paneer.
Made it once. Shop bought cheese was better.
I made a load of halloumi once. It was nice... but so much of it...and the smell of if cooking still hasnt left my nostrils. Never been as keen on halloumi since. 🙂
Paneer was nicer for me.
When we took on the farm back in 2000 we used to milk a house cow by hand every day and would have 10 litres or more of milk which mrs WF used to process into various cheeses. We had a lot of Quark and a soft cheese coated in wax which was a bit like an edam type. Very good they were too. Sadly our cow died after about 10 years (she really was a fantastic and well loved animal) and so ended our cheese making.
Below is a Method for making a wheel of Stilton cheese I copied a few years ago. It seems quite involved and makes a large quite a large amount though, and as I'm the only Stilton eater in our house now I've never got round to trying it (so can't vouch for how good it is).
MAKING A STILTON CHEESE.
Things that you need, but may already have in your kitchen.
A two gallon bucket preferably with lid.
A piece of cotton sheeting 20x20 inches.
A colander.
A beer thermometer (Chemists for £2)
A large spoon to stir with or French balloon whisk.
A long knife with blade about 10” long.
An empty 2 lb fruit tin for a temporary mould or any round receptacle open at both ends. so you can turn your cheese when it is forming.
Things from supermarket.
One gallon of whole milk (full cream).
One carton of active buttermilk.
One small (100ml) bottle of rennet (check the date on the box)
A piece of blue cheese (about an ounce) like Stilton or Danish blue.
About an ounce of coarse sea salt.
Two small polystyrene packing bases from pizzas or similar.
YOU ARE NOW READY TO START.
I always keep a log as I go along so that I can always reproduce any cheese that I make and it is always consistent.
Use the sink full of hot water to keep your temperature at the correct
level so that when your milk is in the bucket it is surrounded by warm water and the temperature for Stilton is 88F……no more no less.
Put your cold milk in a sink full of warm water to bring it up to temperature.
Empty the milk in your clean bucket (sterilized)
Check the temperature is at 88F.
Give the buttermilk a good shake up and then open it and use only a quarter of the carton, tip this in the milk and stir vigorously to mix.
Crumble up your piece of blue cheese and add a small drop of milk to it and stir it into a smooth cream, then add a drop more milk and mix well, this is your blue culture. Add this to your bucket of milk and stir very well.
Put a tablespoon of cool water in a cup drop in 10 drops of RENNET
(it has a special dropper hole) Mix this well for several minutes. aDD THIS TO YOUR MILK and stir well.
Cover and leave for 90 minutes at 88F.
Check after this time for what they call “A clean break”
(this is a state of the curd where if you immerse your bent index finger under the curd surface and then pull it gently out. It should come out clean and the hole left fills with green whey.) That is the condition called a clean break and the curds are ready for cutting, if they are not ready then they will not cut cleanly and separate and you must leave the curd for a further 30 minutes to set properly.
Taking a long knife you must cut the curd right to the bottom of the bucket in straight lines across the surface of the curd. Then do it again at right angles to the first cut so that you have sticks a quarter inch square standing on end in the bucket.
Now take your knife at an angle and cut through those sticks, so that you end up with quarter inch square cubes of solid curd.
Very very gently slide your hand down the side of the bucket to the bottom and spread your hand and lift the curds gently upwards so that they turn over, any big ones just reduce them with your knife.
Leave the curds covered at the same temp (88F) for 30 mins.
After 30 mins the curds should have sunk below the whey so scoop the surplus whey off with a clean cup and just leave the whey just covering the curds and leave for a further 30 minutes.
You can put your hand in and lift the curds as before at any time during this hours “cooking time” .
After the second 30 minutes the curds are ready for straining . Lay your straining cloth in the colander and gently cup the curds into the
colander, allowing the whey to drain through.
Take up all four corners of the straining cloth and tie string around these to form a bundle. Hang this bundle over the bucket to drain for 30 minutes.
Taking the drained bundle and place it on the clean draining board and place a plate on top and on the plate place a weight of around ten pounds. Press this for two hours and the whey will continue to run out.
After two hours unwrap your curd, which will be like a flattened disc of soft cheese.
This must be broken up with your fingers into the clean bucket in small pieces the size of cherries, you have a heaped dessert spoon of sea salt to add as you crumble this curd into your bucket.
Take your fruit tin (Cheese mould) and place it on one of the small pizza bases on the draining board, fill your mould with the salted curds and press down holding the mould firmly to prevent it from jumping up. Make sure you have a fairly even surface.
Wrap the top and bottom cut outs from the tin in cling film (this is called a “follower”) and place on top of the curds. You now have to find a weight to place on this to press down on the curd block for several days.
In the first day the cheese must be turned frequently to keep it in balance for expelling the whey, this is where the other pizza base comes in, just take out the follower and place the pizza base over the top of the mould and invert it. The cheese will slide down to the bottom then place your follower on top of the curd again and replace the weight.
After three days your new cheese should hold it’s shape so it is now ready to mature.
Again place on a pizza base and cover the cheese with a plastic basin
to keep the air in and create a 95% humidity environment.
The cheese has to be turned daily and do not touch it with your bare fingers until the crust has well and truly formed.
The outer rind will go all colours during the next week or so but will settle for an orangey brown after three weeks or so.
On the fourth week take a sterilized knitting needle and pierce the cheese repeatedly to the centre only all around.
Do this again at six weeks, through the same hole if you can. This lets the air get inside the cheese for the blue veining, it now has it’s own immune system.
This cheese can be eaten after six weeks but will be stronger flavoured after 12 weeks and at 20 weeks is considered to be the King of all Blue cheeses.