Little Green Cheese

Cheese making at home with Gavin Webber the Cheeseman

Swiss Cheese Testimonial (Emmental recipe)

By 3 Comments

Getting emails from fellow curd nerds is one of the highlights of my day.  Especially when it’s a swiss cheese testimonial like this one.

Swiss cheese testimonial

Today’s email comes from Philip Kean (South Carolina, USA) who writes;

Hi Gavin,

I have been interested in making soap,beer, wine, smoking meats and sausages and the like for years.  I just came across one of your YouTube videos early this year and thought that I would give it a try.

I had made some mozzarella and I love Swiss so after watching the video on Emmental cheese I decided to order the cultures and give it a go.

I purchased what I needed, thermophilic and shermanii, animal rennet, and some other cultures from New England Cheese Co. and went to work. I have a great source for fresh raw milk and have started to make my cheese in 8 gallon 30 L batches buying 16 gal 60 L at a time.

Swiss cheese slices on round

This I make in a 10 inch diameter or 25 centimeters stainless steel mold.

After brining it is about 7 centimeters thick. Then I simply leave on the counter for about three weeks at around 76-80°F (26°C) and wait for the gas to cause it to swell and produce the holes.

Really that is all there is to it. Please tell me what you think of these pics.

Regards, Phil

Well Phil, I think your Emmental is just amazing.  The rind and eye development looks perfect.

swiss cheese testimonial - cheese slice

The eye development is what you would expect with a cheese round that size.  It certainly beats the smaller sized wheels of swiss cheese that I make.  I believe that when making this cheese size does matter.  The bigger the wheel, the better the eye development.

Well done Phil!

Swiss cheese long shot

For all those who missed it, you can find my swiss cheese (Emmental style) video tutorial below.


The recipe is also available in my cheese making eBook, Keep Calm and Make Cheese.  If anyone else has made cheese at home using my video tutorials, I am sure your fellow curd nerds would love to see some pictures and a brief description of how you made it here on the blog.  Phil can’t be the only one out there.

Who’s going to take up the challenge?

Romano Pepato 17 Months Old

By Leave a Comment

After a very long and patient wait, I have finally cracked open the Romano Pepato that I made way back in December 2013.

This cheese has been turned once a week in the cheese fridge to ensure even moisture and fat distribution, maturing at 13°C (55°F) for 17 months.  Here is a link to the post where I first talked about Romano Pepato.

If you are looking to the method, you can find the video tutorial for Romano at this link.

Romano Pepato

I originally intended to age this cheese for only 10 months and I was planning to open it in Oct 2014, but as usual, time got away from me.  That and the simple fact that we already had some Romano in the fridge for grating, so I just let it continue to mature.

Romano Pepato
Romano Pepato

I purposely vacuum sealed this cheese as I wanted to ensure that during the long time that it took to age, it didn’t dry out, which sometimes happens when you wax a cheese.  I have been caught out before with a Parmesan that I’d waxed that dried out because I hadn’t sealed it correctly.

Romano Pepato - cut

So what does it taste like I hear you ask?  It is amazing!  Deep, rich, and strong Romano taste, with just a hint of pepper throughout the cheese and a long, pleasant aftertaste.

It slices perfectly and is not dry or crumbly.  Even when you get a piece with a peppercorn in it, the spice is not overpowering.  I think the long maturation period mellowed the pepper, but increased the overall flavour.

I know that I always say this, but this cheese is one of the best of the Italian styles of cheese that I have ever made.  The extra aging was worth the wait.  Romano Pepato made with organic milk is perfect if you like strong, Italian style cheese.

I can still taste it in my mouth after 30 minutes.  It would go great with a nice glass of Shiraz or Merlot, or even a dark ale!

Baked Ricotta

By 2 Comments

During our last cheesemaking course, I made the usual batch of fresh ricotta.

I have this very special and somewhat secret recipe (who am I kidding?), that makes simply the creamiest and smoothest whole milk ricotta on the planet. Honestly. Ask anyone who has attended my class!

baked ricotta

If you are intrigued, then you can find the recipe here.

Anyway, what is one to do with 500 grams (1 lbs) of fresh ricotta. We had already made a Chocolate Ricotta Tart previously, so Kim wanted to try something savory.

Enter the Baked Ricotta. One of the students in the class was raving about this dish, so we decided to have a go at making it.

This is one of the most amazing cheese dishes I have ever tasted. We had a little on a cheese platter with crackers the day Kim baked it. The flavour was sensational!

I have also been taking a quarter of one every couple of days to work for lunch. I was the envy of the entire lunch room.

So for those who desperately need it, here is the recipe that Kim devised. I have indicated the ingredients that we grew or made ourselves;

Baked Ricotta

baked ricottaIngredients

  • Olive oil, to grease
  • 500g fresh ricotta (home-made)
  • 2 eggs, lightly whisked (home laid)
  • ½ cup finely chopped fresh garlic chives (home-grown)
  • 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes (home-grown)
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C (356°F).
  2. Brush two 250ml (1 cup) capacity ramekins with oil to lightly grease.
  3. Combine ricotta, egg, chives and chili in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Spoon ricotta mixture among ramekins and smooth the surface.
  5. Place on a baking tray. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until golden and set. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool.
  6. Turn onto a cheese board. Serve with toast or fresh french stick slices.

I cannot get over how simple this was to make. The chili adds a lovely bite to the dish, and once you start it is very hard to stop eating this treat.
baked ricotta

I certainly know what we’re going to be making after my next cheese making class.  Baked Ricotta!

Has anyone else made a variation on this dish? What did it taste like? Did you make your own ricotta?

Little Green Workshops