Little Green Cheese

Cheese making at home with Gavin Webber the Cheeseman

Chili Queso Fresco

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Chili Queso Fresco is such a simple variation to the original Queso Fresco recipe I’ve previously shared on this blog.

Because the original is a fresh cheese, I often thought it may be lacking something.  It needed a bit of a kick, so I decided to create a new version of this cheese by adding dried chili flakes into the process.

Naturally, I recorded a video tutorial for you all to watch how I went about making this cheese, so sit back and enjoy this variation that I called Chili Queso Fresco.

Quite simple really, and ready to eat the same day you made it.  Fresh cheese is the quickest route to quell your cheesy cravings, so they are certainly great to make at short notice when you are planning a party or event.

The only real change is that you prepare your dried chilies in advance by crushing them and adding them to 3 Tablespoons of water in a small pan.

Boil them for 15 minutes to rehydrate, then strain, keeping the chili water in reserve for addition to the milk when bringing up to the initial target temperature.

Add in the chili flakes during milling and resting.

Also, just a note; I used 190 IMCU Vegetarian Rennet in this recipe.  You may need to adjust your rennet quantity based on the type of rennet you use.

Chili Queso Fresco in the press
Chili Queso Fresco in the press

It still needs 6 hours in the press, but you don’t need to unwrap/re-wrap during the process.  It is a great cheese for a beginner cheese maker to begin their craft.

Chili Queso Fresco
Chili Queso Fresco

However, with that said, I found that this cheese improved in flavour and kick after 24 hours resting in the kitchen refrigerator.   You can also increase the salt content slightly if you like a saltier cheese, but I wouldn’t go much past 1½ Tablespoons of salt.

Since posting the video tutorial on a few cheesemaking Facebook groups, many people have tried and thoroughly enjoyed making and eating this cheese.

If you’re looking for a kit or ingredients to make this cheese and live in Australia or New Zealand, then I highly recommend that you check out Little Green Workshops.  Owned by my wife Kim and I, we strive to stock all essential cheese making gear for the home cheese maker.

Whilst there, you can pick up a Soft Cheese Kit and any other cheese making equipment that you may need.

So what are you waiting for; give this cheese a try.  If you’re into chili, then this fresh cheese is for you!

Ask the Cheese Maker – Hangout on Air

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Here is something new that I want to try.  Tomorrow night at 2000 hrs, Melbourne Australia time, I will be holding a Hangout on air.  It’s kind of like a live video Q&A, where I will be answering your cheese making questions live on air, which will be available on YouTube afterwards.

Here is the link so that you can add it to your calendars: https://plus.google.com/events/cu49685o66rrrcejr5rej8siufc

So send through your questions before hand via the event page and join in if you like.  I’m happy to answer any cheese making question to the best of my abilities.

In case you just want to watch the proceedings, then you can watch the Hangout below.

 It should be great fun, so join in and learn a few things along the way.

How to Sanitize Your Cheese Making Equipment

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Cleanliness and sanitization go hand in hand before you start your cheese making session.  But how do you ensure that you sanitize without using harmful ingredients?  In this post, I am going to show you a greener way to sanitize your cheese making equipment.

Make sure that you clean every item in hot soapy water first, then rinse off with clean tap water.  Make sure there isn’t any oils or cheese stone on the surfaces of your equipment.

Once all your cheese making equipment is clean, then it is on to the sanitizing stage.  For that, all you need is boiling water and white vinegar!  Check out the YouTube video for full details.

 

Pretty simple and all without the use of bleach or iodophor.  For all your plastic molds and baskets, just spray with white vinegar and allow to dry.  That will take care of most bacteria or yeasts.

All it takes is a bit of common sense.  If or when you are unsure whether a piece of equipment is not clean enough, then go through the process again to make sure it’s okay to use.

I’ve been using this method for years, with no issues, or contaminated cheese.  I have also not had any cross contamination when using different starter cultures and moulds between cheese making sessions.

Sanitzing your cheese making equipment

There’s just one caveat.  If you intend on selling your cheese, then to ensure compliance with any regulations, you will need to take your cleaning and sanitization to the next level.  There are different rules and regulations in each country or state, so make sure you contact the relevant regulatory body for more information if you want to take the next step towards the commercialisation of your cheese making operations.

However, for the home cheese maker, my simple process to sanitize your cheese making equipment is fine for home consumption.

For more tips about cleanliness and sanitization check out this post titled .

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