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!

LGC 035 – Cheese Fridge Update and New Cheese Making Kits

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Listen to the episode below... (00:24:14)
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A choc-o-block episode for you this time around.

I talk about how my cheese fridge is holding up after about a year of use, and how I have found the stability of the temperature and the relative humidity.

I also introduce my new line of Cheese Making Kits, equipment, and ingredients that I have on www.littlegreenworkshops.com.au.  This is the main reason that I have not been podcasting very much over the last month.  My apologies, but it takes a lot of man-hours to develop and create an e-commerce website.

The news spot is about Shepherds Purse Cheese in the UK winning an award.  You can find all their cheeses at https://www.shepherdspurse.co.uk/

Questions this week cover ripening boxes, why do you need to add Lipase to Italian cheese, and brown/orange mould on Caerphilly.

As promised during the episode, here is a couple of photos of Deb’s Caerphilly at one week old and then when it was mature.  Looks delicious.

Debs Caerphilly at 1 week of age.  Note the brevi linens bacteria spots.

 

Debs perfect Caerphilly at 3 weeks of age!

Also here is a photo of Meitar’s cheese fridge with lots of amazing mould ripened cheese and by the looks of it, hard cheeses on the top shelf.  A ripening box with a vent will help in this situation.

Meitar’s cheese fridge
Don’t forget that if you like this podcast, and would like to help promote it as a personal favour to me, please head over to iTunes and give it a rating and a honest review. Once you have clicked on the link, then click the “view on iTunes” button and leave a review.

This helps raise the podcast in the iTunes charts, which ranks against the likes of world famous food podcasters like Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, and Martha Stewart to name a few. Any help would be fantastic if you have the time.

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So, until next time curd nerds, remember to Keep Calm and Make Cheese!

Expanded Range of Cheese Making Kits

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Cheese making at home, and teaching cheese making courses are but a couple of my many talents.

You see my day job is in the IT Industry, and over the last two months, I have been hard at work during my spare time putting together an e-commerce website for my darling wife Kim.

She has always wanted a store of her own, so I thought to myself, here is an opportunity to make her dreams come true, and to use my IT skills as well.

So I did.  And the result is a brand new Little Green Workshops web site, with full e-commerce capabilities.

And guess what Curd Nerds?  The very first thing I did was to move the cheese making kits that I previously sold on here to the new site and then I expanded the range of items for sale.  Exciting stuff.

I have an expanded range of cheese making kits, a variety of equipment, and a small range of cultures, moulds, and other ingredients.  I’ve even produced a paperback version of Keep Calm and Make Cheese, converting it from eBook into a thermally bound book.

Kim took all the product pictures for the site.  Here are a few of the products that she photographed to whet your appetite!

Camembert Kit
Mini Measuring Spoons
Keep Calm and Make Cheese bound edition two
Feta Kit

These kits contain the same ingredients and equipment that you may have seen me using here on the Little Green Cheese, and in my YouTube video tutorials.  Yes folks, I believe that you shouldn’t recommend or sell something if you haven’t tried it yourself and know it intimately.

So there you have it.  If you are interested starting cheese making as a hobby, then what better place to get your gear than right here.  Click through to the store to check out my expanded range of cheese making kits, equipment, and ingredients.

Anyway, now that I have a bit more time on my hands, I will get the podcast up and running again.  I apologize for the extended break.  There will be more curd nerdy fun happening soon.

Who would have thought that when I started this blog, that I would have our very own shop?  I certainly didn’t.

Until next time curd nerds, Keep Calm and Make Cheese!

Little Green Workshops