Little Green Cheese

Cheese making at home with Gavin Webber the Cheeseman

LGC 022 – Mozzarella Hits Mainstream TV

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A cracker of a show this week.  I talk about the recent event where mozzarella hits mainstream TV in the show My Kitchen Rules, which has big ratings here in Australia.

I then go on to talk about how I make mozzarella, which is a bit easier than the method featured on telly.

We have listener questions via SpeakPipe from three keen listeners about UHT milk, thermostat settings, and how much culture to add to the milk at the start.

We also have heaps of email questions which I manage to get through as well.  Questions such as the timer I use, what should maturing Emmental smell like, and can you use fresh milk straight from the cow.

A great show, so sit back with your cheese and crackers and enjoy this episode of Little Green Cheese podcast!

Links from the show;

Keep sending in those questions via voicemail and email as I really enjoy answering them on the show.

Also, if you think you have a cheese making story to tell, drop me an email. I would love to have you on the show as my next guest.

If you wish to receive the show on your portable apple device each time I release an episode, you can subscribe via iTunes. You can also subscribe via Stitcher, just search with that app.

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

Mozzarella and Ricotta Workshop – October

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Mozzarella and Ricotta Workshop

For any locals who may read this blog, I am teaching a cheese making workshop in October.  Details below.

 

Mozzarella and Ricotta Workshop

In this workshop you will:

  • make your own Mozzarella cheese to take home.
  • learn the techniques about the correct cultures to use, setting the curd, draining, and curd stretching.
  • demonstration of Ricotta cheese being made from whole milk.
  • Bread sticks provided for tasting cheese after completion.

Workshop length: 3 hours

Milk, cultures and ingredients provided.Price is around $50 (the centre takes a cut)

Day & Date: Saturday 27th October 2012
Time: 1:00 pm to 4:00pm
Place: Melton South Community Centre, 26 Exford Rd, Melton South, Victoria.
For bookings call 03 97478576 or email msccentr@bigpond.net.au

 

Mozzarella Workshop #6

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Today I held a private mozzarella workshop organised by VG who blogs at the Veggie Gobbler.

mozzarella workshop

I had a ball, and was honoured to meet Monkey Man, the two money boys, the dog, and the chickens!  Ben accompanied me today as Kim wanted some alone time to do some craft, so we set off and set up ready for the class at 2pm.  He was a great lad, and even fixed their computer while he was waiting for me.  Talk about a value add workshop.  Cheese and IT support for the one low price!  Sounds like a good business to get into.

The normal recipe for 30 minute mozzarella was followed that you can watch at this youtube video that I made.  Easy to follow, and fun to make.

As the seven ladies enjoyed a glass of bubbly, I taught them how to make Mozzarella.  Well, in theory anyway.  See, I used crappy home-brand milk with only 3.4% fat content, and soon found out quickly during the first class that the curds would not set with just a quarter of a rennet tablet.  Only one out of four cheeses worked, and we ended up with three batches of ricotta instead of the promised mozzarella.  This is VG’s mozzarella below which she shared a few balls with everyone.

So in the second class, I compensated by adding an eight of a teaspoon of liquid rennet as well (total of three eighths of a teaspoon).  This turned out to be a winner because the curds formed within a minute of stirring in the rennet, so each lady walked home with a wonderful batch of mozzarella that they were very pleased with.

The lesson for today is twofold.  Either insist that I use organic milk or simply add more rennet to the four litres of milk.  Both methods will work, however I do prefer the organic because it is a superior product to work with.  Also I learnt that people are even just happy to make ricotta, because even though I know how to make it, my course is probably the first time they have ever attempted to make cheese, so any product is a bonus!

Thanks to VG who was a great host and I had a great time.  I also think she is writing a blog post about our day, so keep an eye on her blog over the next few days!

Tomorrow, I shall be making mozzarella for my family, because Kim has requested that I fire up the pizza oven because she is hooked on the wood fired pizza taste!  I don’t blame her, as it is a taste well worth waiting for.

Little Green Workshops