Little Green Cheese

Cheese making at home with Gavin Webber the Cheeseman

Chili Queso Fresco

By Leave a Comment

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!

Queso Fresco Video Tutorial

By Leave a Comment

Queso Fresco is a breeze to make, and I have even taught my son Ben to make it now.  It was his first cheese, so I now consider him a baby curd nerd!

Queso Fresco video tutorial - Ben making Queso Fresco
Ben making Queso Fresco

For those of you who missed it, I posted the recipe for Queso Fresco here.  However, I can now present the Queso Fresco video tutorial that goes with it.

Enjoy the tutorial!  If Ben can make it, you can too.

If anyone has any questions, please leave them below via comment.

 

Queso Fresco

By 11 Comments

This cheese, Queso Fresco, stems from Spain and Latin American roots.  Translated it means Fresh Cheese.  This cheese shouldn’t be confused with Queso Blanco, which is essentially Ricotta Salata.  Queso Fresco uses rennet, whereas Queso Blanco only uses lemon juice to coagulate the milk.

It is a quick farmhouse cheese that can be made a variety of ways.  It involves a little bit of mesophilic culture, a little liquid rennet, and some salt.  Not too much to making it really, but well worth the effort.

Queso Fresco

Here is the recipe that I adapted for a lower yield as most of the recipes that I found asked for 8 litres (2 gallons) of milk, which I believe was too much.

Queso Fresco

 Ingredients
  • 4 litres of full cream milk
  • 1/16th of a teaspoon of Mesolphillic direct set culture (MO30)
  • 1/8th of a teaspoon of liquid rennet diluted in 30ml (2 Tbspn) of unchlorinated water
  • 1 Tablespoon of Cheese Salt
  • 1/8th teaspoon of Calcium Chloride diluted in 30ml (2 Tbspn) of unchlorinated water, if using pasteurised/homogenised milk.
Method
  1. Add milk to pot, heat to 32°C (90°F).  Add the
  2. Add the culture and mix the milk well.
  3. Add the Calcium chloride if using.
  4. Add the diluted rennet and stir for 1 minute only.  Cover.
  5. Allow milk to set for 45-60 minutes, or until you get a clean break.
  6. Cut the curd into 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) cubes.
  7. During the next 20 minutes, slowly increase the temperature to 35°C (95°F), stirring gently to keep the curds from matting.
  8. Cover and let the curds rest for 5 minutes.
  9. Drain off the whey by hand, return the curds to the pot.
  10. Add the salt and gently mix by hand.  Cover and allow curds to rest at 35°C (95°F) for 30 minutes.
  11. Line your mould with cheesecloth and fill with curds
  12. Fold one corner of the cheesecloth over the mould and top with a follower.  Press at 16kg (35lbs) for six hours.
  13. Remove from press and mould.
Queso Fresco
Your Queso Fresco can be eaten straight away or can be stored in a covered plastic container in the kitchen fridge for up to 2 weeks.
This delightful simple cheese is a fresh, tasty alternative to soft cheeses, and can be made and eaten on the same day.  We found that our batch had an amazing flavour for a cheese that was so young.
Great in salads instead of feta, even better grated over burritos, tacos, and enchiladas!  Just remember that this cheese doesn’t melt, so it’s not so good in toasted cheese unless you mix in some cheddar. All the ingredients can be found in one of our Soft Cheese making kits, which you can find over at Little Green Workshops.

There is a Queso Fresco video tutorial in the works for this cheese, which will be published in the next few days.

Enjoy this simple, yet worthwhile cheese.

Little Green Workshops