# Goat cheese?



## thinnerii (Apr 15, 2006)

Hello....I have just recently started milking one of our goats and my first experience with cheese making was not as good as I had hoped. Is there anyone out there who has the "key" to making good goat cheeses? I would really appreciate it. Thanks.....thinnerii


----------



## urmaniac13 (Apr 15, 2006)

Ciao thinnerii and welcome to the forum!!  We just had a big discussion on ricotta cheesecake a few days ago (you can find the thread on the same section as this thread...), and in that thread one of our members bethzaring told us she makes her own goat cheese in different forms with good results.  If she doesn't see this thread soon, you may want to pm her for an advice!


----------



## bethzaring (Apr 16, 2006)

Hi guys,  Give me a few DAYS to pull together some recipes.........meanwhile, thinnerii, please explain how you handled the milk, what quanity of milk, how heated to what temp, what did you use for inoculation/starter and how did it turn out.  And I was not the only experienced goat cheese maker on the ricotta cheese cake thread, hint hint

As to the CHocolate Ricotta pie, I am afraid I overcooked the cake, it was too dry around the edges.  I treated the cheesecake like a water bathed cheesecake, leaving it in the oven with the door cracked for one hour.  But I did not water bath this cake, so should have taken it out of the oven when it was done.  But the flavor was excellent!!!!! SO I am on the right track.

More later, Beth


----------



## thinnerii (Apr 16, 2006)

*Goat cheese......*

Hey Beth.....Thanks for replying. I had gotten this recipe online. I milk her twice a day and then strain and chill in the freezer for awhile. ( A friend told me to do that) The recipe says to slowly heat the milk to 200 degrees then add viniger or lemon juice and cool to 100 degrees. Then put in 1 to 2 tablespoons of salt (depending on how hard you want your cheese). Then put into cheesecloth and drain then hang over dish for at least 12 hours if you want a harder cheese. And I did put it in the fridge to hang. Not sure if I needed to do that. I did not use any starter, one because this recipe didn't call for it and too, not sure what it is. What I am trying to make is a very hard cheese that can be sliced. What it turned out to be was like a dry cream cheese. It had a a little cheese flavor but not much. I would appreciate any help! Thanks


----------



## bethzaring (Apr 16, 2006)

Hi thinnerii, My husband was called away on an emergency computer problem so I had some time to look at my cheese recipes and think about your situation. 
Some people believe it is very important to chill down goats milk ASAP after milking, there is nothing wrong with doing this.
Milk should be heated in a double boiler system.  I use two large (2 gal and 3 gal) stainless steel pots to accomplish this. I will give two recipes for the style cheese you made;
Heat 1 gal milk to 180 degrees F and hold this temp for 10 minutes, in a double boiler.
Add 1/4 cup WHITE vinegar very slowly while stirring very slowly until the whey separates from the curds.  The whey will turn a light yellow.  This is an indication you have added enough vinegar.  Stop stirring and take off heat, let set 10 minutes.
Drain off whey into strainer or seive or colander.  Cheese is ready for salting;sprinkle salt, stir and sprinkle again, 2 large pinches of salt.
package.
Now this recipe indicates the cheese can be stirred, meaning it is not of a sliceable consistency.
Recipe 2
Heat 2 gallons of milk in a double boiler set up to 190 degrees F. Add 1 cup of white vinegar.  Turn off heat and let cool.  When cooled, drain the curd into a colander and cut up into small pieces with a knife. Salt or season and package.
This recipe implies the cheese is of a sliceable condition.

Study the subtle differences between these two recipes.

Your recipe has the salt added to the curds and whey, this is novel.  I have not heard of adding salt at this point nor that this could affect the consistency of the cheese.  But your recipe certainly could/should produce a cheese that can be sliced.  A cheese does not need to be "very hard" to be sliceable, cream cheese can be sliced.  If fact, you would need to press a cheese to yield "very hard" cheese.
I can not say why your cheese turned out to be like a dry cream cheese, there are too many variables that can affect how a cheese turns out.  You can add milk/cream to the cheese you made to make a cottage type cheese.  Or put it in a food processor or mixer and add milk and herbs to make a spread for bread or crackers.
This type of cheese does not have much flavor, never will, on its own.  It is customary to add salt and seasonings to this type of cheese, or to marinate it or saute it with garlic, anything to introduce some flavor.

I currently use two different cheese books, both offered through this website.
http://www.cheesemaking.com/

The book I use the most is Goats Produce Too! by Mary Jane Toth, excellent book for all kinds of goat products.

The other book I use is written by Ricki Carroll, the owner of New England Cheesemaking Supply Co, of the web site link given above.  The book I have is Cheesemaking Made Easy, which is no longer available.  I see where her book has been renamed  Home Cheese Making. I am sure this updated version is excellent and I highly recommend both books, Mary Jane's and Ricki's.

I would expect that you could get Ricki Carrolls book through your local interlibrary loan system, she is a well know cheese expert.  I would recommend buying Mary Jane Toth's book, it has so much goat related recipes.

I would be happy to answer any questions you have on cheesemaking!
Beth


----------

