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| Below is a message from a friend and great Cheese Maker from America, who is not just a polite businessman but a gentleman in the home cheese making industry. Steve Shapson is so pleased to help anyone in making their first cheese to every cheese that you wish to make, that Help for Steve Shapson is not a chore but a delight. When he can help someone out he feels happy in himself to know that someone has kept tradition alive. He helped me out in my first cheeses and i have never looked back, and i know that if i ever need help he will be there (i know i will need his help sometime in the future as i am a novice where Steve Shapson is a Master). A message to you from Steve Shapson The Cheesemaker. http://www.thecheesemaker.com Dear Camembert/Brie/Blue Cheese Aficionado, Wouldn't it be great to serve that perfect Camembert, Brie or English-style Stilton Blue to your friends and family? You could be the hit of your next social occasion with a unique gourmet treat, complemented by the perfect wine and an evening of camaraderie! My name is Steve Shapson, but my friends and customers call me The Cheese Maker. When I served my first homemade Camembert, my family couldn’t believe I made it. I became committed to learn the unique tastes and smells of the cheeses I love, and to make a comprehensive guide so that everyone can easily make those same delicious cheeses. I had thought that making Camembert, Brie or Blue cheese was too difficult. Some books even stated that these cheeses were only for advanced Cheese-Makers. How wrong! Making these cheeses is easy and while you’re making them, you can do the laundry or mow the lawn. About 30 days later, you and your friends will be enjoying your cheeses. I pride myself on offering only THE BEST and PERSONAL customer service. Being a long time home-brewer and winemaker, I know that cheese making is also a hands-on hobby, one which needs attention to get excellent results. I do MY BEST to help you strive to become an accomplished home cheese-maker. I found that much of the information about making these cheeses from books I had was incomplete. Important details were left out. Maybe you’ve had the same experience. Now you can learn from my several years of perfecting the art of making Camembert, Brie and Blue cheese. When I finally figured out the perfect way to make these cheeses I knew it was time to help others master these time-proven processes. Easy to follow detailed instructions along with photos of the process will show you how to make these gourmet cheeses the first time your try. My comprehensive eBook guide and kit will help even cheese novices produce the luscious, creamy and silky smooth Camembert, Brie and Blue cheeses that we have all grown to love! Below are three of Steve Shapson's beautiful Homemade cheeses for you all to try and enjoy with a lovely bottle of Wine or if you prefer with a nice cold Beer or Cider, two are Camembert and the other is a delicious Homemade Blue Veined Cheese that taste just as good if not better than the lovely Blue Stilton from the Village of Stilton very close to the city of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire UK. |
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| Picture 4 is the very first kit i bought from Steve Shapson and started me off in a delicious way of making my own cheese's. There is everything you need except for the Saucepan and milk which is very obvious. Each kit takes you through every single step and with tips for you to make your very own cheese, and then you can experiment in certain stage to put in some fruit or even red wine. You wont regret any of it. My love of cheese comes from my Knowledge of food over the past 30 years of a chef so making my very own cheese with the help from the cheese-maker was very welcomed. Basic Hard Cheese Making Kit. The Basic Hard Cheese Kit makes nine delicious, homemade cheeses: Farmhouse Cheddar, Gouda, Monterey Jack, Feta, Cottage Cheese, Colby, Parmesan and Ricotta. Why pay gourmet prices when, with a little effort, you can make your very own additive and preservative-free cheeses? All your family will join you in the fun of this tradition. Our kit comes with a detailed recipe booklet demystifying all the steps in the cheese-making process. This kit makes up to 30 pounds of cheeses! Included in this kit are: 4 Page Recipe Booklet 1 Cheese Mould Vegetable Cheese Rennet Mesophilic Starter Thermophilic Starter Dairy Thermometer 1/2 oz. Calcium Chloride Reusable Cheesecloth So why not give your taste buds a burst of pure flavour and goodness that you have made and know whats in it.
One gallon of milk yields about one pound of cheese. You may use any kind of milk for this recipe. I primarily use my own fresh goats' milk, but have made it quite successfully with cow's milk from the grocery, and even better with raw cow's milk from a local farmer. Once you have master this one gallon recipe, follow the 5 gallon recipe to make a larger wheel of cheese. INGREDIENTS TO TURN ONE GALLON OF MILK INTO ONE POUND OF CHEESE. One gallon freshest milk (the fewer bacteria present, the more predictable the cheese) 2-3 teaspoonfuls buttermilk (or 1/3rd cup yogurt ) 1/4 tablet rennet (Here is the front and back of the rennet package.) salt APPARATUS. thermometer, reading -10 to 110oC (0 to 225oF) (I prefer centigrade, but have included Fahrenheit numbers as well) wooden mixing spoon, whisk or other stirring device Stainless steel pot1 , 4-6 qt., with lid, with a thick metal bottom (Al or Cu) to spread the heat, sterilized2 . 8" strainer or colander (A colander does not allow whey to flow through as fast as a strainer.) large handkerchief, sterilized by boiling cheese pressing frame (4" diameter, 5" tall can, about 20 oz, ends removed, save one end for a follower) Method. INOCULATE THE MILK: The evening before you plan to make cheese, warm 1 gallon of the freshest milk to 20oC (68 o F) in the sterilized pot. Thoroughly blend in the inoculum of 2-3 tsp buttermilk or 1/3rd cup yogurt as starter . Cover the inoculated milk with the sterilized lid. (The function of this inoculation with bacterial starter is to have the milk fermenting bacteria make lactic acid which lowers the pH so that the rennet will be able to act on the casein.) INCUBATE OVER NIGHT: Let sit at room temperature (R.T.) overnight (20-22oC). WARM THE MILK: The next morning, warm milk up to 30 oC (take care not to burn it). Meanwhile, dissolve ¼ tablet of Rennet in ¼ cup cold water . (This pictures shows a whole tablet being added to water). ADD THE RENNET: Add dissolved rennet to the warmed milk , stir to mix thoroughly. Cover, let sit undisturbed for approximately an hour. Be patient. Do not disturb the milk until it has coagulated. ACHIEVE A CLEAN BREAK: Test for completed action of rennet ( "clean break "): Probe a clean finger into the (hopefully) gelled milk and lift. If the gel is firm enough to break cleanly as the finger is lifted, go to next step. (If the milk is gelatenous and flows across your finger , let sit until a clean break is obtained. Do not stir. This may take as long as 1-2 hours.) Be patient, do NOT disturb the milk. (Here is a link to trouble shoot "clean break" failure .) CUT THE CURD: Once a clean break is achieved, cut the curd with a long knife : begin at edge of pot, cut straight down to bottom. Cut repeatedly parallel to first cut, but increasing the angle of the knife until reaching other side of pot. Rotate the pot 90 degrees, cut as before . Rotate and cut two more times, yielding ½ inch cubes of curd . SETTING THE CURD (RAISE AND HOLD THE TEMPERATURE): Place pot over a low fire, stir curd with cleaned bare hand by reaching down to bottom, gently lifting and stirring . Cut larger curds as they appear. Do not mash or squeeze. If you wish to save some soft cottage cheese, remove a portion of the curd at this step before you raise the temperature. Continue stirring for 15 min to prevent the curds from clumping together. Heat curds to 34oC (92o F) for soft curd cheese, or as high as 39oC (102oF) for very firm cheese. The setting temperature makes a great deal of difference in the consistency of the curd/cheese. SEPARATE CURDS AND WHEY: Stir and maintain desired temperature until curd has contracted to consistency of firm scrambled eggs . Remove from stove. The curds should sink in whey. (Ops, did they float3 ?) Decant off when through a strainer (you may line the strainer with clean cloth if the curd is very fine grained ). Save the whey for ricotta if you like. Place curds in a large bowl . ADD SALT: Sprinkle two tsp. salt over curds, working with hands to mix . Pour off accumulated whey. (The salt is necessary so that the cheese will not spoil as it cures. I tried it without salt and it spoiled. However, unsalted, uncured cheese may be frozen until use.) PRESS THE CHEESE: Use sterile large white handkerchief to line a smooth-sided 4" x 5" tin can from which both ends have been removed. Place still-warm curds in the cloth , cover curd with the corners of the cloth, lie the cut-out end of the can on top, and place heavy weight to press down. Let sit for 12 hours or so. CURE THE CHEESE: The next AM, remove from press, remove cloth, rub outside of cheese with salt and rewrap with fresh handkerchief. Place wrapped cheese on a rack in the refrigerator. Replace "bandage" daily (as long as it continues to become wet). When a dry yellowish rind forms (about one to two weeks), dip in melted wax , store in refrigerator for about a month (if you can wait that long) or longer for sharper cheese. Notes of Importance: 1 Avoid aluminum pots, the acid will dissolve them and possibly overload you with aluminum. 2 Sterilize the pot just before use by pouring ½ inch of water in the bottom, covering, and bring to a rolling boil for at least five minutes. Pour out the water, replace sterile lid, keep sterilized pot covered until you are ready to add the milk. 3 If the curds float, you have a gas-producing contaminant in your starter or your milk was contaminated. You need to pay closer attention to handling your milk, and/or purchase fresh starter. The bacteria which form bubbles may be a form of Escherichia. However, it does not necessarily ruin the cheese, but does make it iffy. Many CO2 formers are non-pathogenic. Indeed, you might WANT bubbles in your finished cheese. Think about Swiss cheese... However, to be safe, age your cheese for at least two months because pathogens do not survive this extended aging. In addition, you will have a little more difficulty separating the curds from the whey if the curds float. |
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