Homemade Goat Cheese
Ingredients:
- 1 quart pasteurized goat’s milk (avoid ‘ultra’-pasteurized)
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 clove freshly grated garlic
- a few pinches herbs de provence
- freshly chopped parsley
- coarse salt, to taste
In a medium saucepan, slowly heat milk until it reaches 180 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Let stand until milk starts to curdle, about 15-20 seconds. If milk does not curdle, add a little more lemon juice.
Line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. Ladle milk into colander. Pull up and tie the four corners of cheesecloth together and hang on the handle of a wooden spoon, set over a stockpot or very deep bowl. Allow to drain until the consistency of slightly dry cottage cheese is reached, about 1-1.5 hours. Transfer to a bowl and fold in salt, herbs and garlic. Serve immediately atop warm crostinis. Can be stored in an airtight container, refrigerated, up to 1 week.
Once you’ve made your homemade goat cheese, there are endless recipes you can try with it. We’re only barely scratching the surface here, as it is one of the most versatile and surprising cheeses and is impressive in so many different dishes. Here are just a few of our favorites.
Cucumber Goat Cheese Grilled Cheese
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of whole wheat sourdough bread (or 4 halved slices)
- 1 small package of goat cheese, leave out for an hour or so to reach room temperature
- 2 Japanese cucumbers in 1/8″ slices
- olive oil
Heat a cast iron skillet over the stove, first on high to get the pan very hot, then reduce to low. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat each side of each slice of bread with olive oil. Spread a healthy layer of goat cheese on the bottom slice and arrange your cucumber slices on top.
Carefully place the first half of your sandwich on the skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper if you like. Then, spread a thin layer of goat cheese on your next slice of bread. Place this on the first one, and let sit on the stove for about five minutes with the heat on low. Use a spatula to lift the bottom slice and flip when nice and golden. Let sit four to five more minutes, remove from pan, and serve with remaining cucumber slices.
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