After the milking, I had lovely whole milk. It is hard to see in the picture, but there is a faint line as the fatty cream rises to the top and the milk sinks to the bottom.
Now I just had to figure out how to separate them. I headed to the local DEAL$ (the girls hate the dollar sign on the end, but agree it is better than DEALZ). I am on the lookout for a glass jar with a metal spigot, but this will have to do for now. For $5, I did get 4 matching drinking cups:) Two other flaws in my plan, the pitcher was green and hard to see the line, plus after pouring it into the new container, I needed it to sit for 12 hours rather than 6 to fully separate again.
All the recipes I have been using have come from this amazing cookbook. I found it in the library and was so impressed that I asked Santa for my own copy! The instructions are clear, the recipes delicious, and it is a great resource. He even has a recipe for making soap using 61/2 pounds beef kidneys and a picnic cooler...I am desperate to locate kidneys and make my own soap!
The recipe calls for fresh milk, vingegar, and salt-that is it! The 8 cups of milk are heated to 180 degrees.
Meanwhile line a strainer with wet cheesecloth and place over a bowl.
Here I added the 1/4 cup vinegar and you can see the clumps or curds forming and separating from the whey.
I dumped all of it in the strainer, then I put the curds back in the pan to salt it and then back into the strainer to finish draining.
It is draining and has a consistency at present of a lumpier ricotta. The whey is very warm below in the bowl-more on it in a minute.
Wrap the cheese and place the strainer over the bowl. Place saran wrap over the whole thing and let it sit in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days, turning it once. In a million years, I would never have thought of the use for the whey, but it is in the cookbook.
I poured the warm whey into a pitcher and added a cup of sugar stirring to dissolve it.
I added the zest of a lemon.
Then I added the juice of 3 lemons. As warm milky lemonade, it was different but ok. After the whey lemonade chilled, it was really good. It might be good for a glaze as well, either with powdered sugar on baked goods or on meat...hmmm.
After the cheese sat for 2 days, I crumbled some of it in a pan with olive oil and heated it, browning it slightly and then put it over a salad of winter grown greens, almonds, radishes, and carrots! It was so good that Rick and I started to eat and forgot to take pictures!
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