Frommage Blanc

Well I made my maiden voyage into the sea of cheesemaking. Last evening I began a one gallon batch of Frommage Blanc. Everything seemed to proceed pretty well so I let it sit overnight since you let it sit for 12 hours. UI wrapped it in the cheescloth and hung it to drain all day. I didn't use quite a large enough piece of cheesecloth at first so I needed to play with it a bit to get it tied.

I let it hang all day and a bit ago I took it out of the cheesecloth. It tasted pretty good plain, but I split it into 3 batches. One I spice with garlic and fresh chives- very tasty. The second one I added 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil along with a tablespoon of basil and oregano and a touch of Italian mixed spices. That one tastes like it has great potential. For the third one, I spiced it up a bit. I added a teaspoon of dried jalopinos, a tablespoon of Montreal steak seasoning, some basil, black pepper and some red pepper along with a dash of garlic. This one is awesome and lingers on the tonge.

I put them all in the refrigerator to kind of meld the flavors and will share them with others over the next week.

I haven't decided what to make next. I may do a simple batch of mazzorella. Any suggestions?

What kind of milk did you use?

They sound great!

I just used plain whole cows milk. I didn't go to a farm to buy it because I don't want to have to pasteurize it myself. It turned out fine. I did add a bit of calcium chloride to rebalance it.

I had to look very hard, but I found a local farm that deliveries low-temperature pasteurized non-homogenized milk on a weekly basis. They will deliver to your home or to community drop off points (usually someone's home). The latter is cheaper and it is what I do. I have to drive two blocks to pick up my milk each week. Not bad at all, and I don't have a weekly commitment. I just order as much as I want whenever I want. That's very handy for cheesemaking.

The total cost is about double what milk runs in the stores, but it is really rich Jersey milk, very fresh from the farm.

Raw milk is the way to go if you can get it. Based on what I've read, it is best if you get it and use it within 24 hours of milking. There are sources here for raw milk, but demand way outstrips supply, so the licensed raw milk dairies all run a waiting list to get signed up, and require a minimum purchase committment. So that's out of the question for me right now.

Congratulations on your cheese. The seasonings sound great, especially the last one.

Sounds like a fantastic source. Two whole block drive huh...........

As soon as the farmers market starts back up in a few weeks I am gonna be talking to the folks that make cheeses and soaps from goats milk ect.!