briciole

un weekend di formaggio / a weekend of cheese

cheese tasting tray A year ago, I attended my first cheese making 201 workshop with Jim Wallace and told the story in this post. It was a great experience, so last month, I traveled again to attend my second workshop with him: it was an excellent choice. During the two-day workshop, we made three Italian cheeses: caciocavallo, Taleggio and Bel Paese. We also tasted cheeses made by Jim (photo above) and by other students. From the top left corner and going around clockwise: robiola, toscano pepato, Bel Paese, caciocavallo, tomme au marc, cabra al vino, Taleggio. My favorite is the tomme... Read more →

formaggio fresco di kefir fatto in casa / homemade fresh kefir cheese

kefir cheese with dukkah and cacao nibs As I mentioned in the post on homemade kefir, for my first attempt I used kefir culture. The flavor of the kefir was a bit too acidic for our taste, and at that point, I had not yet learned all the ways in which to use kefir that I know now. I decided to see how the kefir would taste once the whey was removed, so I poured the kefir into a cloth-lined colander, then made a bundle and hung it up to drain for 24 hours (at room temperature). I then chopped up... Read more →

kefir fatto in casa / homemade kefir

mango lassi made with kefir A couple of months ago, I made kefir using this culture. The process was straightforward and in about 24 hours, we could taste it. I ended up making fresh cheese with it: I will described that in an upcoming this post. While my first adventure with kefir was unfolding, Jeri, who writes the blog of the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company, published a three-part summary of information received by readers of their newsletter: 1. ordering kefir grains; 2. growing kefir grains; 3. using kefir grains. In the first post, I learned more about kefir grains (grani... Read more →

un anno di formaggio fatto in casa / a year of homemade cheese

A summary of the year that just ended through the lens of some of my cheese adventures. (French) Neufchâtel for Novel Food #12 "If you can see the magic in cheese, you can see the magic in everything." homemade English-style Coulommiers (a.k.a. English farmhouse cheese) "It is very versatile: try a slice with a muffin for breakfast, or drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs and a few capers for an easy gourmet appetizer." robiola A nice cheese that can be eaten fresh or aged a few weeks (I used some of it in this dish) Bel Paese with cacao... Read more →

granella di fave di cacao / cacao nibs

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano] In the beginning there is the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, “a spindly understory tree” which, with very few exceptions, “refuses to bear fruit outside a band of 20 degrees north and 20 degrees south of the Equator.” (Sophie and Michael Coe, The True History of Chocolate) The fruit of the cacao tree is called a cacao pod (cabosse): It contains almond-shaped seeds, called beans (fave di cacao), surrounded by a juicy pulp. The Coes explain that once the pods are opened, and the beans and their surrounding pulp extracted, there are four... Read more →

fare il formaggio richiede pazienza / making cheese requires patience

As we continue to stir the curds, more acid will develop and the curds will continue to lose whey. [source] The time devoted to stirring the curds, while slowly increasing the temperature, is a good time to think: the slow, repetitive arm motion leeds naturally to a meditative state. While engaged in such soothing activity, I interrupted my train of throughts to take a few photos. As I am writing these notes, the curds are in the mold. Later, I will take the cheese out of the mold and place it in a brine bath, then aging will start. In time,... Read more →

gnocchi di ricotta / ricotta gnocchi

Over two years ago, Daring Cooks started and the first recipe chosen by founders Ivonne and Lisa was ricotta gnocchi from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers. I loved the recipe and said so in the post I wrote about it, which ends with these words: I will definitely make gnocchi di ricotta again soon. Not only did I make then soon afterwards, but I have made them over and over again, much to my husband's delight. The routine goes like this: I make cheese1 using two gallons of milk, then I make ricotta with the leftover whey (siero di... Read more →

formaggio fatto in casa: robiola / homemade robiola

on the cutting board, with salt-and-pepper cookies Remember the photo I published recently for Black and White Wednesday where I held in my hand a nice piece of fresh cheese? I wrote then that I would talk a bit more about the cheese portrayed and that is what I will do in this post. I will actually talk very little, since everything you need to know about making the cheese is on the robiola recipe page of the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company website. The page is authored by Jim Wallace. Having attended a workshop led by him earlier this year... Read more →

amo fare il formaggio / I ♥ making cheese

Just unwrapped: handle with care Last Sunday, I made cheese after a couple of weeks hiatus. The cheese in my hand was made with cow milk and drained in ricotta baskets. The imprint on the surface is due to the cheese netting I have been using recently instead of cloth. At this point, I have just unwrapped the cheese and I am about to put in back into the basket for additional draining. The cheese is soft, but compact enough to be handled — carefully. It smells fresh and slightly acidic: pure pleasure. Three years into my cheese adventures, I still... Read more →

ricotta appena fatta (in casa) / fresh homemade ricotta

Ricotta money cannot buy (at least where I live) I made this ricotta with the whey left over from making Gouda according to this recipe (using two gallons of milk). The procedure I follow to make ricotta derives from the recipe for ricotta from whey1 on this page (without any milk added). I always use the traditional basket (now made of plastic) to drain my ricotta, because I respect the tradition. The photo was taken at the beginning of the draining phase. The yield was about 10.5 oz. On this page you can see what the ricotta looks like after I... Read more →