Interview with Home Cheesemaker--Heather Barnes

Heather Barnes shows Mary Anne several of her home-made hard cheeses including: Cotswold, Tuscano al Vino, Smoked Gouda, Belper Knolle and Sage Derby. Each cheese is taste tested and cheesemaking tips & tricks are shared.

Heather shares her recipe for the Coffee-Rubbed Belper Knolle Cheese discussed in the video below:

Sterilize all equipment and cheese cloth by boiling for 20 minutes.
4 l whole milk
1/8 tsp flora Danica or mesophilic culture (I use 1/4 cup of cultured buttermilk from the grocery store)
1/8 tsp calcium chloride diluted in 1/4 cup of non chlorinated water
6 drops single strength rennet diluted in 1 tablespoon non chlorinated water
3 teaspoons of salt
3 cloves of garlic peeled
3 tablespoons roasted peppercorns

In a heavy bottomed pot, mix milk and add calcium chloride together, give a good stir using an up and down motion. Slowly heat milk to 30°C/86° F.

Add the mesophilic culture (1/4 cup buttermilk) (allow to rehydrate for 5 minutes if using dry culture) then stir well.

Add rennet, stir no longer than 1 minute, cover and let sit for 12-18 hours. I wrap it in a couple of beach towels to keep warm.

After 12 hours, check. What you are looking for is the curd to come away from edge of pot and a layer of whey sitting on top as well as a clean break. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, you may need the full 18 hours.

Carefully ladle curds into a colander lined with butter muslin cheese cloth. Tie up corners so you can hang for 18 hours. I sometimes press a couple of hours if it doesn’t seem firm after hanging. I put the bundle in a flat colander with a plate on top for weight and leave it another couple of hours. Turn cheese into a bowl and break cheese into large chunks.

Chop garlic & put in mortar and pestle to make a fine paste with the salt; you can also use a mini processor but make sure there are no visible chunks of garlic. Leave sit 30 minutes. Add it into cheese. Taste and make sure the salt is enough (cheese yield may be different), adjust with 1/4-1/2 teaspoon incriminates, mixing and tasting. Put cheese back in cheese cloth hang another 8-12 hours.

Remove from the cheese cloth and put in a sterilized glass bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Toast peppercorns over low heat in a frying pan for about 2 minutes until they change colour. Cool. Mill in mortar and pestle until medium fine. Then form the cheese into 5 equal balls. Place on a plate. (Using gloves helps.) Roll in pepper; the cheese needs to be fully covered. Place on a sanitized sushi mat. I usually put a couple of layers of paper towel under the mat to encourage drying. I change the paper towel every time I flip the cheeses. Air dry for two to four days. Turn every 6 hours. You will know they are dry if they sit on a paper towel for a couple of hours without it getting damp.

Ripen 2-6 weeks, turning every two days.

Sometimes I just let them hang out in their cave (or fridge) on a mat until they start to mould then, brush off the mould and vacuum pack. (You can also vacuum pack right away, use the moist setting so there is not too much pressure. Watch for whey, dry for a day or so and reseal if that happens.)

Variations:
Balls can be rolled in:
Herbs de Provence
Rosemary
Paprika
Smoked paprika
Fresh finely ground coffee
Remember spices need to be sterilized before hand by baking 250° F for 15 minutes.

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Learn about how to make other cheeses at home (i.e. cheddar, feta, camembert, mascarpone, quick mozzarella, cream cheese, ricotta, labneh, Nabulsi, Belper Knolle, colby, yogurt, as well as crottin-, valencay-, and boursin-style cheeses).

Music: "Motion-Array-Best-Day-To-Fly-2"