Things you can waffle

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

cheddar?? but that has to age.

to get mozzarella all you do after you get curds is pull it together in warm water till it's a ball, and viola. (that's pronounced vye-oh-lah)

[Bruno]

Hokay, I started on the cheese curds last night. I took a quart of whole milk, and added two tablespoons of cultured buttermilk. Just a few minutes ago, I poured it into a small Teflon pot, warmed it up to 85°F, and added a little more than a quarter of a tablet of rennet dissolved in two tablespoons of cold water. It is now sitting on top of my stove with the oven set to its lowest setting to keep it warm. When I poured it out of the Mason jar into the pot, it kind of poured, and kind of slid out. It thickened significantly overnight, and smelled like buttermilk.

This is the recipe that I am using, except with 1/4 the amount of milk, and 1/2 the amount of buttermilk and rennet.

http://www.junketdesserts.com/cheeserecipes.aspx

Basic Hard Cheese
1 gallon fresh milk (the fresher the milk, the more predictable the cheese)
1/4 cup active cultured buttermilk (1/2 cup plain yogurt will also work)
1/2 tablet rennet (1/4 tablet will work, but takes a bit longer to coagulate, see step 5)
salt
One gallon of milk yields about one pound of cheddar-style cheese. You may use skimmed or whole milk for this cheese, but whole milk makes a richer cheese. This cheese has no added color and
REQUIRED APPARATUS
thermometer, reading range 0 to 225F (-10 to 110C)
whisk or other effective stirring and mixing device
Sterilized2 stainless steel 4-6 quart pot1 with lid. (A thick metal bottom prevents burning.)
Long bladed knife (9-10 inches long)
8" strainer
large handkerchief, sterilized by boiling and drying
cheese pressing frame (4" diameter, 5" tall can, about 20 oz, ends removed, save one end for a follower)
PROCEDURE
INOCULATE THE MILK: The evening before you plan to make cheese, warm 1 gallon of fresh milk to 68F (20C) in the sterilized pot. Thoroughly blend in 1/4 cup buttermilk to inoculate. Cover inoculated milk with the sterilized lid.
INCUBATE OVER NIGHT: Let sit out at room temperature overnight.
WARM THE MILK: The next morning, gently warm the milk up to 86F (30C). Meanwhile, dissolve 1/2 tablet of Rennet in 1/4 cup cold water.
ADD THE RENNET: Stir the dissolved rennet into the 86F milk to mix thoroughly. Cover, let sit undisturbed for an hour or more in a warm place in the room. Be patient. Do not disturb the milk until it has coagulated.
ACHIEVE A CLEAN BREAK: Test for a "clean break" (completed action of rennet): Probe a clean finger into the milk and lift. If it has gelled enough to break cleanly as the finger is lifted, go to next step. If the milk is liquid or semi-gelatinous and softly flows across your finger, let sit until a clean break is obtained. It may take as long as 1-2 hours more. Be patient, do NOT disturb the milk.
CUT THE CURD: Once a clean break is achieved, cut the curd with a long knife: begin at one edge of the pot and cut straight to bottom. Cut repeatedly parallel to first cut, but increasing the angle of the knife until reaching 45 degrees at the other side of pot. Rotate the pot a quarter of a turn, cut as before. Repeat the rotating and cutting two more times, yielding 1/2 inch cubes of curd.
SET THE CURD: Place the pot over a low fire, stir curd with cleaned bare hand by reaching down to bottom, gently lifting and stirring. Cut larger curds as they appear. Do not mash or squeeze. Continue stirring for 15 min to prevent the curds from clumping together or overheating at the bottom. Warm the curds to 92F (34C) for softer curd cheese, or as high as 102F (39C) for very firm cheese.
SEPARATE CURDS AND WHEY: Stir and maintain 92F until curd has contracted to consistency of firm scrambled eggs. Remove from stove and let sit for 10 minutes. The curds should sink in whey. Pour off the whey through a strainer and save for ricotta if you wish. Place the curds in a large bowl.
ADD SALT: Sprinkle two teaspoons salt over curds, working with hands to mix in. Pour off any additional whey.
PRESS THE CHEESE: Line a smooth-sided 4" x 5" tin can from which both ends have been removed with a sterile large white handkerchief. Place the still-warm curds into the cloth, press into the can. Fold the corners of the cloth over top of the curds and cover with the cut-out end of the can. Place a heavy weight on top to press down the curds. Let sit at room temperature for 12 hours or so.
CURE THE CHEESE: The next morning, remove and unwrap the cheese from the press. Rub the outside with salt, re-wrap with a fresh handkerchief and place on a rack in the refrigerator. Replace "bandage" when it becomes wet (daily at first). When a dry yellowish rind forms (about one to two weeks in the refrigerator), dip in melted wax, store in refrigerator for about a month (if you can wait that long). The longer you wait, the sharper the cheese.

If I were to age that, I think it would be white cheddar, but I'm not doing that. If everything works out, tomorrow I should be making poutine waffles.

[Dysfunctional Cunt]

Pictures of the process would be nice....

[Jenne]

crap--we'll have to do this either tonight or later in the weekend.  I found out we have cornmeal, so I'm good to go.  Cornbread waffles wiff honey butter and maybe chili? on top and sour cream/cheese in between...mmm...

[Dysfunctional Cunt]

You know I watched the vegetarian chick on CREATE the other night and she made a chilli pie with a cornbread crust that looked awesome.  Well except I like meat in my chilli.  She put the batter on the bottom of a pan, then a ton of chilli and covered it with more batter and baked it. 

[Jenne]

I don't put much, if any, meat in my chili...it's there for flavoring and that's about it.  I'm the same way with spaghetti sauce, too.

[Bruno]

GAH! It's been several hours, and I still don't have a clean break. I think this experiment may be fail.

[Bruno]

Ok, I gave up on the first batch and poured it down the drain.

If at first you don't succeed, cheat. I have a pint of milk with 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid, and 1/4 tablet of rennet warming on the stove at the moment. It's not up to temp yet, but it is already starting to curdle.

[Requia ☣]

Indigoblade: Nigel's 't' key has tourette syndrome.

=

ehem. her T button is borked.

Sank you.

Y'know, I will *send* you a keyboard.  just gimme time to wash/dry one  (you do have ps/2 ports (the circular keyboard input things, instead of USB) on your system right? cause I have no usb).

Edit: Erm, I may have lost my spare keyboard stash.  I will maybe send you one.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Indigoblade: Nigel's 't' key has tourette syndrome.

=

ehem. her T button is borked.

Sank you.

Y'know, I will *send* you a keyboard.  just gimme time to wash/dry one  (you do have ps/2 ports (the circular keyboard input things, instead of USB) on your system right? cause I have no usb).

Edit: Erm, I may have lost my spare keyboard stash.  I will maybe send you one.

YOU ARE AWESOME!

But unfortunately I have a Mac Mini, so it only has USB ports. HOWEVER, I am borrowing my daughter's keyboard, and so far she hasn't even noticed.

[Requia ☣]

Ah well, at least I don't have to try and find mine.

[Jenne]

Ok, now that Chinese New Year is over*, time for the chili con corn wafflage.  Will relate how it goes.

*Also means time for an avatar change.

[Bruno]

I have given up on cheese for now. Poutine waffle has been completed with regular store bought cheese. Pics were taken, will post them later.

[Jenne]

Behold me cornbread wafflage with chili and cheese...



Now, I over beat the mush I used for the waffle, so they came out rubbery to a slight degree, so I put butter on them and toasted them in the oven before putting one on the bottom of the plate, then chili, then another waffle with sour cream, raw onion and shredded cheddar ontop.

[Dysfunctional Cunt]

 

Howz come I wasn't invited fer dinner?  'Cause it looks NOM NOM NOM!!!