Cheesemaking at Cornersmith

Last weekend I made cheese.

My friends have called me the Dairy Queen for decades. 

My love of cheese and cheese dishes is legendairy!

So a cheesemaking course at Cornersmith was always going to be something I had to do.

I just had to find a free weekend.

Kristen Allan is the cheesemaker; ricotta, yoghurt and labneh are the cheeses we learn to make.

Slowing cooking is the philosophy; sustainable, ethical food production is the aim.

And good times are the name of the game.

The course begins in a relaxed manner.

A platter of homemade cheeses, pickles and bread are provided for us to sample as we get to know each other over a glass of wine (or homemade cordial).

After a discussion about what type of milk we should use and the various processes involved we get stuck in.

We don our aprons, pick up tools and begin to slowly heat a pot of milk, lemon juice and salt.

Kristen told us lots of amazing facts about curds and whey, including the uses of whey to wash your face and to water your pot plants.

After the appropriate cooking time, it's time to separate the curds and whey.

Ricotta is born!

Kristen then showed us how to make our own yoghurt before providing us with enough of her homemade yoghurt (made earlier as it takes a day to make yoghurt from scratch) for us to start our own labneh.

  

I have since made my own yoghurt at home and another batch of labneh. 

Kristen provides a cheese hotline so that we can contact her with any problems.

My second batch of labneh ended up tasting quite different to the first - it may have been the milk I started with or not enough salt. 

I'll add some herbs and olive oil to see if that improves the flavour.

It's all very, very fascinating & I can't wait to have more time over Easter to make another batch!

This post is part of Saturday Snapshot and Weekend Cooking.

Creme Fraiche? Yes I can!

This is a little boast.

This week I made my very own creme fraiche!

But before you get too excited and heap me with praise; I have to confess how easy it was.

It was so easy, it's almost embarrassing to write up the recipe here for you to share.

My desire to make creme fraiche came about thanks to Jamie Oliver.

I was tired of the same round of family meals and was looking for something different.

Jamie has a chicken pie recipe in his 30 Minute Meals that sounded promising, but it called for creme fraiche.

I didn't know what this was or what I might be able to substitute it with.

Along came google.

Creme fraiche is a French sour cream containing about 28% butterfat and bacterial culture. It is less sour and more creamier than 'sour cream'.

The bad news was that King Island who seemed to be the only people making creme fraiche in Australia had discontinued the line a couple of years ago.

The good news was...it's dead easy to make your own.

In a clean, glass jar combine 1 cup of thickened cream and 2 tabs of buttermilk.

That's it!

Really!

Simply let the covered glass jar sit at room temperature (25-30° C) for 8-24hrs. Then stir well and refridgerate for up to 10 days.

Various tips abounded online that I will experiment with as time goes by.

Add a little more buttermilk and it will thicken faster, but taste less creamy.

Add less buttermilk and it will take longer to thicken but taste creamier.

Add seeds from a vanilla pod for a sweeter option (or honey or maple syrup).

Add a dollop of nut butter and a drizzle of honey for a nuttier flavour.

Stir through pasta with fresh herbs.

Add a squeeze of lemon juice and chives and serve with smoked salmon.

Add brown sugar and serve with fruit.

PS - the chicken pie was a great hit even though it had vegetables in it!

PPS - when I got to the supermarket I found another brand of creme fraiche was now available, but I was all psyched up to make my own and left it where it was.

Bon Appetit!