# soft chevre?



## akhalpin

I just made my first cheese...chevre. I used a variant of the Fiasco Farm recipe....1 gallon of raw milk (was 1 day old...heated to 86), 1/8 tsp MM culture, two fifths a drop of double strength vegetable rennet. My house is cool (cold spring) so I put the pot in the oven to try to keep it warm. By morning my oven temperature was 68 so I wrapped my pot in towels and used a heating pad underneath it to keep the temperature around 72. After 24 hours it wasn't as coagulated as it should have been so I left it another 12 hours. It really didn't change any. I went ahead and drained the cheese. It took 24 hours to drain it to a reasonable consistancy (still not as firm as it should have been) because the curd was not as separated from the whey as it should have been. It tastes good but was a pain because if the draining. I sterilized everything, culture and rennet are new, never got the milk above 86. What went wrong??


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## Horsehair Braider

I just made some chevre too... I decided long ago that I really LIKE firm curd. So... I put 4 drops of liquid rennet in my gallon of milk. (I was using chevre culture.) I put mine in a double boiler with 90 degree water in the bottom part. After 13 hours I had a very nice curd separation.

One thing is your mother culture may not be active any more. It's also possible that your pot sat in too cold of a place. That's the only thing I can think of but I am new and not as experienced as some.


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## Dorit

I tried making a mother culture (from Hoegger), but I put in 1/4 tablet of rennet. It came out grainy and rubbery. I did this 3 times, always got a clean cut, one time I put it in blender and it came out as a dip. So I called Hoegger's and was told to not make a MC but use straight from culture. Also told to use 1/8 tablet rennet in 1/3 cup water and draw out 3 tablespoons into the milk. It came out very sour, I think I let it sit too long. I'm having a lot of trouble getting anything to work, chevre, mozerrella and yogurt. :/


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## Rose

I get my cultures from cheesemaking.com.

They have both a chevre and fromagina (a sweeter chevre) that I like. You don't have to fiddle with rennet, and it works every time.


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## Holly Govero

Fromagina ? I will have to try that. I like sweet cheese than lil tangy. I have never tried it before. So you got it from cheesemaking.. Thanks.


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## nightskyfarm

I make chevre in 4 gallon batches. I do pasteurize because I have to. Heat milk to 145 and cool in a water bath to 100 Add for 2 gallons 1/8 tsp of MM100 Direct Set Culture. Allow to disperse and then add for 2 gallons 2 drops of rennet in a 1/4 cup cool water ( I use single strength veal rennet. I dislike the curd that results from vegetable rennet) stir pot from the bottom up about 20 times, cover and set for 12 to 15 hours in a cool room 72 degrees works for me. After the time for culturing your pot will look like firm yogurt with a film of clear whey on top. Drain off the whey without disturbing the cheese as best you can. Take a wire wisk and gently whisk the curd making sure to get the bottom of the pot. You will have liquid cheese like a very thick milkshake, I call those frappes. Anyway, I use sheeting or pillowcase material to drain. A 36". X 36" sheet in a colander and tie up with string. You can run a rod over your sink to drain your chevre. The draining process takes a day or more. Drain to your consistency preferences. Remove from the bags and chill at least three hours before working the chevre.


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## Dorit

Im reading your recipe for chevre, what does this mean, do you add Flora Dancia at the end?
.....Remove from the bags and chill at least three hours before working the chevre......thanks


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## nightskyfarm

You would use either MM100, MM101 or Flora Dainica and add any of them when the temperature of your milk drops to around 100 degrees after pasteurizing or heat treating is complete. Then rennet, allow to culture, drain and finally cool. Good luck with your cheese.


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## Dorit

Eureka! I MADE CHEESE, it finally worked, thanks for the advice Jennifer. I got the consistency I was looking for, now I am working on the taste. I have one more question: can I add Flora Dancia to get a flavor? Does it replace the culture or do I add it to the meso and rennet?


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## Dorit

Just realized you answered the question about, sorry :-(


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## nightskyfarm

That is wonderful! isn't success grand!


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## Dorit

Placed an order with dairyconnection yesterday, FYI they have some veal rennet. I got flora Dancia, MM100, and I am going to try brie so I got some penecilln. They don't have a brie mold, my book 200 Easy Cheese recipe calls for 2-8" molds, fill each and flip one over the other after it drains. Any suggestions of what to usefor a mold? Thx


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## nightskyfarm

You can take one of those thin cutting boards from Walmarr and cut strips 2" wide down the length and use tape and a rubber band to make a circular mold. Hope you got some cheese mat for draining the Brie, you'll need that. Brie is one of the more difficult cheeses due to the need for an aging space. An older fridge turned on low seems to work well. Let me know yor result.


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## Dorit

Thanks, I was wondering about the 50 degree temp. I will have to give it some thought. Great idea for the mold.


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## Cotton Eyed Does

Could you use plastic margarine containers as molds? You could use a hot (heated over a burner on your store) wire or ice pick and poke some holes in it for drainage.


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## Trysta

Not sure if that works for brie, but it does for chevre. I have used a margarine container with holes cut in it with a (cold) barbeque stick (you know, the one you would use for a Shish-Kebab, they're very sharp), but also, and easier to make: the plastic Solo cups (or other brand) with holes cut in them. I bought two of the official molds, thought they looked like sturdy version of the Solo cup, and since I'm an impatient person who hates making a lot of little batches..... :biggrin It worked great!!!!!


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