Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Despite a couple of imperfections in uniformity of coating,
this waxed cheese is aging nicely.
After this cheese has aged for a month, it is safe for people
who are lactose intolerant; after it has aged for two months, it
is safe even if made from raw milk.
Monadnock Cheddar
This cheese starts off identically to the New Ipswich Jack
cheese, and the primary variance starts with the cheddaring
process. Mix one teaspoon of 30% calcium chloride solution
into a quarter cup of water, and mix this with two gallons of
milk in a double-boiler. Bring the temperature of the milk up
to 85-90 degrees, and add either ½ tsp of powdered
mesophilic starter or one cup of fresh cultured buttermilk,
mixing thoroughly. Cover the mixture and allow it to ripen
for 45-50 minutes while maintaining the temperature between
85 and 90 degrees.
While the mixture is ripening, prepare your rennet solution by
mixing ½ tablet of rennet with ¼ cup of cool non-chlorinated
water. Once the mixture has ripened, add the rennet solution
by dripping it around the milk and mixing it gently but
thoroughly using up-down and back-and-forth motions.
Continue to maintain a temperature of 85 to 90 degrees while
allowing the mixture to sit covered for 45 minutes. At this
point, the curds should give you a clean break. If not, allow to
sit for another 15 minutes and test again.
Use your curd cutting knife to cut the curd into 1/2-inch
cubes. Slowly increase the temperature to 97 to 100 degrees
over the next 40 minutes while gently stirring the curds every
