Neufchâtel

As promised, I dug out my digital camera so I could add some pictures to my posts. This is the book I'm currently getting my recipes from - Home Cheese Making - Recipes for 75 Homemade Cheeses by Ricki Carroll. Great book!

Tonight I'm making Neufchâtel, a cheese that originally comes from a town of the same name in Normandy, France. Here is some info on this cheese..... Neufchâtel is a soft, slightly crumbly, mould-ripened cheese, and is one of the oldest cheeses in France, dating back to the 6th century. It looks a bit like camembert, with a dry, white, edible rind, but the taste is saltier and sharper and it has a grainier texture. It's usually sold in heart shapes (cute!). In 1872, a dairyman in the town of Chester, NY accidentally created a soft cream cheese when attempting to make Neufchâtel. This American Neufchâtel is sometimes called farmers' cheese.

Here's the recipe:

1. Combine 1 gallon of pasteurized whole milk and 1 pint of heavy cream and heat to 80F.
2. Add a packet of mesophilic starter and mix thoroughly.
3. Add 1 tsp of diluted rennet (I diluted 1 drop of my vegan rennet in 1/3 cup of chlorine-free H2O) and stir gently.
4. Cover and let sit at room temp (at least 72F) for 12-18 hours, until a thick curd forms.
5. Pour the curd into a square of butter muslin and hang to drain for 6-12 hours at room temp.
6. Put some weight on the cheese (2 bricks-worth of weight), cover, and refrigerate for another 13 hours.
7. Remove the cheese from the bag, break it up, and add salt cheese (if desired).
8. Knead the cheese a little, then divide it into 4 sections and shape into little hearts.
9. Wrap each separately in cheese wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 weeks.

I'm currently at step 4. Here is what the cheese looks like right now:

OK - I'll update you tomorrow!