Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Homemade FETA CHEESE! (Yes, It's True.)











A while ago now, I made feta cheese for the first time.  Since the pickle jar that held 3 pounds worth of feta in fistful-sized blocks is now looking too empty for my liking, it's safe to call it a success, and on my docket for next week is making another 3 pounds (because, really, can one have too much feta in their refrigerator?). 

I've loved feta cheese from the first time I tasted it in my twenties, but its price puts it in the splurge category around these parts.  No longer!  Depending on the price of milk, I can make three pounds of feta for under 7 dollars, which makes it economical enough to eat plain, and I gleefully do.  Feta on pasta, feta on salad, feta in omelets, feta on cereal...okay, maybe not on cereal....depending on the cereal.





I need to create a label category for these posts in which I simply direct you to someone else's recipe, but, for now, I'll put it in "only cheese," because it is only cheese, after all.

Notes:
-I bought my mesophilic culture and lipase from here (the standard MM culture and the kid/lamb lipase).
-I bought the liquid rennet on Amazon.
-I used a bit more lipase that the recipe calls for, because I like my feta strong.
-Lastly, if I can make feta, YOU can make feta.  It was a simple matter of following directions, which has never been my strong suit, but is worth doing when a pickle jar full of feta is the result. Plus, I didn't even follow the directions very well; I severely overheated the milk, stirred the curds way too vigorously, etc.  It still worked!

Don't wait another minute.  Go Forth and Make Feta!





(Just keep your baby away from it.)





(Even if he looks at you like this, don't surrender.)



3 comments:

heidiann(e) said...

What?!? WOW!!!

Abigail said...

It wasn't fully aged yet, but you ate some with Flora's welcome meal! I should have warned you when I gave it to you, I guess. :)

heidiann(e) said...

When I read this, that's what I figured, which only doubled my amazement!
Way to go! Scrumptious.