Hold on to your hats, people. I’m doing something new: posting a cheese recipe that I’ve yet to taste.

Daring, no?

I think I’ve earned the right, though, considering I’ve made 70-odd cheeses in the last 9 months or so. I’ve had a few bad ones — though none that have been contaminated by coliform, knock on wood — and multitudes of mediocre ones, but more and more, I’m turning out perfectly decent cheeses. They’re not blow-your-mind delicious — I’ll reserve that level of awesomeness for when I have a real cheese cave and my cheeses can develop their own natural rinds — but they are still hold-your-head-high good. 

So yeah, I’m getting brave.

And so: Gouda Divino! This recipe comes from a new cheesemaking book — the author lives not far from me, I hear — and called for a new ingredient: LM 57 Meso Adjunct, an enhancer that produces carbon dioxide and give Gouda and Blue Cheese its trademark buttery flavor. Which, I decided, sounded like the exact sort of secret weapon I’d like to have in my cheesemaking arsenal, so I ordered some and whipped up a batch of heavenly cheese.  

And the cheese did, indeed, smell divine. Seriously! Every time I lifted the lid and got a whiff of that buttery-sweet goodness, I’d give a little squeal. I loved the process, too — straightforward and uncomplicated — so I turned right around and made a second batch, this time with cumin seed.

Apparently, Cumin Gouda — or Spiced Gouda — is a Thing. It originated in Holland, and the way people go on about it, it appears to have a cult following. (To make it, cumin seeds get simmered in water, strained, and then added to the curds before going in the press.) The combination of buttery curds and earthy cumin seeds did smell pretty darn amazing.

And now I just have to wait for three months before I’ll know if it’s any good. 

I’m pretty confident, though. In fact, I’m planning to make another one soon. Something tells me I’m gonna be glad I did. In fact, while I wait, I may go ahead and make another, but this time I’ll spice it with red pepper flakes and call it Gouda del Diablo. (And yes, I just came up with that myself.)

One interesting note: To the Spiced Gouda, I added a quart of whipping cream and then used the calcium chloride and the resulting cheese was a full pound heavier than the regular Gouda Divino and its whey also yielded a huge amount of ricotta.

Which makes me wonder: should I be adding heavy whipping cream and calcium chloride to all my cheeses?

Spiced Gouda Divino
Adapted from Kitchen Creamery by Louella Hill.

I’m writing this recipe as I made it (author’s privileges) but you’re welcome to halve or double it (ha!), if you like.

7 ½ gallons raw whole milk
1 quart store-bought heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon Flora Danica
¼ teaspoon LM 57
1 ½ teaspoons calcium chloride diluted in ½ cup water
1 ½ teaspoons rennet diluted in ½ cup water
½ cup cumin seed
Saturated salt brine, and extra salt

Put the cumin seeds in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Drain, discarding the water. Set the seeds aside.

Heat the milk and cream to 86 degrees over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Once it reaches 86 degrees, take it off the heat. Sprinkle the freeze-dried cultures — the Flora Danica and the LM 57 — over the surface of the milk and let them rehydrate for 2 minutes. Stir. Cover, and let the milk culture for 20-30 minutes.

Stir in the diluted calcium chloride. Using an up-and-down motion, stir in the diluted rennet. Cover, and let it rest for 45 – 75 minutes, or until the curd is set: when a knife is inserted into the curd and lifted, the curd should break apart revealing clear lines, no mushy looseness. Cut the curd into ¾-inch cubes. Let them rest for 5 minutes to heal.

Set a timer for 20 minutes and begin to gently and slowly stir the curds, breaking up or cutting any too-large pieces of curd as you go. 

Let the curds rest for 5 minutes, undisturbed, to settle to the bottom of the pot. 

Scoop off 20 percent of the whey (save it for making whey ricotta — the whey from this cheese recipe yielded an abundance) and replace it with an equal amount of 140 degree water, stirring steadily. The goal is to bring the temperature of the curds up to 100 degrees. If it’s still not hot enough, remove more of the whey and replace with more hot water, or turn on the heat low to raise it the last couple degrees. Stir steadily!

Once the curds have reached 100 degrees, hold them at that temp and stir gently for forty minutes. 

Again, let the curds rest for 5 minutes, undisturbed, to settle to the bottom of the pot. Pour off all of the whey (or save it for ricotta!), and gently stir in the cumin seeds. 

Transfer the curds to a cheesecloth-lined mold. Press the cheese at low pressure (about 15-20 pounds) for 1 hour. Flip the cheese, increase the pressure to 20 pounds, and press for another hour or two. Flip the cheese and press at medium pressure — about 30 pounds — for a couple more hours. Flip once more and press at 30 pounds for 8 hours, or overnight. (These times and weights are guesstimates: you want to press the cheese for a total of 12 hours or so.)

Remove the cheese from the press and place in a saturated brine for 18-20 hours, or about 3-4 hours per pound of cheese (if in doubt, go longer). Salt the exposed surface and flip halfway through, again salting the exposed surface. 

Remove the cheese from the brine and air dry for 1-3 days, flipping every 12 hours. Once it’s dry to the touch, vac-pack. 

Age at 55 degrees for at least 3 months, flipping a couple times a week for the first month, and then once a week for the remainder of the time.

This same time, years previous: the milking parlor, the quotidian (3.16.20), good writing, wear a helmet, the quotidian (3.16.15), smiling for dimples, warmth, cornmeal blueberry scones.

Quotidian: daily, usual or customary;
everyday; ordinary; commonplace

Roast at high heat with olive oil and salt: swoon and gobble.

Elevated nachos: with homemade Jarlsberg and the last of the Red Pepper Bel Paese.

Spring = playing increasingly frantic games of cheese tetris with my limited cool spaces.

Whey ricotta so thick I could slice it.

Rawr.

And the snack of the week goes to — drumroll — dates and smoked almonds!

Packed-lunch material.

My mom came to see me and brought me cookies.

We don’t talk about.

Table chips.

CD player guts.

Virginia whiplash: 65 degrees one day, freezin’ and blowin’ the next.

This same time, years previous: cherry bounce, the coronavirus diaries, puff pastry, expanded, for science, fresh ginger cookies, the quotidian (3.13.17), the quotidian (3.14.16), raspberry ricotta cake, chocolate babka, from my diary, Monday mini bites, warm sourdough chocolate cakes.

I’ve been making Colby cheese for months now. A sweet, mild-tasting, crowd-pleasing cheese, it melts wonderfully (my go-to for mac-and-cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches) and is pretty straightforward to make. 

I’m probably not making Colby here but please appreciate my reading-while-cheesing trick: stirring the curds with one hand while using the liddled kettle of whey (for ricotta) for a makeshift book stand.
^{photo credit: my husband}

I say “pretty” straightforward because, until you get the hang of cheesemaking, it — any and ALL cheesemaking — feels complicated and, truth is, even once you get used to it, making cheese still takes time and attention. It’s not rocket-science but it is next-level culinary commitment. (And it’s worth it.) 

September Colby

LIGHTBULB: The moon is said to be made of cheese so maybe rocket science and cheesemaking have more in common than I think?

November Colby

Colby is a washed-curd cheese which means that once the curds are cooked, some whey is removed and cold water is added to cool and wash the curds. This washing process reduces the acidity and makes the cheese sweeter. Most washed-curd cheeses, like Gouda, Havarti, and Butterkäse, have hot water added to simultaneously cook and wash the curds, but for Colby, the water cools the curd. Again, it’s not complicated. You just need a couple big pots or buckets, and a reliable thermometer. 

January Colby

The addition of annatto is optional. It doesn’t add flavor, just color. Some people aren’t attached to a cheese’s color. Others, like me, are. I tried a white Colby and it just didn’t feel right. 

Jarlsberg-Style on the left, Colby on the right

Colby
Adapted from Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll.

These days, I typically make an 8-gallon batch, but the recipe below is for four gallons. You can double or halve it — whatever works for you.

I’ve tried a bunch of different mesophilic cultures: whey from previous cheesemaking, Flora Danica or another MA culture, kefir, and I’ve read that buttermilk is also a good option. Because of my (heartbreaking-slash-infuriating) struggles with kefir, I’ve reverted to using freeze-dried cultures — Flora Danica, most times. 

If using store-bought milk: prior to adding the rennet, stir in 1 teaspoon of calcium chloride that’s been diluted in ½ cup water .

NOTE: Whenever the milk/curds aren’t being handled, keep a lid on the kettle. This helps the milk to maintain the correct temperature, as well as keeps it clean. Also, make sure your kettles, spoons, thermometer, etc are clean. I make a sanitizing spray with half white vinegar and half water, spritz everything, and then wipe them down with paper towels. 

4 gallons whole milk
1 teaspoon Flora Danica (or ¾ – 1 cup kefir or buttermilk)
1 teaspoon rennet, diluted in ½ cup cold water
½ teaspoon annatto, diluted in ½ cup cold water
Salt brine (see below)
Extra non-iodized salt

Heat the milk to 86 degrees over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Once it reaches 86 degrees, take it off the heat. Sprinkle the freeze-dried culture over the surface of the milk and let it rehydrate for 2 minutes. Stir. Cover, and let the milk culture for 1 hour.

Stir in the diluted annatto. Using an up-and-down motion, stir in the diluted rennet. Cover, and let it rest for 45 – 75 minutes, or until the curd is set: when a knife is inserted into the curd and lifted, the curd should break apart revealing clear lines, no mushy looseness. Cut the curd in ½-inch cubes. Let rest for 5 minutes to heal.

Gently and slowly, begin stirring the curds — I like to use my hand but a spoon is fine — breaking up or cutting any too-large pieces of curd as you go. 

After about 15 minutes of gentle stirring, turn the heat to low and, over the course of 30 minutes, bring the temperature up to 102 degrees. Stir steadily, making sure that none of the curd is sticking to the bottom of the pot and checking regularly to make sure the temperature is rising slowly and steadily. If it’s heating too quickly, cut the heat; too slowly, raise it.

Once it reaches 102 degrees, turn off the heat. The curd should be cooked all the way through — firm and spongy, but not hard. When you squeeze it, it should hold together and then, when you poke it with your fingers, it should fall apart. If it needs more time, hold it at 102 degrees and continue to stir gently for another 10 minutes or so. 

Let the curd rest for 5 minutes.

Remove the whey to the level of the curd and replace it with 75-degree water to bring the temperature down to 90 degrees. Stir steadily. 

Let the curds rest for 5 minutes and then repeat the process: remove the whey to the level of the curd and replace it with water — this time 60 degrees — to bring the temperature down to 75 degrees. Let the curds rest for 15 minutes, stirring every 3-5 minutes.

Pour off the whey and transfer the curds to a cheesecloth-lined mold. Press the cheese at low pressure (10-15 pounds) for 1 hour. Flip the cheese and increase the pressure to 20 pounds — press for another hour. Flip the cheese and press at medium pressure — 30-40 pounds — for a couple more hours. Flip once more and increase the pressure to 50 pounds for 8 hours. (These times and weights are guesstimates: you want to press the cheese for a total of 12 hours or so.)

Remove the cheese from the press and place in a saturated brine for 10-12 hours (about 3-4 hours per pound of cheese). Salt the exposed surface. Flip the cheese halfway through, again salting the exposed surface. 

Remove the cheese from the brine and air dry at room temperature for 1-3 days, flipping every 12 hours. Once it’s dry to the touch, vac-pack. 

Age at 55 degrees for at least 1 month, flipping a couple times a week.. 

To make a saturated salt brine:
1 gallon water
2 ¼ pounds non-iodized salt
1 tablespoon calcium chloride
1 teaspoon white vinegar 

Measure all ingredients into a kettle and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cool to room temperature, transfer to a jar, and store in a cheese cave, root cellar, or refrigerator. 

After using the brine, return it to the jar and add a few more tablespoons of salt; you want to see a little undissolved salt at the bottom of the jar — a sign that the brine is properly saturated.

If the brine gets “floaties”, pour it through a sieve. If it starts to get cloudy, re-boil it, adding more salt and a bit more calcium chloride and a touch of vinegar. (Disclaimer: I’m not sure that’s actually how it’s to be done, but it’s what I’ve been doing and seems to work so far.)

This same time, years previous: the coronavirus diaries: week 53, the quotidian (3.11.19), kitchen concert, homemade pepperoni, no more Luna, what will I wish I had done differently?, work, all by himself, blondies.