If you enjoy the taste of cheese but don't like the high fat content and calories, you'll want to discover the world of goat milk cheese. Goat milk cheese is lower in fat and calories than cheese made from cow's milk. Goat cheese is also easier to digest if you're lactose intolerant.
Unfortunately, goat cheese can be expensive and sometimes hard to find in your local supermarket. The good news is it's easy to make your own goat milk cheese at home You don't need a lot of complicated supplies or appliances to make goat cheese at home. In fact, if you have goat's milk on hand, you can probably make it with supplies you already have in your kitchen. Here's how to make homemade goat milk cheese:
Purchase Your Goat's Milk And Supplies.
You'll want to purchase around a half gallon of goat's milk. Goat's milk purchased from supermarkets tends not to be as fresh as what you can purchase from a farmer's market or directly from the farm. If possible, pay a visit to your city market and see if there's any fresh goat's milk available. Another place to check is your local natural food store.
You'll also need to purchase either lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to coagulate the cheese. An alternative is to use rennin which is an enzyme that serves as a coagulant. You may be able to purchase this at your local natural food coop or health food store. If not, the lemon juice or apple cider vinegar should work fine. You should also have some cheesecloth available for separating the curds from the whey.
Heat Your Goat's Milk.
Pour your goat's milk into a large stainless steel kettle and heat it to 190 degrees Fahrenheit. This is particularly important if you're using fresh goat's milk that hasn't undergone the pasteurization process. Remove the kettle from the heat and allow your milk to cool to at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit before proceeding.
It's Time To Make Cheese.
Once your goat's milk has cooled to below 100 degrees Fahrenheit, slowly add two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to the milk. If you're using rennin tablets, read the directions on the box. Once the coagulant has been added, you should start to see the curd separate from the whey. If not, slowly add more vinegar or lemon juice while stirring. Once separation has occurred, your curd should resemble balls of cottage cheese.
Separate The Curds From The Whey.
Using a ladle, spoon the curds out of the mixture and onto your cheese cloth. Once you've removed all of the curd, tie your cheese cloth at the top and allow it to hang for several hours over a container set up to catch the whey as it drips through the cheese cloth. What you'll have in your cheese cloth are the delicious curds. In the jar, you'll have the whey which can be used in cooking or discarded.
Refrigerate Your Curds.
Once you have your curds separated, refrigerate them for a day before tasting.
Now that you know how to make goat milk cheese, you can modify it by adding your own herbs and seasonings. Try adding parsley, basil, or any number of other fresh or dried herbs to your freshly made goat cheese. There are dozens of delicious recipes available online using goat cheese as an ingredient. Once you know how to make goat milk cheese at home, you'll find so many delicious ways to use it. Why not give it a try?
