Yesterday I made butter and had the brilliant idea to mold it in a Wilton Easter Egg mini cake pan. It came out so cute! Now I don't want to slice into it.
Then I made a big batch of whipped cream, sweetened it, flavored it, and used a cookie dough scoop to make whipped cream dollops, which I lined up on a buttered cookie sheet. I froze them, removed them with a spatula, and tucked them into a zip-loc bag in the freezer for Sunday. I felt so accomplished! I left the kitchen to do some other things, but I kept hearing the freezer door opening. I returned to discover this strange girl, thawing my creamy dollop creations on the spatula and greedily devouring them. She gave me this hard-luck story about having a whipped cream deficiency. For supper, I made Chicken Alfredo. I used chicken broth made from one of our roosters, our cream, and mozzarella that Emma had made. I used store butter because I couldn't slice into my homemade Easter egg butter yet. Maybe today. Anyway, the dish was delish, almost decadent.
MORE ON MOZZARELLA
Our mozzarella has improved. We've switched from microwaving the mozzarella curds and pressing them to dipping them in hot water and stretching them. We are getting a much smoother textured cheese now. Microwaving seemed to make it tough.
These curds were the best ones we have had so far. They held their shape all the way down to the bottom of the pot.
The beginning of the stretch, then heat process. I think she did this about four times. The water should have been hotter. The directions from New England Cheesemaking Supply said the waterbath should be 185 degrees. When Emma tried that before, it was too hot, and the cheese melted. This time she started dipping the cheese into a waterbath that was 175 degrees, which wasn't quite hot enough.
The final stretch.
Ready to add salt.
The cheese is ready for the refrigerator. Emma gave it to Nathaniel to give to his boss, who had been begging to try it.
5 comments:
i like cheese.... and milk.... and cream..... :)
I don't know about the cheese and cream, Aaron, but I know from personal experience that you like milk. I've never seen anyone who can drink as much raw milk as you. If there is a Guinness contest for such feats, you should enter.
I love Em's apron. And I think I recognize that colander!
Mrs. Haught I think that has to be one of the prettyest pictures I have ever seen! a pretty girl, with cheese in her hands!( well, the only thing your missing is a nice port!) =P
"Give me wine, women and snuff until I call halt enough!" - John keats
(I would say wine, women and cheese; but that's cause I am hopelessly in love with cheese and am not particularly interested in snuff.)
Thomas, you crack me up! I've never met a family with such a dairy obsession. One cow would never be enough to supply the Ladners.
I'm glad you're not particularly interested in snuff.
I'll work on getting a picture of the milk maid with a giant cheese in one hand and a glass of port in the other. I'll have a poster made for your birthday. At the bottom it will say, "GOT WINE, WOMEN AND CHEESE?"
Post a Comment