Homemade Goat Cheese (is really easy!)

July 6, 2015  •  Appetizers, Technique

goat-cheeseThis is a summer recipe – not because goat cheese is only good in the summer, but because it’s hard to find goat’s milk in the grocery store that’s anything other than ultra pastuerized, which won’t make cheese. But in the summer, when the farmers’ markets are in full swing, you can usually find farmers selling goat’s milk and cheeses at the market.goat-cheese-1Making goat cheese is so simple you’ll wonder why you don’t do it all the time. It’s really the same technique as making ricotta cheese as they are both fresh cheeses. You simply heat the milk to about 180 degrees, remove it from the heat, stir in the lemon juice, let it curdle, then drain and season.goat-cheese-2I like to use a ring mold like this to shape the cheese into a nice, firm wheel. Wrap it up and refrigerate it until you are ready to serve it, but be sure to use it within a week. If you can’t use it that quickly, you can freeze the cheese until you are ready. It might crumble a bit when you thaw it, but you can enhance the texture by stirring in a bit of extra virgin olive oil, some pesto, or a tiny bit of heavy cream. Just think how great this cheese will taste on your next lamb burger. Fire up the grill!

Homemade Goat Cheese
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 quart goat's milk (NOT ultra pasteurized)
  • ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
  1. Heat the goat milk in a non-reactive pot to 180 degrees. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let stand for 10 minutes and then strain through several layers of cheese cloth. Gently squeeze out excess liquid and let hand over a pot for an hour for remaining liquid to drain. Gently squeeze one more time and then turn the cheese out into a bowl. Stir in the salt and then shape into a 3-1/4-inch ring mold, pressing the chess down into a firm round. Gently remove the ring mold and wrap with plastic wrap to refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. May be frozen.

 

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