Goats Cheese

Making cheese at home is surprisingly easy and very satisfying. This gives a soft goats cheese, a fresh or cottage cheese, that will keep for a week or so in the fridge. It’s fab on toast or crackers, and can easily be mixed with herbs or veg for a flavoured soft cheese. It’s also really quite filling, so makes a great side for roast veg or wedges.

Makes: ~250 grams. Prep: 30 minutes. Draining time: 2 hours.
Stores: A week in the fridge.

Tools

• Large pot
• Thermometer
• Wooden spoon
• Measuring cup
• Teaspoon measure, or teaspoon
• Clean tea towel
• Colander
• Dowel, other wooden spoon or tap to hang the tea towel from
• Bowl or ramekins to receive the final cheese

Ingredients

• 1 litre goats cheese (as high in fat as you can find)
• 0.3 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. Heat the milk to 82C (180F).
2. Pour in the lemon juice and stir thoroughly.
3. Leave for ten minutes.
4. Pour into a colander lined (thickly) with cheese cloth, or an old tea towel.
5. When most of the whey has drained, wrap the curds in the cloth, and hang the parcel from the tap, or a spoon, over a bowl for draining.
6. Leave for another 1.5 hours.
7. Open the cloth parcel and put the cheese into a bowl with about 0.5 teaspoon sea salt.
8. Pack in ramekins (or similar) and keep in the fridge.

Variations

Divide the cheese into two parts and mix in:

• 1 tablespoon of grated black pepper, the zest of one lemon.
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, a couple of tablespoons olive oil.
• 1 teaspoon chipotl.
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped capers, 1 teaspoon ground paprika.