Making Cheese.

Today I went and bought groceries. Including milk. Purposefully choosing milk that was as far out as possible so it would last. Welp.

We left it in the truck.

Not for long, but too long to be able to drink it safely.

So I boiled it up, heating it to 203 by the thermometer then added apple cider vinegar.

I made a type of soft cheese, adding garlic and dill to it. It became quite delicious.

It starts out like this, 1 gallon whole milk. It has to be whole milk or there isn't enough fat to make cheese with. You can also use half and half and whipping cream. Whole milk is cheaper
Normally you just need to heat milk hot enough you cannot put your little finger in. I chose to get almost to boiling for safety sake.

This is what it looks like after  you add the vinegar to it. You can use vinegar, lemon juice anything with a high acid content. You add enough to make it curdle. This will vary every time. Sometimes it takes a tsp sometimes a cup. It depends on fat content, what the cows ate, the phase of the moon. Tons of different variables. When it curdles, you've added enough.

 Strain. Some people keep the whey. I am not one of those people. There are culinary uses. If I had pigs I would give it to them. I don't. So down the drain it goes.

even after straining you'll notice that whey is still leaking out. I ball it up, and pat dry with paper towels until it's dry. You can of course use towels, but really? I buy paper towels at $0.60 a roll, I used 1/2 a roll patting this dry. the thirty cents is much easier than trying to get cheese out of my towels. I've tried. It sucks.

TADA!

Doesn't it look pretty?

You can eat it with crackers, smeared on bread, I've added it to soups for extra richness and flavor.
One of our favorites though, is to add this to tortillas and make a quesadilla.

Possible flavor variations.

This one is garlic and dill.
I also have made honey/ginger
Thyme/Oregano
Parsley and Sage
Rosemary and Thyme.
Olive and garlic.

You really are only limited by your imagination as to the flavor combos. These are our favorites. However, while I didn't enjoy it a popular one with some of my family is jalapeno, okra (It was just weird) and scotch bonnet pepper. I like some spicy but I do not want my cheese to kill me.

Lemon Curd

Four years ago, my mother daughter and I were moving from Georgia back to Colorado. That first night we left Atlanta, and got to Tennessee. We say "Somewhere" because we found a hotel, and pulled over. That's where we stayed. 

I have no idea the town we were in. What the name of the hotel was, or anything. What I can tell you is a 2 block walk from the hotel was the best little cafe. It was one of those that was most definitely owned by locals. I cannot remember what real food we ate that night, what I can tell you is we ordered desert. This is pretty remarkable since we are usually so full after eating out that dessert is the last thing on our minds. 

Mom ordered a coconut cream pie, my daughter ordered a lemon meringue, and I ordered a chocolate cream pie. I swear on everything I hold dear these were the best pies I have ever ate. Better than my grandmas berry cobbler, better than my mothers pumpkin pie, better than all the tarts I ever ate when I lived in England.

We have yet to master how they made the coconut, and the chocolate, but...I have figured out their secret to the lemon meringue.

Lemon curd.

Oh my good lord this stuff is so addictive. This summer alone I've put up about 16 jars of it, along with lime, grapefruit and orange curd. Lemon curd is my favorite though. I eat it on scones, by itself. Seriously I've been known, and so has my daughter to just open a jar and eat it straight from it. Like it's some kind of pudding.

Now, it calls for 7 whole eggs, and 5 egg yolks. So I only make it when eggs are cheap, and then freeze the egg whites. 

The USDA says to only use the lemon juice you can buy in the store. It's acid is controlled. Well...I buy pH strips, and I am a biology major. Chemistry is something I understand and can figure out what the proper pH should be. It needs to be below about a 4.6 or so. This is to keep any funkies from growing. 

I love the smell of freshly grated lemon peel. So I start with about 1/2 a cup, sometimes more.

Then I stick my 8-10 lemons (depending on size) Into the microwave for a minute. This releases a ton more juice than if you just slice into them and juice away.

Not to mention the lemon peel is just so bloody pretty. 

The eggs get whisked into the stock pot full of lemon juice, peel, eggs, and sugar. Stir until it starts to thicken up. My big batches take about 20 minutes of continual stirring to thicken.

Pour into a fine mesh strainer, so the seeds and peel are caught while the yummyness strains out.

Place into hot jars, put lids on then can in a water bath. For my altitude, and since I can these in 1/2 pint jars I boil them for 15-20 minutes.

Recipe 

Juice from 8-10 lemons (About 2.5 cups of Lemon juice)

Zest from lemons

5 egg yolks

7 whole eggs

3 cups of sugar 

(Optional) 2-3 drops of vanilla to enrich the flavor.

Follow the above instructions.

Eat, enjoy,