Favorite Cheeses?

[Ageo308]

Re: Favorite Cheeses?

In Italy, Naples "fresh" Buffalo Mozzarella is available everywhere as they consume it everyday for all types of cooking. Its so cheap and you cant beat the taste of it. Unfortunately here its so expensive and the quality is no where near it is over there, so i try and stick to a mozzarella and fresh ricotta made from the local cheese farms.

[gjbingham]

Re: Favorite Cheeses?

I also like the pressurized cheese in a can that you squirt onto your favorite junk food. I think that's my fav!

[Pannabecker]

Re: Favorite Cheeses?

I'm going to try my hand at making my own mozzarella this weekend. Just returned from Italy and LOVED the cheese we got there. It's so hard going back to the plastic stuff I buy here at the store. I've read so many different ways to do it and I'm going to try a few till I get what I want. It's really hard to find raw milk around here even though I live around many farms. No one milks cows anymore. I guess I'll have to use store bought pasturized milk. Anyone have a success story making really good cheese?

Karen

[egalecki]

Re: Favorite Cheeses?

I've made the mozzarella with the kit from New England Cheesemaking. We've had varying success- sometimes it's soft and good, sometimes it's more rubbery. It has to do with how much microwaving my husband does. (he likes to do the pulling) I think I'm going to try one of the added cultures they sell to enhance the flavor, though, as soon as I get around to ordering it.

Most of the time, though, I just buy the soft stuff in the Kroger deli section. It'll never be as good as Italy, but hey, I don't have a water buffalo, either....

How was your trip?????

[Pannabecker]

Re: Favorite Cheeses?

The trip was great. Maybe I'll comment on it in the travel thread.

I have 2 recipes for mozzarella I want to try. One you use the microwave for and the other you don't. One is Barbara Kingsolver's recipe that was printed in Mother Earth News. The other I got off the internet.

Have you ever been to The Cheese Shop in Stuarts Draft, VA? About 1/2 hour north of Lexington. They have good mozzarella but still not like what I had in Italy.

Karen

[egalecki]

Re: Favorite Cheeses?

No, I haven't. Darn. I wish I'd known about it a couple of weeks ago. We were in Lexington for the State 4H Show and I could have made a side trip!

Please do comment in travel about your trip. I think you were going some places I haven't been, and I always love travel, even vicariously!

I'm headed over to mother earth now to check out the recipe if it's there...

[Modthyrth]

Re: Favorite Cheeses?

This is a great site for finding sources of raw milk:
Where Can I Find Real (Raw) Milk?

There are a ton listed in VA, so there's a good chance there's one within a reasonable distance.

[dbhansen]

Re: Favorite Cheeses?

I've had great success with "whole milk mozzarella" from Grande Cheese Company in Wisconsin. It can be tough to find, but there's a source about 20 miles from me. They only sell it in 8-pound blocks. But it's much better than the standard part-skim stuff in all the grocery stores. I was told that the New York Times recommended it a few years ago for making great pizza.

[tgm]

Re: Favorite Cheeses?

We have had the best success with Bel Gioso Fresh Mozzarella that we get at Sam's Club, believe it or not. We used to buy it at Wegmans and the price is currently at $8/lb. My wife then came back with it from Sam' Club and it's a 2# pack (two 1# together) for the same price or less. They must go through a ton of it as the stuff was just as fresh as could be. We have been getting it there now for the last year or so and have not been disappointed.
When it's that fresh I just pull it apart into chunks and let it drain on some paper towels prior to using. Works good and tastes great.

My $.02 for the day.......

Tom in PA

[Hops099]

Re: Favorite Cheeses?

I grew up in Chicago and whenever I'm back there I pick up some scarmoza. Seems to be unique to the area, I haven't found it anywhere else save for some aged and smoked versions in the Northeast. It's very similar to fresh mozz in texture, but browns a bit better and I prefer the taste.

[Pannabecker]

Re: Favorite Cheeses?

Never heard of scarmoza. I'll have to look into it. I like mozzarella when it's browned. I bet I'd like scarmoza.
Well I tried my hand at making the mozzarella using pasturized organic whole milk and then used the whey to make ricotta. I can't say the mozzarella turned out any better than what I buy at WalMart. It was fun trying though.

[egalecki]

Re: Favorite Cheeses?

After you strained the whey for the mozzarella, how did you make the ricotta? I've never been able to convince myself that there was anything left in there to make ricotta with..

We've had the same results with the homemade mozzarella, that's why I was thinking about adding a culture. I think the New England Cheesemaking site has one you can use for mozzarella.

The absolute best grilled cheese sandwich I ever had (and I've eaten more than my fair share, I assure you- they are my comfort food!) was made with scamorza. The bread was wonderful too- thick cut, crusty and chewy.

[Pannabecker]

Re: Favorite Cheeses?

Elizabeth, Check out this website. Ricotta Making Illustrated
It explains it all and there really is something left although you'd never know it to look at that liquid. With one gallon of milk I only got about a 1/2 cup of ricotta. You might as well do it though after making the mozzarella. Why let it go to waste? All that it requires is reheating and draining it.

[Frances]

Re: Favorite Cheeses?

Just a suggestion here...

I often use sour milk for making bread (often being about twice a year when the milk goes off) and it really adds a certain something. I was just thinking that instead of making riccotta, the left over liquid would probably be great for making bread, too.

[Pannabecker]

Re: Favorite Cheeses?

That's a great idea. I love the idea of finding new uses for what is usually wasted. I've dumped quite a bit of sour milk over the years. I bet the ricotta would be good. And, you're right what's left after making the cheese could be used in my bread. I made sourdough yesterday and could have used the leftover whey I dumped last week.
Thanks Frances.