My Own Creamery: Sweet Success

My mom used to tell me that I had been born in the wrong generation.

She said I fit in better with my grandmother’s generation than my own

when it came to cooking and crafting.

Truth is, I love cooking and learning to make foods that are considered

 “beyond the realm” of the home kitchen.

 

I would have to disagree with my mom though

 because in this generation it is even more important to know what is in our food.

And, what better way than to make it yourself!

 

I attempted again to make mozzarella cheese tonight.

In my past attempts the flavor has been wonderful but I have never been able to get the texture right. It always looked more like ricotta

than mozzarella even though it tasted like the latter.

 

The recipe  is on My Own Creamery board on Pinterest. The recipe is from Home Cheese Making

by Ricki Carroll. I have bought the e-book and am excited to try more recipes.

 

Tonight I met with success! When I kneaded the cheese

it actually became stretchy like “pulled taffy.”

 

 

I was able to stretch it and roll it into a few small “snack” size balls

and a couple of larger ones for a recipe I hope to make on Friday.

 

 

They’re not at pretty as the ones at the market

but I’m sure I’ll get better at shaping them with practice.

 My husband loved the cheese despite what it looked like.

 

But that’s not the end of my cheese making adventure this evening.

I reheated the whey left from the mozzarella according to the recipe for ricotta.

 

 

As I type this post, it is straining through the cheesecloth

and should give me about 8 to 12 ounces of ricotta.

 

At the end of this process, I will pour the leftover whey back into the gallon milk jug.

 I will use it to replace the warm water to proof yeast in homemade bread. It adds wonderful flavor.

 

I am amazed at how much I can get out of one gallon of milk:

about 1 1/2 pounds of mozzarella, 8 to 12 ounces of ricotta,

 and whey for about six batches of bread.

It’s budget wise AND I know that my cheese doesn’t have any unnecessary additives.

 

Enjoying the yummy food that I can create with my heart for home!