The Home Creamery by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley Read Free Book Online

surfaces again and let the cheese rest for 2 hours.
    6.
    Place the cheese in a covered dish and refrigerate up

MOZZARELLA
    For most of us, mozzarella means the kind found in the grocery store — the plastic-sealed chunks with a rubbery consistency. That version doesn’t compare to handmade fresh mozzarella. The real thing is tender with a sweet, mellow flavor, and it’s so fresh that it drips milk when it’s cut.
    Generally speaking, making mozzarella is a simple process: Whole or skim milk is coagulated, usually with an acid culture or rennet. The liquid whey is drained from the curds, which are salted. What makes mozzarella different from other fresh cheeses is that the curds are stretched, which gives the cheese its smooth, tight texture.
    Mozzarella was made originally with water buffalo milk in the southern Italian region of Campania. Buffalo-milk mozzarella is creamier than that made with cow’s milk. It has a high butterfat content, about 50 percent, compared to 45 percent for whole cow’s milk and 30 to 45 percent for part skim.
    Fresh mozzarella can be made into several shapes and varieties: salted and unsalted; golf ball–size bocconcini; and braided, smoked, and marinated. My own favorite way of enjoying fresh mozzarella is to eat a slice with a hunk of crusty bread topped with a sliced garden-fresh tomato. Beyond just for eating as is, mozzarella is a wonderful melting cheese. In Italian classics such as eggplant parmigiana and chicken parmigiana it forms a soft, glazed topping.
MOZZARELLA TIP
Fresh mozzarella is delicious, but it’s difficult to grate. Here’s the solution: Freeze it first. Wrap fresh mozzarella in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 20 minutes. Unwrap the cheese and grate it. Use right away.

HOMEMADE MOZZARELLA
    INGREDIENTS
2 gallons whole or low-fat milk (cow’s or goat’s milk)
2½ teaspoons citric acid powder (see Note)
½ teaspoon liquid rennet
¼ cup cool water (55 to 60°F)
8 cups water
¼ cup salt
    The part of making your own mozzarella that’s the most fun is the stretching process. It’s almost magical to watch the curds become a smooth, elastic mass. And nothing beats its fresh, sweet flavor.
Note: Citric acid powder is available at cheese-making supply houses (see Sources on page 209 ).
MAKES ABOUT 2 POUNDS
PREP TIME: 1 HOUR
    1.
    Pour the milk into a large, heavy-bottomed pot and stir in the citric acid, stirring for 2 minutes. Bring the milk to 88°F. (It doesn’t matter whether you stir.) Check the temperature with a thermometer. Remove the pot from heat.
    2.
    In a small cup, dissolve the rennet in the cool water. Add this mixture to the milk and stir for 30 seconds. Cover the pot and let stand for 15 minutes.
    3.
    Using a knife (preferably a curd knife), cut the curds into 1-inch cubes and then let stand for another 5 minutes.
    4.
    Heat the curds over low heat, stirring gently to keep them separated. The curds will begin to shrink as the whey begins to separate from them. Slowly heat the curds to 108°F, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Check the temperature with a thermometer. Turn off the heat and continue to stir every few minutes for 20 minutes longer.
    5.
    Meanwhile, combine the 8 cups of water and salt in a pot and bring to 180°F.
    6.
    Spoon the curds into a colander lined with a double layer of butter muslin and let drain about 15 minutes.
    7.
    Cut the curds into 1-inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Pour the hot water over the curds; the water should cover them. (The hot water will warm the cheese so it begins to melt and can be stretched.)

    8.
    Using one or two wooden spoons or your hands, begin to stretch the cheese in an upward fashion, like you are stretching taffy. Stretch the cheese for about 10 minutes or until it begins to get stringy and shiny.
    9.
    Remove the cheese from the water. On a cutting board, continue to knead the cheese as you would bread, for about 5 minutes, to remove the excess water. The mozzarella can be served right way or can