Sue Cummings of Kalispell, Montana teaches cheese making at Flathead Valley Community College (click here). The story she told us about how she learned to make cheese is a real testament to her persistence. The lesson is that “where there’s a will, there’s a whey!”
“When I first began to make cheese, I bought Ricki Carroll’s book (Home Cheese Making) and made as many recipes as I could. I had lots of questions that weren’t answered in the book so I bought a couple more books for home cheese makers. They also didn’t answer my questions. I have a science background so I got a book called “Fundamentals of Cheese Science.”
I got about 1/3 of the way through it. I did take biochemistry but this book was beyond me. I couldn’t go to the classes that were held at colleges and universities around the country in evenings and on weekends once a week because we live in Montana, thousands of miles away from places that teach them.
I ended up at the University of Vermont’s Institute of Artisanal Cheesemaking. They held a 2 week intensive certification program for cheese making so we could go there, take the classes and go home all in one time block. (It has since been discontinued for reasons totally unrelated to the quality of the classes.)
The classes covered cheese science, milk science, starter microbiology, flavor chemistry – all the answers I was looking for. I brought that knowledge back to Kalispell, Montana. Apparently, no one else here has had an opportunity to find these answers, either. My classes are always full with waiting lists.
The recipe below is for a quick Florentine style cheese that I developed to fit into a 3 hour cheese making class. I always hand out a “make sheet” like a professional cheese maker would use and encourage folks to make copies and keep records of each batch. This makes a nice, chewy, creamy flavored cheese that slices well.
The basis for this recipe is “Guido’s Cheese” from Home Cheesemaking by Ricki Carroll (p. 146).
Sue Cummings says
Check out the make sheet. The third step has you add “yogurt or thermophilic starter.” I discovered that yogurt has, in addition to bacteria that are unique to yogurt, the same thermophilic bacteria that you should use in this cheese. When I teach classes, I like to emphasize that people can experiment with cheese making with very accessible ingredients. Of course, the flavor of the cheese is better with thermophilic starter.
Is one themo culture better than another for this particular type of cheese? I have discovered that there a many different types of thermophillic cultures. Why are there so many?
bjr
Thank you. I wish there was some where in Pennsylvania to take a course that teaches the chemistry of cheese. I would enjoy the discipline of learning.
Sue I have all kinds of cultures. So when you say a starter culture could you give me some guidelines. Like meso or thermo?
Hi Linda,
Just a quick question about your recipe. It says to “package and age…” How is that to be done? What package do I use?
Thanks
Barb R.
I package my cheese in a vacuum packer. I have a Food Saver or you could use a Seal a Meal. The other standard way to package cheese is with cheese wax. In my classes I suggest a range of options including tightly packaged cling wrap or the plastic wrap that sticks to itself or even a plastic bag with the air sucked out with a straw. The idea is to keep air away from the cheese so it doesn’t mold. This kind of cheese isn’t aged a long time. You don’t have to be quite so careful about packaging since you’ll probably eat it before it molds. 🙂
Thanks Sue,
I appreciate the answer. I am new to cheese making and my Florentine will not be ready till 25th of March. I did have a bit of mold but got it off and am preparing to plastic wrap it and put it back in the cave till then. I really liked your recipe and it was easy for me to make. I used 6 gallons of raw milk. I think the finished cheese is about 4, maybe 5 pounds. I have not weighted it yet. I made my cheese on 5 March of this year.
Linda, I make this cheese all the time from goat’s milk. The higher the butterfat, the creamier it is. I have not had any problems with it at all.
The Florentine cheese recipe from Sue Cummings sounds delicious! What would you change in order to make from goat milk? My milk is from my Nigerians goats with between 6% to 7% butterfat, if that makes,a difference. I’m excited to try this recipe!
I definitely make this cheese with goat milk. I have Nubians and their milk is probably and high in butterfat as yours. I don’t change anything but I add 1/4 tsp of CaCl dissolved in 1/4 cup distilled water to compensate for the fact that goat milk forms a softer curd than cows milk even if it’s raw milk..