[Cheese] monchego

[Brian]

>From a book I have.
I haven't tried it yet but I want to.
MANCHEGO CHEESE

This cheese originated in Spain near the plains of Toledo and was made from the milk of Manchego sheep. It has a rich, mellow taste and is available in four stages of ripeness.Manchego fresco is aged for 5 days of fewer, manchego curado is aged for 3-12 weeks, manchego viejo is aged for 3-12 months, and manchego aceite is aged in olive oil for more than a year. In Latin America today, manchego is made almost entirely from cow's milk.

2 Gallons whole milk

3 oz. of mesophilic starter

1 oz. of thermophilic starter

¼ tsp. of lipase powder

½ tsp. of liquid rennet diluted in ¼ cup of cool non chlorinated water

2 lbs. cheese salt for brine

1 gallon water

  1.. Heat milk to 86F degrees. Add both starters and mix well. Cover and let ripen at 86 degrees for 45 minutes.
  2.. Add the lipase, if desired. Add the diluted rennet and stir gently with and up and down motion for no more than 1 minute. Cover and let set at 86 degrees for 30 minutes, or until a clean break.
  3.. Cut the curd into ½ inch cubes and let set for 5 minutes.
  4.. Cut the cubes into rice sized pieces by slowly stirring them with a stainless steel wisk for 30 minutes.
  5.. Heat the curds to 104 degrees, increasing the temperature two degrees for every 5 minutes (this will take about 45 minutes). Stir gently to prevent curds from matting.
  6.. Let the curds set for 5 minutes, then pour off whey.
  7.. Line a mold with cheesecloth and ladle the curds into it. Press lightly at 15 pounds of pressure for 15 minutes.
  8.. Remove the cheese from the mold and gently peel away the cheesecloth. Turn over the cheese, re-dress it and press again at 15 lbs. for 15 minutes.
  9.. Repeat the process and press again at 15 lbs. for 15 minutes.
  10.. Repeat the process but press at 30 lbs. for 6 hours.
  11.. Make a saturated brine solution by combining the salt and water in a non-corrosive pot. Remove the cheese from the mold and place in the brine. Let it soak at 55 degrees for 6 hours.
  12.. Remove the cheese from the brine and pat dry. Reserve the brine for other recipes. Age at 55 degrees, turning daily. Age for any length of time depending on the style of cheese you want and coat with olive oil to keep the cheese from drying out. Remove unwanted mold with cheesecloth dampened with salt water.
YIELD 2 lbs.
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