Chipotle Stirred Curd Cheddar 2
From SackWiki
Level of difficulty: 
Prep time: 7 hours
Long press time: 24 hours
The basic Stirred-Curd Cheddar recipe can easily be adapted by adding flavorings, herbs, or spices. This recipe uses chipotle peppers to spice it up.
Ingredients: 1 tbsp chopped canned chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce Ingredients for Stirred-Curd Cheddar Procedure: Follow steps for Stirred-Curd Cheddar up through the addition of the salt. After adding the salt, gently mix in the chipotle peppers. Continue to follow all steps for Stirred-Curd Cheddar
Attempt #1 - March 31, 2007
This was my first A.D. hard cheese, and I was eager to see how well the proper milk worked. I was not disappointed -- the curd was firm, stayed cubed, and behaved exactly the way it should have. It was a delight to work with and so very different that any hard cheese I'd made before. The curds had a definite squeak to them, which gives me chills, but I've read that it's good for a cheddar. I'm hoping the texture evens out as it ages.
I grossly underestimated the time it would take to do all the prep work on this cheese, and the later it got in the evening, the more impatient and rushed I was to get it done. As a result, I think my yield was diminished and might have been more if I had let it ripen/set longer. I didn't get it into the final long press until 3 a.m. so I made a mental note to add up (and record) the prep time in the future, to make sure I begin early enough in the day to let it have all the time it needs for each step. This recipe had a 7-hr prep time, then the final 24-hr press.
The resulting cheese (before cutting) was 3" tall and 4" wide.
I saved a few of the curds and put them in a container in the fridge. I nibbled on them over the next few days, and they got tastier every day. They tasted very similar to the curds we get when we travel up North, so I might make a batch one day and leave them as curds.
I let this cheese air-dry for 2 days and then waxed it and put it in the cheese fridge.
I let this age for about 5 months (longer than I had originally planned) and cut into it on August 5, 2007, in honor of an out-of-town visitor. This cheese was worlds better than any I'd made before. It sliced beautifully and tasted great. Like REAL cheese! I was very pleased with the results.
