Monterey Jack 1
From SackWiki
This is a medium-difficulty, time-intensive recipe that produces a fast-aging cheese.
Ingredients:
2 gallons whole milk
1/4 tsp direct-set mesophilic starter
1/8 tsp calcium chloride
1/2 tsp liquid rennet
1 tbsp kosher salt
cheese wax
Procedure:
Heat milk at Med on stove until 88F.
Add starter and stir well for 1 minute.
Turn off heat. (it should rise to and then maintain 90F)
Cover and let set for 30 minutes.
Mix calcium chloride in 1/4 cup cool water and pour into milk.
Stir thoroughly for 1 minute with slotted spoon.
Mix rennet in 1/4 cup cool water and pour into milk.
Stir thoroughly for 1 minute with slotted spoon.
Let sit at 90F for 45 minutes or until the curd gives a clean break.
Cut the curd into 1/4" pieces.
Transfer pot to a hot water bath in the sink.
Maintain 90F and gently stir curds constantly for 40 minutes.
Gradually raise the temperature to 100F, over 35 minutes, stirring frequently.
Maintain 100F for 30 minutes, gently stirring constantly
Let the curds rest for 5 minutes.
Pour off the whey to the level of the curds, taking care not to lose curds.
Let curds rest an additional 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent
matting, while maintaining 100F.
Pour the curds into a cheesecloth-lined colander.
Sprinkle in the salt and toss well.
Let curds drain for 5 minutes.
Firmly press the curds into a 2-lb mold lined with cheesecloth.
Apply 10 lbs of pressure for 15 minutes.
Remove the cheese from the mold and remove the cloth.
Turn cheese over and re-dress.
Apply 30 lbs of pressure for 30 minutes.
Remove the cheese from the mold and remove the cloth.
Turn cheese over and re-dress.
Apply 40 lbs of pressure for 12 hours.
Remove the cheese from the mold and remove the cloth.
Air dry at room temperature for 2-5 days until it is dry to the touch.
Wax the cheese.
Age for 1-3 months.
Attempt #1 - December 23, 2006
I celebrated my Christmas vacation by making this cheese. I had planned to make several cheeses that week, but ran out of time. This cheese took half a day to process, and then the rest of the evening (and into the night) to press. I poorly timed it and had to wake up at 2:30 AM to remove it from the press! Lesson learned.
This recipe had a new technique for me, in that the curds cooked longer in the whey, and then the draining time was very short (5 minutes versus an hour). Seemed unusual to me, but probably only because I'd been doing cheddars before this.
Anyway, the curd was a bit soft and the chunks were SO TINY as they cooked, so I was worried about it, but everything ended up looking great by the time it was pressed.
The resulting cheese is 4" across and about 5" tall, and weighs about 2 pounds.
When it came to air-drying, I was very careful not to let it over-dry (like I think my Sage cheddar did), so I left it out only until the surface was dry to the touch, which was about 16 hours. Far shorter than the estimate, but the house humidity was low, and I really didn't want another dry cheese. When you squeeze the cheese gently, it is definitely soft enough to easily give in. It has remained that way after being thoroughly chilled in the cheese fridge, so I think I'm well on my way to a nice soft cheese.
I let the cheese age for 2 months and then cut into it on February 28, 2007. The second my knife went into the wax, liquid started dripping out! I estimate about 3 to 4 tablespoons of whey just poured out of the cheese, signaling a definitely failure. I peeled back some of the wax and the cheese fell apart in my hands. There were dry crumbly bits with whey nestled in the nooks and crannies. It smelled sour and tasted sour. I had to throw the whole thing out!
I obviously was over-zealous in my attempts to keep the cheese from drying out. I let the cheese press for as long as the recipe stated, but the drying time was far too short. Another lesson learned. I will try again!
