How to Make French Chevre Cheese
Consider making your own chevre cheese with goat's milk. Chevre means "goat" in the French language. The goat's milk makes a soft pliable cheese that you can mold easily. Goat's milk is also found in a variety of other cheeses such as feta, gouda and camembert. French chevre cheese is the freshest goat cheese available because it ages in just a few hours. Some people allow their curds to set for 24 hours before they make the cheese, but this is not a necessary part of the goat cheese-making process. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 1/2 gallon goat's milk
- Stainless steel pot
- Dairy thermometer
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- Stainless steel colander
- Cheesecloth
- Stainless steel bowls
- Strainer
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. pepper
- Molds
Instructions
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1
Begin pasteurizing the goat's milk. Fill your pan with goat's milk. Place a dairy thermometer in the pan to keep track of the temperature.
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2
Allow the milk to rise to a temperature of 90 degrees F. Continue to stir the milk, or it will scorch. Once the milk boils, allow it to continue boiling for just a few seconds. Turn the burner off and remove the milk from the heat.
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3
Add the vinegar to the milk. Continue to stir the goat milk slowly. You will notice that curds have started to form, and this is perfectly normal.
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4
Line the colander with cheesecloth. Place the colander on top of a stainless steel bowl. Stir the goat milk for 30 seconds, and then pour it into your strainer.
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5
Ensure that the whey (liquid) separates completely from the curds. Discard the whey that is left in the pot, or save it for a sourdough bread starter.
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6
Lift the cheesecloth with the curds out of the colander. Gently squeeze the cheesecloth to remove any excess whey.
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7
Pour the curds into a bowl. Add salt and pepper to the cheese. Mix the chevre cheese with your hands and form it into a bowl.
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8
Press the cheese into molds or a small bowl. Cover the chevre cheese and place it in the refrigerator. Allow the goat cheese to set in the refrigerator for at least 2 days.
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Tips & Warnings
Instead of vinegar to separate the whey from the curds, you can add one rennet tablet or 2 tbsp. of lemon juice.
