This morning I had the pleasure of attending a Cheese Making Workshop held by our Simple Living Toowoomba group. Our presenter, Ron, showed us how to make Haloumi, Ricotta and Paneer cheese.
Ricotta
The ricotta and paneer were made in a similar way except that vinegar was added to the heated milk for the ricotta whereas....
Paneer
....lemon juice was added to the milk when making paneer plus it was pressed down and drained for two hours.
Making haloumi is not quite as quick but Ron gave us a recipe for time poor cheesemakers as well as the traditional recipe which I have scanned and will add at the end. Seeing as there were so many cheeses on the go and that a batch of haloumi had been draining overnight, I got a bit confused as to the order of the photos but, if you read the recipes you should be able to follow the steps if you would like to make haloumi.
I think the three photos above are the first stage before draining the cheese overnight when using the traditional recipe.
Then when the curd is dry enough to stick together well...
...it is cut into 2cm wide strips...
...and then put into almost boiling whey and cooked for 10-15 minutes or until the curd floats to the surface.
It can then be lightly salted and pressed into a mould before cooling for 1-2 hours and then cut.
Then it was cooked in a frypan for a few minutes and consumed within a few seconds :-)
It was very yummy and is a cheese that I want to try and make myself.
Before the workshop we had our usual morning tea and swap and I came home with a beautifully hand embroidered tea towel made by Shiralee from Vintage Papery, some double choc fudge soap made by Mandy from The Old Dairy which almost got eaten by my son who thought it was fudge as well as some gluten free banana muffins, eggs and an eggplant.
All in all, it was a lovely morning where we not only learned how to make cheese but also were able to chat about other things we are interested in like kefir grains, knitting and other simple living topics.
Here are the two haloumi recipes which I scanned from the notes Ron gave us. Let me know if you make the cheese as it does sound like fun.
You are quick! These recipes and the whole morning was most enjoyable. It was nice to meet you there Michele. Deb
ReplyDeleteGreat photos Nanna Chel. It was a really good morning. Also loved the rose garden afterwards, took heaps of photos. See you again soon.
ReplyDeleteBarb, I look forward to seeing the photos of the gardens that you took if you put them on your blog. I think your camera might take a better photo than mine so the roses should look even more gorgeous. Glad you enjoyed the morning.
DeleteDeb, you are quicker as you have already made two lots of cheese :-) I am still thinking about it. LOL!
ReplyDeleteWow - you've done well! It sure helps to be taught a skill by someone in person - I've fumbled with you-tube videos and books which always make me second guess myself. That cheese looks delicious! I've made mozzarella and ricotta before but I haven't done much with cheese making since (I'd sure like to do more). It has to be a winter time project for me as summer is all about the garden....
ReplyDeleteSherri, it is nice to see cheese being made and to be able to ask questions during the process. Sometimes we don't realise how easy it is to make things ourselves.
DeleteThat is so cool. I think that I may finally try making ricotta.
ReplyDeleteJ, it seems to be fairly easy like with the paneer. Would be a good place to start I think.
ReplyDeleteOh wow - that looks fantastic!!! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt was a great workshop Nanna Chel. I was surprised at how easy it was to make. Definitely will be on my to do list.
ReplyDelete-Shiralee
I will be making it soon that for sure, Shiralee. Thanks for the lovely tea towel. Such a lot of work!
DeleteThis is something I've always wanted to try and this looks like something I could do. The Ricotta looks easy (sort of). Do the recipes use whole milk that is pasteurized or does it need to be raw? What a fun group this sounds like!
ReplyDeleteYes it should work quite well with pasteurised milk which will be what I will be using when I make it, Kathy! Unfortunately I don't own a cow :-)
DeleteLove the recipes, they do look easy. I have made ricotta once before but even the haloumi looks easy(ish)!
ReplyDeleteI think it would be worth the effort to try to haloumi as it tasted very yummy. The ricotta and paneer are very easy and quick to make so I should start with them.
DeleteHi Michele, I get my unpasturised milk at the little supermarket at Southtown, 1lt in glass bottle (how good is that ! ). or 2 ltr
ReplyDeleteThanks for that info, Margaret. I want to go to the kitchen shop, Sauce, and check out their cheese making supplies in case I get hooked on making cheese. :-)
ReplyDelete