Easy rye bread with whey :)

Have not blogged for a while but I swear it is going to change from now on 🙂

I have been travelling, working and being lazy a lot and the good weather just would not make me sit in front of my laptop however winter is coming and being cozy in my warm cave makes me wonder about creating new stuff.  Mainly easy stuff than can be done by anyone who knows how to turn on the oven 🙂

So lets start with a really delicious breakfast/ lunch / brunch / dinner material : Wholegrain rye bread made with leftover whey I had from yesterday’s cheese making 🙂

Of course if you have no whey at home you use water instead, but it definitely makes the bread creamier, more aromatic and buttery .

So if you wanna rule the breakfast or brunch you’d better try this recipe out 😉

 

 

Ingredients :

• 500 g whole grain rye flour
• 3 dl whey ( not cold)
• 2 dl water
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 10-15 gr fresh yeast ( if you use the powder please check the appropriate amount on the cover)

Preparation:

1. Mix flour, salt, sugar and oregano in a big bowl.Crush the yeast on top.
2. Pour the whey on top and start mixing the dough.
3. Add the water and keep mixing, if the the dough seems stiff you can add a little bit more water or whey.
4.  Knead the dough in the bowl manually for 10-15 minutes.

Leave it in the bowl, cover it with a table cloth and let it rest under a blanket or a warm place in the flat ( you can warm up the oven a bit as well and put in the dhough to quicken the process)

Leave to rise for 1 hour until doubled in size or place in the fridge overnight.

  5. Knead the dough again for a couple of minutes, then gently mould the dough into a ball. Place it on the baking parchment to prove for a further hour until doubled in size again.

    6. Preheat the  oven to 220 C. Dust the loaf with flour and cut a couple of lines the top of the loaf with a sharp knife. Bake for 20 minutes until dark brown, then turn down the heat to 180 C and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

TRICK: to have the inside soft and the outside crusty put a glass baking dish underneath the bread and pour 2-3 dl water in it. Keep the dish in the oven during the whole baking process.

7. Once it is done take cool on a wire rack or wooden clipboard.

 

Tadaa… better to be enjoyed with different types of cream cheeses, liver pate or just a little bit of fresh butter 🙂

ENJOOOOOY people and let me know if you liked it 🙂

 

 

 

 

My 1st ever cheesemaking course :)

I just got back from the airport after spending 4 days in Helsinki and I am still under the influence and amaze of the positive things that happened to me.

It really took me a while – at least a year – to get my courage to make a move and do my own cheesemaking course in front of stangers in a foreign country not even on my mother tongue. Took a lot of preparation and sleepless nights to create the materials for my students and to make sure that the outcome would fulfill their and my expectations as well.  I was nervous as hell and almost fled from the situation, but finally I convinced myself that no matter what it takes I’m gonna make it.

I know that it is not concretely a topic what this blog is about and I am not sharing a recipre right now, I just felt like sharing this really important week in my life and thank you all to those who supported me in making my own cheesemaking course in Helsinki, also thanking the curious attendants, helpful hosts, good  quality milk, positive constellations and  the whole universe for giving this opportunity to me and I really hope that this inspiring wave will keep going and I can continue working as a cheesy lady:)

photo: Jessica Powell

Unforgetable Chocolate Stout Beer Cheescake

Chocolate Stout Beer Cheescake

The  weather is said to be good this weekend so I am pretty excited that I’ll have a chance to spend the Saturday out with friends in a park along with some delicious munchies.

It’s been raining in the last couple of weeks so having the Sun out and a nice, clean weather is something we have all been waiting for.Sunscreen, hats, and shorts are needed finally and we can soak in some solar energy aswell. It is really nice to have a ” nothing to do” type of day without internet anyway  and conversate with your hungovered friends while laying on blanket.

I have been thinking a lot about what to bring for this potluck as my friends usually make the same stuffs: dips, fresh bread, home-made marmalade and sausage – which is of course the best thing you could dream of on a Sunday -, however its not so pleasing if all of you bring the same foods… hahah…

So I am excited to make something extraordinary and mouth watering for the event, however I just can’t  ignore the fact that I have been having  extreme amounts of work at the office this week…. result: NO TIME FOR SOMETHING SURPRISINGLY GOURMET…but who cares, I’ll bake something that will combine all the things my friends are addicted to as well: beer, cheescake, fresh fruits, healthy living… I think it will work for all invitants… at least I hope… 😉

So here’s  the  Chocolate Stout beer cheesecake recipe I imagined …

I really hope that my pals will like it and please share with me what your friends and beloved ones thought about the recipe… Enjoy summer time!! 🙂

Ingredients 

• 1 cup oatmeal cookie crumbs
• 5 tbsp low fat, sugar free  cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp cane sugar
• 2 tbsp butter,melted
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• 8 oz lowfat cream cheese
• 4 oz mascarpone
• 1/2 low fat natural yogurt
• 3 eggs
• hint of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 chopped apple
• 1 sliced apple
• 3/4 cup Guinness

Instructions

1. Mix the oatmeal cookie crumbs, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tbsp  cane sugar and melted butter together in a medium bowl.  Pour into the base on a 9-inch springform pan and press down into the bottom of it. Store in the freezer for 1-2 hours or  while you make the filling. The longer it stays in the freezer the better it gets.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F ( 180 celsius) .
3. In a separate big bowl mix 2 tbsp cocoa powder and heavy cream, stirring together until combined.
4. Add the cream cheese, mascarpone, mix in 1 tbsp of cane sugar, yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract, chopped apple and the Guinness.
5. Pour this mixture into the springform pan and decorate the top with some sliced apple.
6. Bake for 50- 60 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven, with a wooden spoon in the oven door to hold it slightly ajar. Let sit for 60 minutes.
7. Chill in the fridge overnight before serving.

Enjoy+Enjoy+ Enjoy 🙂

 

Source: 

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Guinness-Chocolate-Cheesecake-1448304?columns=4&position=67%2F69

 

Cheesy outdoors spring picnic #1

Cheesy outdoors spring picnic #1

I have not written anything for a long time since I had a lot of work and Spring has also started here therefore I tried to spend as much time out in the nature as possible.

I really had to abandon my kitchen for a while but the  thought of creating cheesy recipes for sunny outdoors events inspired me a lot.  You know you don’t always have to create something totally mind-blowing if you would like to both enjoy good weather and your favourite ingredients . 🙂

So what I figured out for a perfect picnic is…. ok, I have several ideas so lets make a series of outdoors indulgence and let  ourselves be as greedy as possible on cold beer and tasty cheese….yummmm

The 1st recipe to be shared is a Stout beer  bread based grilled cheese with fresh rucola salad.

If you only wish to have the salad or the grilled cheese on its own, its totally fine of course, but the 2 dishes together would make a match made in heaven for a Sunday eat-out with your friends or family.

So here you are… the magnificent grilled cheese and the salad….:)

STEP #1 – Preaparation of stout beer bread:

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups  of rye flour ( 350 gramms)
• ‘/4 cup milk ( 0, 5 dl )
• 1 tablespoons cane sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 package yeast
• 1 cup Stout or Porter beer ( I used Guinness)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1  tablespoon honey
• 1 egg

Preparation:

1. Put the yeast to the slightly warm milk for 4-5 minutes  ( my grandma always said it should be just as warm as your hand)  to ferment it a little bit.

2. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large bowl till thoroughly mixed.

3. Get a small sauce pan and warm the beer on the stove, then add the butter and the honey until they are melt together ( Warning! don’t let it boil)

4. Crack the egg in with the dry ingredients, then  pour in the warmed beer/butter/honey mixture and stir till you get a mixed, slightly sticky dough

5. After you mix everything together, let the dough raise for 30- 40  mins. To help the raising cover  the bowl with a kitchen towel and put some blankets on it or put next to a heater.

6. After 30 mins of rising flour knead the dough for an additional 2-3 minutes , add extra flour if needed but its not necessary.

7. Put some butter to the bread pan to grease it and place the dough in the pan. Let it raise for an addititional 20-25 minutes back under the blankets.

8. Preheat the owen to 375 Farenheits and bake the bread for 30-35 minutes till the top is golden brown. You can also check with  a needle if the dough is ready inside. As the rye flour itself  is darker than plain flour it might get tricky if you are only checking the color changes of the crust.

STEP #2. – Stout bread Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of the freshlybaked stour beer bread
• ‘ tablespoon butter
• ruccola
• 4 slices of Old Amsterdam Gouda Cheese

Preparation:

1 . Heat 1 tablespoon  butter in a cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.

2.  Put some butter, ruccola and the Old Amsterdam cheese together as a sandwich

3.Press the sandwich slightly and place it in the skillet. Cook until golden on the bottom, 3 minutes.

4.Flip, adding more butter to the pan if needed, and cook until the other side is golden and the cheese melts, 3 minutes.

STEP #3 – Fresh ruccola salad:

Ingredients:

• 1 box of ruccola ( approx. 250  gramms)
• 1 box of blueberries ( 100 gramms)
• 2 pears ( the type does not matter, its delicious with all )

Dressing :

• juice of a half lemon
• 2 tablespoons of  honey
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil ( extra virgin)

Prearation:

Well there is not much to say. Mix the ingredients of the salad. Mix the ingredients of the dressing and pour it on the salad.  … Ready to be served 🙂

 

 

And here  you go, the perfect picninc menu to be enjoyed with a bottle of stout beer  and ones you’d like to share it with.

Have a nice sunny Sunday and let me know it the recipes worked for you as well ….:)

 

 

Source:

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-Awesome-Beer-Bread-with-Yeast/?ALLSTEPS

 

Sunday spinach-cheddar pie

Sunday Spinach- cheddar pie

Good evening!

I know that I have not posted for a while but I had been pretty busy recently, new work, new adventures  each day so its been pretty challenging  to convince myself to get  back to the kitchen… but, it was indeed more than releiving and energizing to grab the knife again and pamper myself with something cheesy and indulgent.

I usually eat a lot of spinach,..I am basically addicted o it…I love each form of these green leaves from eating it raw in a salad, mixing it with garlic or making a quick soup, but as I enjoy playing with different types of pies I really thought it would worth trying outit  in this form …and without any unbearable self-esteem this spinach – cheddar- cottage cheese pie has turned out to be more than I wished for for a relaxing  Sunday evening.

Why Sunday??? I think it is especially  important to finish a week in the most fullfilling way to be able to start the next Monday  with full energy and positive vibes, and also its not the worst thing to have some pie leftover to bring to work for lunch and remind yourself that you had made something delicious the other day. 🙂

This pie is even better on Mondays served cold…but be aware that your colleagues might ask for a bite.

Enjoy! 😉

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 25 dkg ( 2, 5 cups) wholegrain flour
• 8 dkg (0, 8 cup) butter
• 1 dl cold water
• salt
• 1 egg

Filling:

• 1 cup ( 10 dkg) of cottage cheese
• ½ cup of cheddar
• ½ cup of créme fresch
• 6 eggs
• salt
• pepper
• ½ onion
• 2 cups (20 dkg ) of spinach

Preparation:

• Put the flour in a big bowl, pulse it together with salt.
• Add butter and one egg and mix until it resembles a coarse meal.
• Slowly add water and process until a dough comes together.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill at least 30-40 minutes in the fridge before rolling out.

 

Meanwhile, prepare filling as follows:

• Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook it until transclucent, than add garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, until the garlic is just beginning to brown.

• Add the spinach to the pan, stir it with the olive oil, cover the pan and cook for 1 minute. Uncover and turn the spinach over again. Cover the pan and cook for an additional minute. (If you cannot find fresh spinach you can also use frozen ones.)

• Lightly whisk 6 eggs in a mixing bowl and add créme fresch, cottage cheese, cheddar, salt and pepper than pour the mixture on the spinach and stir it together.

The „final” steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 F. ( 180 C)
• Take the chilled dough, roll it out and press it into the bottom of a 10-inch pie dish.
• Prick it with a fork all around, and put it in the oven for 10 minutes.
• Take it out from the oven, pour the filling in and put the pie back in the oven for 60 minutes, or until the filling is set.
• Allow it to cool for a bit before serving.

 

Beverage  pairing recommendation: I would highly recommend to have a pint of Guinness or a coffee stout along with the dish. The strength and creamyness harmonizes with the salty  and soft texture of the pie. If you are more of a wine person I’d advise to have a glass of Chardonnay.

Let me know if you have any comments to share, I hope you enjoy this tendering dish.

Trust me, you won’t regret this happy ending for the week. Stay cheesy and enjoy!!! 🙂

 

Amazingly boozy Cheddar-Stout muffin

I have been hunting for good cheese and beer recipes  for a long time but it seemed  that the only chance I have is to  either start eating stout beer- cheddar dips in a thousand versions or start inventing new things myself.

I actually  did start to feel down about not finding any creative options for the usage of my 2 favourite ingredients together when I bumped into my new idol’s blog just randomly.  Beeroness herself is a really inventive lady whose aim is to show all sides of beer and open people’s eyes to the zillion opportunities a beer can offer even as a drink or a proper meal.

So I started browsing in her recipes and could not decide where to begin actually. The exploration of the goodies just got me too excited to decide  which one should be the first.  Thank God I was already extremely hungry so I  saw the words  „ stout” and „bread” and „muffin”… totally hooked on it…

So here you are the recipe from Beeroness , of course a little bit modified to totally fit my needs, but I would like to thank this awesome lady for creating the basic idea of the beer-cheese muffin :).  Originally its with all purpose flour and  Lagunitas Red, an imperial red ale, but unfortunately it was only a limited edition, so I had no chance to get it anyway.

So I shut my mouth …. here is my version, the Cheedar- Imperial  Stout  bread muffin with Tarragon Pear souce.

Ingredients

For 10-12 muffins:

• 1 1/2 cups flour whole grain flour
• 1 tbsp cain sugar or Xilitol
• 2 tsp baking powder ( half a package)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup shredded  red cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup shredded Mimolette cheese
• 2 tbsp chopped   leek
• 1/4 cup melted butter + 2 additional tsp
• 6 oz / 1.8 dl  Agressor Imperial Stout beer 

For the sauce:

• 4 pears
• 1 tsp tarragon
• 1 tsp cain sugar or Xilitol

How to?

Preheat oven to 350 F ( 180 C) .

In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cheese and onions, stir until well combined. Pour in the melted butter plus the beer, stir until just combined.

Put muffin papers in the muffins tins and pour the dough  into it until each  is about 1/2 full. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter on the tops of the muffins, dividing evenly between each muffin. Top with additional shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 F ( 180 C)  for 18-20 minutes.

 

Meanwhile chop the pears to small pieces and put in a pot with the tarragon, sugar and a 1 tbsp of water and simmer it together until the pear gets almost creamy.

Put 2 muffins and 2 tbsps of sauce on a plate,  serve immediately.

                                                     Good Appetite! 🙂

Don’t hesitate to make any comments or ammendments on the recipe.

Source: http://thebeeroness.com/2012/05/31/cheddar-beer-bread-muffins/

 

 

 

The perfect cheesy brunch for a rainy Sunday :)

In general I am not a morning person but I definitelly prefer having a proper breakfast or a brunch than going out to fancy   restaurants. The whole atmosphere of these places are so mind-blowing and every time I am  having my coffee, croissant, sandwich, omlett or porridge out I feel like a real queen…its like giving yourself and early treat and having the best kick off for a perfect day. I think its really important to start a day positively and acknowledge as early as possible that you deserve to be given the best of everything…( inlcuding a shower, but that’s out of the point now…)So I decided to follow this rule each and every day and surprise myself in the morning…. also my friends if they are
fit enough to come over to my cave… actually it is better to be enjoyed with others, but you’ll never know who might show up:)

I had plenty of time to wonder a little bit ont he bus on the way back from work about the best brunch menu and I think I quite did a good job and created a list of delicious things that could fit to the autumn mood and a lazy Sunday. Of course homemade cheese took a great part in it and I also wanted to try out a farm-style fresh cheese recipe I recently found online…

Some of the dishes might need a little bit of preparation but I promise that this might help you and your friends to survive a rainy and cold Sunday.

So here is your perfect menu with YOUR homemade spicy farm-stlyle cheese, spicy pumpkin dip, fresh avocado cream and toast with garlic.

Farmer’s Cheese

• 1 gallon milk
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• Fresh oregano, thyme and basil
• 1 large pot
• Plastic colander
• Cheesecloth or old bandana

Heat your milk to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and add vinegar. Leave the milk to settle for 25-30 minutes. Once the milk is separated, pour the whey and curds into your colander lined with cheesecloth over another large pot, but you also do it over the sink if you don’t want to keep the whey. ( I actually reheated the whey for extra 20 minutes and added vinegar again. The outcome was a more creamy and sweet ricotta like cheese.) So,  stir in salt and herbs to the curds, then tie up the cheesecloth with a twisting motion to press out whey. Place it back to the colander and allow to drain for an hour and voilá here’s your homemade cheese.

Spicy pumpkin dip… that’s easy also and you can prepare it while the milk is settling 🙂

• 1 small pumpkin
• ½ teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt

Preheat the oven to 200 celsius, chop the pumpkin to 4 parts and put them to the oven for 25 minutes until they get a bit of roasted. Once it is done smash the pumpkin with a fork and stir it together with all the other ingredients until it gets creamy.

Avocado cream…

Peal the avocado and chop it to little pieces, add some salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice, ½ teaspoon of olive oil and stir.

It seems that everyhing is ready now to enjoy the morning … except coffee, but I won’t get into details about coffee making 🙂

And finally,  toast some bread, put some garlic on top ( optional) and enjoy the last day of the week 😉

I hope you have a good morning!

Source:

http://pocketpause.com/farmers-cheese-easiest-homemade-cheese-recipe/

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/spicy-pumpkin-dip-recipe.html

A romantic cheese date with yourself

In the last couple of weeks I could not stop eating pear and blue cheese and I was trying to find some new alternatives for their usage after having Pear and Blue cheese pie, Pear and blue cheese salad and blue cheese dip with crispy pear ( I will share it later). Anyway, after realising that although the previous recipes were all delicious I still needed to create a full dish that could serve as a perfect dinner. Easy, cheesy and filling so I started searching for the perfect combination and I guess I could find it. 🙂

The recipe requires quite a few ingredients since I made a new combination on 2 recipes I had found online, but it is ready in 50-70 minutes and its a real indulgence itself. So if you would like to give yourself or your other half a an easy but mouth-watering surprise, than here you are…

 

Chicken with Dijoni mustard and Pear, Walnut ,Blue cheese bake

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 pears, unpeeled, halved, and cored
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 0,5 Tbsp (7-8 ml) Dijon mustard
• 0,5 Tbsp (7-8 ml) pure maple syrup or honey ( I used acacia honey)
• 0,5 Tbsp (7-8 ml) fresh squeezed lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup ( 5 dkg ) walnut
• 1/2 cup (10 dkg) crumbled blue cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200 Celisus (approx. 390 Farenheit)

Lightly oil a baking dish.  Combine olive oil, Dijon mustard, maple syrup/ honey, and lemon juice in small bowl and whisk to blend. Place chicken breasts to baking pan, brush Dijon mixture over chicken breasts and sprinkle with a little salt and fresh pepper. Bake for 20 more minutes until juices run clear when chicken is pierced. Remove chicken to a heated platte
r and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 Celsius (approx. 375 F). Arrange the pears, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and thyme. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake 20 minutes. Spoon 2 teaspoons of crumbled cheese in the center of each pear half, return the pears to the oven and roast until they are tender and gold and the cheese is soft, about 8-10 more minutes. Also, put the walnuts on the baking sheet next to the pears and toast them in the oven until golden brown and fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. When the pears are cooked, put 2 of them on a serving plate and add 3 fairly thick slices of the chicken breast,  sprinkle the toasted walnuts and the tle cumbled cheese leftover  over the top. Serve hot.

If you would like to make this cheese date even more engaging you’ better add some booze to it;)

My personal recommendation would be a glass of Fuller’s London Black Cab stout or Pyromani from Roth Beer. Of course if you’d choose a more traditional combination and more of a wine person the best match would be a glass of Tokaji or Rajnai Riesling from the Frittmann winery.

Enjoy!;)
Did you like it? Please share your experience or any ides how the recipe could be improved.

The Finnish cheese platter – or something platter made of something cheese :)

Finnish cheese platter

At first I wanted to make separate posts about the different types of Finnish cheeses but I just decided recently that it is better to write my personal experiences and some history of the different types and make a small cheesplatter along with personal recommendation on how it would be the best to eat these lovely and smooth delicacies.

So here you can find all the cheese I tasted in Finland so far and let me share my opinion on all these. You can argue, you can share what you think of the following.

Please do not hesitate 🙂

#1 Oltermani

Oltermanni is a brand of Finnish cheese that is similar to the Danish cheese called Havarti. It is often eaten on rye bread, or with other meals (e.g. the Finnish rice pie: Karjalanpiirakka). Oltermanni is manufactured by the company Valio. It is a rindless, semi-soft rich cheese with a high fat content usually made of fresh cow’s milk. It has a fresh aroma and I would say that is has almost similar taste as a young Ementaler but it is less ’agressive’.

Taking into consideration that is has high fat content I would suggest having it with a glass of Pinot Noir or a Glass of brown ale from Brewdog  such as #MashTag2015  or Guinness.

#2 Aura cheese

Aura is a type of blue cheese alsoproduced by the Finnish dairy company Valio. Aura is made of cow’s milk and takes its name from the Aura River, which runs through the city of Turku. The cheese is available in two varieties. The regular variety is aged for six weeks, whereas the stronger ‘Aura Gold’ variety is aged for 12 weeks.

Aura has a really strong almost Gorgonzola character therefore it takes the leading role either in a meal or on a cheesplatter. It can be sprinkled on a salad or put on rye bread with a little bit of butter accompanied by grapes or pear. I would also recommend having a glass of Riesling as the sweetness of the wine clings to the fat in the cheese and makes it a perfect taste sensation.

 

#3 Leipajusto a.k.a  Breadcheese

It is my personal favourite from the ones I met in Finland so far. It is soft and fresh almost cottage-cheese like usually made of cow’s milk, but since I am on a goat farm we used goat’s milk and compared to the original cow one, I preferred the goat milk version. The procedure of making is a bit extraordinary as the fresh goat cheese has to be baked in an oven for 20-30 minutes on 250 celsius degrees ( I personally needed 45 minutes), but it actually worth waiting, especially if you have some fresh berries in the garden or any kind of non-sugary jams in the cupboard. It is especially delicious with apple or pear jam along with a cup of sparkling white wine or an ice-cold Merlot or a glass of stout beer.

#4 Fresh goat cheese ( made in the morning)

Well, this is the easiest case since it is a very light, soft and smooth cheese that caneasily be spread on fresh rye bread either by itself or along with lingonberry or other sour type of berry jams, also this can be a perfect match with plum jam also. And to make the indulgence more extatic you should be tasting it with a glass of Sauvign on Blanc.

So take your time and try out either only one of these or the whole variety but I promise you won’t regret any of the moments spent with these lovelies.

Have nice cheese moment 😉

Making of the Finnish fresh goat cheese

Well.. well. I have decided to make sort of a cheese trip around the world and discover different types of milks, cheeses, animals, procedures, traditional recipes and stories of my favourite food.

This time I chose Finland to dig myself into the middle of artisan goat cheese making and experience a little bit of the countryside lifestyle. However, it turned out that the little bit will mean the most nomad way I have ever encountered. No bathroom, no electricity, going to bed after sunset and waking up in a jurt to which we have to chop firewood every day.

At first I was scared or I would rather say terrified of the facilities around the place but slowly started to realize that as an uptown girl it is not necesarilly important to be in my convient and cosy cage all the time and I can still learn a lot of usefull skills about puritan, organic life and the rules of survival without electricity.

So to cut it all short, the story of my first goat cheese making is not  as simple as I expected J

At first I had to learn how to milk the goats for that valuable cheese base which is not so easy. All goats have a personallity and are extremely stubborn, so you actually have to fight with them to make them tied to their place and keep them calm while you are milking. In my case it required two other people to handle this outrageous situation . ( I am small and weak enough to fail in such situation alone). 

Finally I could manage to milk two goats but it is more or less not even 3 liters of milk, which is literally nothing for cheesemaking. Therefore my host and myself have decided to make cheese in every 5-6 days when we have enough milk to produce a normal amount.

I was pretty upset because the only reason I have come here for was cheesemaking, but I had to calm down a bit and wait until it is time for the real jo to be done.

It took a couple of days but finally my time has come and I could not wait to make fresh goat cheese. – I have to mention that goat’s milk is pretty nice and smooth added to your morning coffee too.

It was a shiny  and chilly morning in  the jurt and I jumped out of my sort of bed to enter the „ cheesemaking day” . The milk was already on the stove ( yes, stove) and my host was smiling as a little kid as she know how excited I was about the upcoming hours.

Method:

Well, it was not so scientific as I thought it would be. We heated the milk up to about 50-60 celsiu than added the „ secret liquid” and left  it
on the stove for like 30 minutes. After that we put the already hardening material to a cheese cloth, squeezed it for like 3-4 times and let it hung for a couple of hours. Then it was ready :O

Personal impression:
The fresh goat cheese was unbelievebaly creamy and little bit unsalty. I would say that it was rather a cottage cheese made of mozzarella and squeezed or some other cheese with not such a dominant caracter although it was a lot more unique than a normal cottage cheese made of  sheep’s or cow’s milk.

 Recommendation:

As the cheese itself is very smooth and soft I would recommend eating  with freshlymade chapati and a bit of lingonberry  ( its lingonberry season in Finland) or blueberry , accompanied by a glass of cold Chardonnay or  Rizling. Also it could serve on any salad or grilled softly in a pan with some balsamic vinegar.