Cheese

Ingredients

• 2 l milk
• 25 g table salt
• 2 g rennet
• coarse salt
• oil
• vinegar

Method

Dissolve 25g table salt into 2 litres of milk at room temperature, then heat the mixture to 35°C. This temperature is critical — too cool and the rennet won't work; too hot and you'll denature the casein proteins before coagulation has a chance to begin. Once you hit 35°C, add 2g rennet diluted in cool, non-chlorinated water and stir thoroughly for one minute. The rennet's enzymes (chymosin, if you're using animal rennet — lipase if you're using microbial) will coagulate the milk proteins within 30–40 minutes. You'll know it's ready when the curd breaks cleanly on a knife — press the blade through at a 45-degree angle and lift; if it fractures like soft tofu rather than collapsing into soup, you're there.

Cut the curd into 1cm cubes and let them rest undisturbed for 5 minutes. This allows the newly fractured surfaces to firm slightly. Then stir gently for 30 minutes, keeping the temperature steady at 35°C. The curd will shrink as whey is expelled — you're aiming for grains about the size of cooked rice. Pour the curds and whey into muslin and let them drain for 30 minutes without squeezing. Whey separation is passive work; force it and you'll trap moisture and spoil the final texture.

Transfer the drained curds to a bowl. Apply coarse salt in three separate saltings — 30 minutes apart — rubbing each application into the surface. The salt dehydrates the exterior through fermentation, slowing bacterial growth and developing flavour complexity. After the final salting, the cheese is ready to eat fresh, though it will be quite rubbery until it's had time to rest.

For aged cheese, move it to a 12°C environment (a cellar or dedicated fridge works). Flip it daily for the first two weeks, then every other day thereafter. On those first 14 days, brush the surface each evening with equal parts oil and vinegar — this keeps the rind supple and encourages beneficial surface moulds whilst inhibiting pathogens. Age for a minimum of four weeks for a firm, sharp flavour; beyond eight weeks, the texture becomes distinctly granular.