One week before - cheese

So, as you can imagine there was a lot of food to make for the big surprise party.  So the cooking began one week ahead.  I never saw much of a need for a second refrigerator until this past week.  It was a god send!  I don't know what we would have done without it.

Anyway, a week ago Saturday started with intense cleaning and rearranging.  Then, Mary agreed to take the boys for the afternoon so we could "get unpacked and settled a bit more".  (right.)  Brett took off to run some errands and I set myself up to begin the cheese making process.  This was the first time I attempted Fromage Blanc.  I had read the recipe (that includes 4 steps) about 5 times and each time I apparently missed a key phrase.  "Let stand 12 hours."  I totally saw the part about it draining for 6-12 hours, so when I started the process at noon, I thought I would be done at dinner time.  WRONG!  It was then that I realized I would be up very late that night, and I might as well get as much done as I could.  So, I made fromage blanc:

Pour 1 gallon of milk into a large stainless steel pot and heat to 86˚F while stirring slowly
Add fromage blan starter packet (contains starter bacteria and rennet)
Allow to sit at room temperature for 12-14 hours
Line a colander with butter muslin and transfer the curds to the draining cloth
One cheese is transfered, gather the corners of the muslin and tie to make a pouch
Hang to drain for 6-12 hours (the less time is drains the smoother/more spreadable the texture)

So the curds set until exactly 12:35AM I tied and hung them, then set my alarm for 7AM to transfer them to a storage container and stir in Herbes de Provence (a combination of savory, fennel, basil, thyme, and lavender flowers and other herbs.)  This was then allowed to sit for the week in the fridge to really meld the flavors.


I served the fromage blanc with toasted pieces of sliced baguette.

Next I made the mozzarella.  I had done this a few times before, so I knew what to expect.  It's a quick and simple process that takes about 30 minutes total.  


Pour 1 gallon of milk (I use whole) into a stainless steel pot
Add one tablet of rennet to 1/4 cup of cool water (avoid tap water here) and set aside
Add 1.5 tsp of citric acid to 1 cup of water and set aside.  Be sure to stir until all is dissolved.
Stir the citric acid into the milk and heat to 90˚F
Stir in rennet for about 30 sec.  then cover and let stand for 5 minutes
Curd should look like custard
Slice curd with knife that reaches the bottom of the pot and reheat to 105˚
Transfer curd to a colander using a slotted spoon and gently drain of excess whey
Transfer to a microwavable bowl and heat for 30 seconds in microwave
Knead until becomes a ball - reheat if necessary - the more you knead the firmer the cheese will be
Then you stretch it just like taffy until it gets shiny

At this point I separated the mozzarella forming about 50 tiny balls.  I put them in a storage container and refrigerated them for the week.

On Friday night before the party I brought out the mozzarella balls and sliced each in half.  I then slid the cheese onto a toothpick with a leaf of fresh basil and half a grape tomato.  Voila! caprese salad on a stick!  I served them with oil and vinegar on the side.  They were a huge hit!