I Made Even More Cheese!

Dear Turkey,

Once you make cheese you'll

See how much better it is 

Than cheese from the store

One Hour Monterey Jack Meets Mozzarella

(adapted from One Hour Cheese Triple Pepper Hack)

Ingredients:

- 1.5 t citric acid dissolved in 1/2 c water (you can probably get citric acid in your local baking section)

- 1/4 tablet vegetarian rennet dissolved in 1/4 c water (you can get rennet online or maybe at your grocery store)

- 1 gallon whole milk, not ultra-pasteurized, preferably organic (think it doesn't taste better? do a taste test!)

- 1 c yogurt (I used Fage plain 2%)

- 2 salt

Instructions:

- In a big pot, combine the milk, yogurt, and citric acid mixture. Heat to 90 F on medium heat, stirring to prevent burning (use a thermometer)!

- Stir in the rennet mixture with 20 strokes and then gently heat it to 105 F. Don't stir it if you can possibly help it. Magic will happen!

- Turn down to low or remove from heat (you just want to keep it around 105 F). Use a spoon to smoosh the curds against the side of the pot for a minute or two until they start to hold together a little more ("like scrambled eggs"). 

- Now you want to get the curds out of the whey so you can microwave them. I did this with a colander, but only with something under it in case the holes turn out to be too big. You can also use a slotted spoon although that takes longer. Save the whey for baking projects!

- Microwave the curds on high for a minute. Knead once or twice just like you would with bread. Squeeze out excess whey and pour it out. Each time you microwave, the curds will get hotter, so you may need to switch to a slotted spoon/rubbers gloves, etc. 

- Repeat the last step, microwaving for just 30 seconds at a time now. This time, when you knead, throw in the salt. 

- Repeat again, but this time continue kneading for up to a minute or so, squeezing out excess whey, and see if everything comes together into a big ball. If it's really not happening, microwave one more time. If it's still not happening, call it Feta and your friends will still be amazed! (Cardinal rule of cheesemaking: don't tell them what kind it is until it's done.)

- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and smoosh the cheese in it. Cover and chill in the freezer for 10 mins. Turn out of the pan and the cheese should retain its shape. Then eat some right away and store the rest in the fridge. 

Enjoy,

Tofu