Dates Stuffed With Goat Cheese Rolled in Orange Zest
What to do at 10:00 on Friday night. Make Goat cheese!
I got some raw goats milk on Thursday and Friday night after everyone was in bed and all was quiet. I decided to make goat cheese.
Now to someone else it would be a good time to relax but if you are going to make goat cheese it is an ideal time. Goat cheese is easy and fun and it makes you feel quite proud of yourself when you look at this beautiful lump of white cheese. You can do a million things with it. My little Holli is now addicted to sourdough toast with goat cheese for breakfast. She also has it as a snack and sometimes at lunch and she would probably scooped it out with her finger if I would let her. I flavor mine with garlic and herbs.
All you need is a package of Chevre Cheese culture ( you can purchase this for 5.95 for a pck of 6 cultures at the New England Cheese Making Company ) and you’ll also need some goats milk
So here is how you make it easy as pie I promise.
1 gallon of goats milk
1 package of Chevre Cheese culture
Heat your goat’s milk to 86 degrees
Remove from heat.
Add you Chevre Cheese culture package stir until well mixed.
Cover your pot and let it sit for 12 hours undisturbed, (this is why I do it before I go to bed)
Line a colander in bowl with some butter muslin.
Gently ladle the cheese curd into cloth .
Then tie up the corners of the cheese cloth and hang and drain for 6 to 12 hours.
Open cloth to see your beautiful Chevre goats cheese.
Many say that pasteurized goats milk results in a creamy goats milk and raw goats milk is more crumbly. I always go with the raw. I hate to kill all those enzymes and it is just fine for me.
You can make a great dip and spread by blending in granulated garlic and herbs This is my little girls favorite. I also love chives and ham bits.
This time I rolled my goat cheese in orange zest and let the flavors marinate in the refrigerator for a day. Then I stuffed some dates with the mixture. Super creamy and a blend of fruit and cheese. MMMM…
Yields 1 1/2 lbs