2010. My god, 2010: the start of, not only a new year, but an entirely new decade. *Gulp*. Not so long ago, it seems, I was still daydreaming of running off to Japan with Ralph Macchio and mastering the art of catching flies with Mr. Miyagi’s chopsticks. Decades later, I’m married to the love of my life, and mastering the art of….well, feeding him. This guy, he likes to be fed, I tell ya. Now, we daydream of someday retiring to the South of France, owning a small mas and tending to our garden. All so, I can feed him….some more. There would be lemon trees, rows and rows of vegetables, maybe even some grape vines, and a hen or two for fresh eggs. After today, we’ve tacked on another necessity to the ever-growing daydream. A goat.
We MUST own a goat. Not only are they cute, but goats produce milk. Which, in turn, proves useful when making something very near and dear to my heart. Goat cheese. Admittedly, I carry around a healthy dose of snobitude when it comes to cheese. Especially, my goat cheese. If you’re ever looking for me at a farmer’s market, make a bee-line for the cheese purveyors. I’m their master sampler. Have you ever noticed how spirited and sprightly these people are? They surely have membership to some underground society, like the Freemasons, with secret handshakes and oaths, to guard the methods for producing those fine looking, artisanal puck-shaped discs and logs. Well, well, well…turns out, there is no secret.
Basically, all you do is buy yourself a quart of goat’s milk. Simmer it. Add some lemon juice. Tie it up in a little pouch. Leave it out to dry. And then….here comes the hard part. Wait. Drip, drip, drippity drip. In a bit over an hour, you’ll have, at your fingertips, a batch of homemade goat cheese. Making mozzarella in my own kitchen, which, I naively thought, was already pretty darn special, plays second, if not third, fiddle to this. The distinct, clean and tangy taste, along side a hint of garlic, will blow your mind. Your salads, crostinis, pizzas, omelets, cheese plates, the list goes-on-and-on, will take on entirely new meaning. And, probably much to their delight, I won’t be bothering my local cheese purveyors anymore. This decade is off to a tremendous start.
HOMEMADE GOAT CHEESE
Tweaked from Over the Rainbeau, Living the Dream of Sustainable Farming
Feel free to experiment with your herb(s) of choice and any other flavor combinations that float your boat. The sky’s the limit! Be careful not to drain your cheese for too long, as it may begin to dry out and lose that supple, creamy consistency you’re going after. If you do happen to lose track of time, reserve the whey “drippings” and fold, 1/4 tsp at a time, back into the cheese until you reach your desired consistency.
Please report back – as I’d love to know your favorite variations!
Music Pairing: Yann Teirsen, La Valse d’Amelie
Ingredients
- 1 quart pasteurized goat’s milk (avoid ‘ultra’-pasteurized)
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 clove freshly grated garlic
- a few pinches herbs de provence
- freshly chopped parsley
- coarse salt, to taste
Method
In a medium saucepan, slowly heat milk until it reaches 180 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Let stand until milk starts to curdle, about 15-20 seconds. If milk does not curdle, add a little more lemon juice.
Line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. Ladle milk into colander. Pull up and tie the four corners of cheesecloth together and hang on the handle of a wooden spoon, set over a stockpot or very deep bowl. Allow to drain until the consistency of slightly dry cottage cheese is reached, about 1-1.5 hours. Transfer to a bowl and fold in salt, herbs and garlic. Serve immediately atop warm crostinis. Can be stored in an airtight container, refrigerated, up to 1 week.
Heaven!! My childhood friends had a goat…if I had only known!!
Oh My! Your homemade goat cheese looks amazing! Happy 2010!
You’ve outdone yourself! I, too, have dreams of goat ownership one day. :-) I’ve wanted a goat ever since I read Prodigal Summer (Kingsolver), but only for milk and cheese. I don’t think I could handle meat!
Homemade cheese!?! Oh goodness…yes please.
Ooh! I must, MUST try this! Just have to find some goat milk and there’s no stopping me!
Oh, fantastic!
Happy New year!
Cheers,
Rosa
…..I think the idea of making my own goat’s cheese rocks………And what can I say but stunning photos….as always. Have a blessed 2010. You rock!
This is grand – I’ve done similar things – never with the adds of herbs and garlic. Your pictures are heavenly and I am now craving some fresh, tangy goat cheese!
Completely lovely pictures and post! I can’t wait to try it! Thank you!
If we get a goat then I won’t have to cut the lawn any longer….NICE!
I want goats, too! And chickens for fresh eggs every morning. Not too sure how the neighbors would react, though. I have the farm fantasy, too, although here in Texas that means wearing Wranglers and hanging out at the rodeo, so the French farmhouse is definitely the way to go. Your cheese sounds delicious, and we have lots of fresh herbs right now so we could do a few iterations and have a homemade cheese flight of sorts. Great recipe!
WOW! Homemade goat cheese! I am impressed, and inspired. I like your French daydream. I have a similar one, but it’s Italian. Happy New Year!
Thanks for posting this. I will have to try your recipe soon. Happy New Year!!! -Tien :)
OMG, yum! I LOVE goat’s cheese and this is actually slightly cheaper than buying it, as pint’s of goat milk is cheap here!
Home made cheese is addictive! I recently unveiled my raw milk cheddar : http://creativecapitolagal.blogspot.com/2010/01/home-made-cheddar-cheese-great.html and ordered a variety of cultures, including some for goat milk cheese. There is a large dairy goat farm up the coast and I’ll be zipping up there for some fresh raw goat’s milk when the cultures arrive!
Yours is an inspiration!
Wow, this looks so good! My husband cant stand goat products, having grown up around them, so I only enjoy goat cheese once in a while at a restaurant. I grew up with them too, but like the cheese.
Beautiful! I’ve made mozzarella and paneer in the past,. I have to try goat cheese, love it, absolutely love it. Happy New Year, Giao!
First, I am going to have Chicago’s “Glory of Love” in my head for the rest of the day now. I *lived* for KK Part 2.
Second, will there will a guest house on said farm so that I might impose? Often?
I am going to have to try this, simply on the basis that it had never occurred to me to do so.
Happy New Year!
shauna – guest house? possibly. for you? definitely!
Awesome! I didn’t realize it was so easy to make goat cheese. If only I could get my hands on some goat’s milk here in Japan. Sigh. I’ll have to give this a try when I go home to the US this summer. Beautiful post!
Awesome! I love this, I’ve made some cheeses, but haven’t tried goat cheese yet, mainly because I can get so much feta in my neighborhood. I love the fresh taste of goat cheese. I want to convert one of those wine storage units to something where I can age some cheeses.
When you were here in the Bay Area, did you try Harley’s Cheese Farm in Pescadero? They make awesome cheeses, especially their aged feta. I’ll have to settle for them until I can try your recipe.
When you find that French farm, let me know if there’s another one for sale near by – that sounds like a grand plan!
Happy New Year!
oysterculture – sadly, no, i never made it out to harley’s cheese farm. i’ll have to remember that for next time we are back down. thank u!
Beautiful and delicious and fun! Hmmm, I wonder if I could keep a goat in my 3m x 3m courtyard?
conor – i don’t see what not! ;)
I love goat cheese. Who knew it would be so easy to make. I have to assume goat’s milk must just come full fat? I’ve never bought it but this looks like something I’d like to try.
steve – i’ve only seen the full fat, real mccoy goat milk. the good stuff.
Um. Not sure where to begin with this one. The beauty of the photos? The highly original post? The incredible-ness of homemade goat cheese? Wow. Just wow.
Yum! You must have seen that Martha Stewart episode last week too? The lady that wrote the Over the Rainbeau book was on and showed how to make the goat cheese, I was so excited because like you…I put goat cheese in everything! I ran to the library, checked out books on cheese making, bought some cheese cloth and goats milk and now it’s on my list of things to make this week.
Looks so yummy! and It’s the exact same technique as making paneer, the Indian cheese. So easy!
I am so interested in this! What a wonderful idea – one can never go wrong with goats cheese!
Tks for sharing!
I am so going to try this. Thank you thank you!
Does it matter whether the goat’s milk is raw or pasteurized? And OMG wow…looks so tasty, and I’m uber-impressed. I’ll let you in on a secret – I still kinda wish I could master the art of catching flies with my chopsticks!
tastyeatsathome – yes, pasteurized. but avoid the ultra-pasteurized, as it may affect how the cheese curdles and sets.
ugh, wish i had seen to avoid the ultra-upasturized. it’s the only kind i’ve seen here in northwest florida. i think my cheese is going to be a big flop. it barely curdled at all. :( sort of bummed
oh, no…i’m bummed for you. let me change the recipe, so it’s more clear and if i could, i would send some milk your way!
I didn’t notice that I was supposed to avoid ultra-pasteurized milk until i had already purchased the milk so i made the recipe anyway.
I used a cotton dish towel instead of cheese cloth because i didn’t have any cheese cloth. I slowly wrung out the cheese to get most of the water out. After that, i placed a 28 oz can of tomatoes on it to help compensate for the smaller weave of the cloth. After an hour of sitting, i had a very smooth and rich cheese similar to the consistency of cream cheese which i figured would be good for spreading so i added the seasoning and called it good enough.
Even if you can’t score milk that isn’t ultra-pasteurized, you will still be left with a nice spreadable cheese which is very good in its own right.
This looks amazing! Sounds perfectly delicious and I wish I had made this for our holiday cheese plate. Yum.
Is it really that simple? I LOOOVVEEEEE goat cheese! If I knew that goat cheese was so straightforward, I would have tried this a long time ago.! Thanks so much for the inspiration. And as always, your photos are gorgeous to look at!
patty – yes, that simple. can you believe it?!
Homemade Goat Cheese. MY GOD. Is it really so easy? I never would have thought you could do this in your own kitchen. Your photos are out of this world. And I loved reading this post! I could do with the South of France right now.
homemade goat cheese? really? wow!
I love this ricotta style cheese but I have never made it with goats cheese as it is not readily available, and how I love goats cheese, you have inspired me to hunt it out. I remember reading your post on mozzarella too after having a disaster myself making it but your recipe is very different to the one I used so I am going to try it again with your method. I’m with you on the daydreaming about a place in France, although I do love NZ so 6 months in each place would be my dream, a chateau there and beach house here…..
Forgot to wish you a Happy New Year and happy cooking!
Beautiful photography! The light you’re using is wonderful. I’m so pleased I’ve found your blog. Thanks!
I too was once in love with Ralph Macchio. :) Not to mention the fact that I have a dream of owning my own goat for milk one day too. Until then I will definitely be making this cheese. It looks wonderful!
Wow…I never would have thought of this! I’ve always thought it would be fun to have goats and make cheese…at least for a week or so. :)
NOM NOM NOM!!!!! I love goat cheese — this local Mediterranean market near my house actually sells goat milk — I will try this soon :) I also love your idea of retiring in South France, please remember to invite me hee hee hee
I am LOVING this! I’m probably never going to make it ’cause the days of owning a goat are over, BUT….hopefully I can find goats milk someplace around here. Too great a recipe not to try.
I’ve always wanted a goat. For this reason. Now I want a goat even MORE!!!!!
Fabulous post! The cheese looks incredible!
I MUST try this!! So simple, yet so divine :) Thanks for sharing!!
[…] 6, 2010 Anything that comes from a blog named “Kiss My Spatula” is probably going to interest me. Behold: homemade goat […]
Is there a way to approximate 180 degrees without using a candy thermometer? I’m trying to keep kitchen gadgets to a minimum … wouldn’t use a candy thermometer for anything but goat cheese and I’d end up being as big as a house to justify the thermometer expense!! Happy 2010!!
lizzie – happy 2010 to u! you could try to eyeball it by removing the milk off the heat right when you see it start to steam. BUT, you don’t want to ruin an entire quart of milk, so to be safe…i’d strongly suggest a thermometer. i’m too much of a scaredy-cat to attempt without one.
How can it be? Its so simple to make goat cheese! This is going to change my life!
Making cheese is definitely on my list for 2010, and you may have just tipped it right over into a bucket of goat’s milk. I can’t decide if it’s good or bad that my husband finally likes goat cheese — good because I can use it in dinner, but bad because then I have to share. Hmm.
ok I am officially in awe of you! Not only are you a magician in the kitchen (making cheese!) but you make it all look so beautiful as well.
Thanks for the new year wishes and I’m sending you some too. I hope you have a year filled with (continued) love, laughter and good health. I’m so glad to have met you on this here interweb.
Thea
xo
You have inspired me! I picked up a quart of goatsmilk at Trader Joes today, and have cheesecloth and the remaining ingredients at hand – but wait! first I’d better turn out a couple of baguettes to enjoy with the cheese, or perhaps drop by Columbia City Bakery. Tomorrow it is!
(What quantity of cheese should I expect from 1 quart of milk? Enough for two, or should I invite friends?)
seattledee – we were so busy smearing and devouring, that i may not have the most accurate estimate, but i’d say 1 quart of milk yields approximately 6 oz. of cheese. more than enough for two (well, depending, of course on your penchant for goat cheese). enjoy!!
Right on, 1 quart of milk DID yield roughly 6 oz of cheese (once I subtracted the weight of the wet cheesecloth). I can’t wait to play with “hang time” and herbs/spices options in future batches. Thanks for getting this started.
Oh man, I bet it tastes amazing!
An absolute inspiration. Thanks!
Judging from my track record with plants, I’m not sure I would be terribly good at keeping a goat, but oh the benefits to be reaped!
Well, now, how had I never dreamed of making my own goat cheese? What an outrageously fine idea. Thanks for sharing!
Molly
Hi: Thanks for addressing my “no thermometer” quandary. I made the cheese yesterday, removing the milk from the heat JUST as it started to form a skin on top. Absolute perfection on a toasty bagel. Thanks again!
excellent, so happy to hear it worked out, lizzie!
Well, I have already checked this post out once – and now I have picked up some goat’s milk from a friend’s farm. I have been singing your praises on this post and the soy milk. Suddenly I realized, you forgot to tell HER. Sheesh. So, just to let you know, (in case you didn’t know already) – I think your blog is wonderful. :)
Michaela
Wowee! I made this yesterday and it was a) easy b) fun — I did it with my five-year-old son, and c) really, really delicious. Made goat’s whey pancakes this morning which were also terrific. I can’t believe I didn’t know how easy it is to make goat cheese. Thank you!
medbh – so happy you and your son enjoyed it! excellent idea with the whey pancakes, too.
I need to make this! I’ve made home made ricotta and this sounds similar.
How lovely. I should be making this soon. :D
Your blog is so beautiful! I have already bought the goat milk to try this recipe :) happy new year!
Oh, wow! Just beautiful and so delicious. And so brave. And so inspiring. Happy 2010! I will give this a try.
I’m so impressed, your goat cheese looks fantastic – goat cheese is my absolute favorite!!
This was my first ever attempt at making cheese at home. It couldn’t have been easier, thanks to your clear instructions. It was a big hit! After I made it, I looked up other recipes online, and a couple of them suggested cooling the milk (to 100F) before adding the curdling agent. Have you found any variation in results, depending on temperature?
elaine – so glad to hear it was a hit! i’ve pretty much stuck to the 175-180 range. the temperature variance may depend on the curdling agent involved, but i haven’t tried it with anything other than the lemon juice at this point. wasn’t it so fun and simple?!
oh my love. i just made this a few days ago and i am doing my blog follow up on http://bodeloubakes.wordpress.com and it turned out amazing. i love goat cheese more than just about anything, and this was divine. can’t wait to make more. thank you thank you thank you!
I loved the idea and immediately tried it with goat’s milk I got from Trader Joe’s. I was curious whether I had ended up with the right amount but based upon earlier posting, I would guess that I did get around 6 oz. The other thing is didn’t take anywhere near one hour, more like 20 minutes to get a wonderful creamy cheese. I used a double thickness of cheese cloth. Should I have used more lemon juice?
michel – if your cheesecloth has larger holes, even when doubled, that may have expedited the drainage time. the 1/4 cup lemon juice shouldn’t impact the time by such a significant amount, but i say, if you’re happy with the consistency, then the 20 minute wait is far better than an hour’s wait! i also found that the flavors developed even further the next day.
Thanks so much. I made this this past weekend and really enjoyed both the process and the product.
I just found your blog. One post in, and I already love it! Love the music pairing!
Such beautiful photos.
I’m trying this today. I, too, could only find ultra-pasteurized goat’s milk but I’ll attempt it anyway.
WOW, just wow. This is my first (I think..) visit to your blog, I am hooked. How did I not find this before? I am looking at making some cheese this year, and well darn it I am going to have to start with this one!
Wonderful food, mesmerizing photography.
wow home made goat cheese, never thought it would be this simple. I am so going to try this hope I can find goat milk locally. This is my first time on your blog and I love it
Having made mozzarella and yogurt cheese at home, I am stunned that I hadn’t thought about making goat cheese!
This is marvelous! Thank you!
[…] recipe for the goat cheese is courtesy of kiss my spatula. Goodness, I love that blog. The cheese came out so well that I can’t wait to do it again. […]
I made this tonight and it is delicious. I was able to get pasteurized, not ultra-pasteurized milk, and for herbs I used fresh rosemary and thyme. Thank you for this recipe….
What happens if you use ultra pasturized organic goats milk? It’s the only one I can find.
honeyk, please refer to comments above. you won’t achieve the optimal curdling results (if any at all) with the ultra-p.
Got a gallon of raw goats milk & made my first batch. All I can say is Wow.
That’s fantastic to hear, honeyk! Enjoy!
Thanks for the recipe!
We had goats when I was a kid and they are a hoot – super cute and they’ll eat anything. Stay away from the billy’s though because they *stink* like nothing else. Literally. Very stinky animals. And if you have kids, they like to play “king o’ the hill” … on cars.
[…] Adapted from Kiss My Spatula […]
Awesome recipe…thanks so much! I did not use the garlic and herbs…just made it plain. But it’s super good on sliced fruit like tart/sweet apples or asian pears and then drizzled with honey and topped with cracked black pepper. cheese…sigh.
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Have you ever made a batch where it just wont’ curdle? I’ve done this several times now with success each time, but tonight… tons of extra lemon juice and it still won’t curdle. It’s very slightly curdly, I guess…. but so fine there’s no way I could strain! ????
Hi Medbh, I don’t know what might have happened. I’ve never had problems with curdling. If anything, I’d assume it would come down to the milk, but I can’t say for sure. Sorry I can’t be more help!
How cool is that! I have been wanting to make cheese for a while. Although the city ordinances around here keep me from getting a goat right now.
It looks really good!
I would love to make this! I’ll see if I can find some goat milk that isn’t ultra pasteurized. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. :)
I just made this as an appetizer tonight! It turned out great :-) I did not have a thermometer and it was no problem. I don’t think the temperature is an exact science. I served in on french bread with olive oil, sea salt and cherry tomato halves. It was like my own bruschetta- here in China you can’t buy fresh mozzarella and as far as I know you can’t make mozzarella w/o cheese making chemicals which they don’t have here either.
I live in Laurel Canyon, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles. My neighbor has two goats and gave me 5 quarts of fresh milk this morning. I am making the cheese now, using her milk and my organic lemons and herbs from my backyard. Regardless of the outcome, the taste of the cheese, it has been such a gratifying experience. For a city girl, this is HEAVEN. I higly recommend putting on your favorite tunes, get the kids out of the house and try it.
Amazing. I can’t believe goat cheese is this easy!! I love making things myself but was always a little afraid of cheese– not anymore. Thanks so much. I have a source of raw goat’s milk just 10 minutes from my house so I think I’ll be making this often.
[…] want to eat… homemade goat cheese. I wonder if I could talk Michael into getting a […]
Can you use almost too old milk? I hate to toss it.
I have recently found your blog through pinterest and I am eager to make this goat cheese that doesn’t require unpasteurized goat milk. I made some soft farmers cheese with cow’s milk a couple of years ago ( a fulfillment of a long-time dream) and have been looking forward to a goat cheese as well.