My first batch of chevre turned out fairly well, but could have been better. I had a lot of liquid that didn't coagulate while it sat, but the taste ended up being creamy and a lot more mild than I thought it would be. I followed all directions that came with the French goat cheese packet from New England Cheesemaking Supply Company. But, some things I think I did wrong:
- Didn't calibrate thermometer, so didn't get an accurate temperature reading. The milk was supposed to be brought to 86 degrees before adding the culture, but the thermometer was reading anywhere from 10-20 degrees high (based on my best guess). I don't think I let the milk get warm enough.
- Cut the curd to see how hard it was about halfway through the first step. Think I should have left it alone, because when I went to transfer it all to the butter muslin-lined collander later, it was very gloppy and loose.
Now for the good news:
- It was very spreadable and creamy.
- It made beets taste like 'good'.
- Coworkers liked it a lot.
- I felt like it was fairly easy to do.
- Can't wait to make more and experiment with the addition of herbs.
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