Catalan Kitchen LogoThe Catalan Table
Updated file: 09/03/2024
A traditional Catalan dish with local ingredients that combines authentic flavors and comforting textures, perfect for enjoying in good company.
dairy
traditional
Ingredients
Servings:
4

Ingredients

    Step-by-step Guide

    With Brick Milk

    • Pour the sheep's milk into a saucepan and heat it over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 30°C.
    • Add a pinch of salt to the warm milk and stir well to ensure it is completely dissolved.
    • Once the salt is thoroughly dissolved, remove the saucepan from the heat and let the mixture sit for 15 minutes at room temperature.

    With cow's milk: Tomme

    • Note: It's important to consider that using sheep's milk will yield almost double compared to using cow's milk.
    • Note: If making cheeses with raw, unpasteurized milk, it is essential to mature them for a minimum of 2 months. This ensures that no pathogenic bacteria pose a risk (if present, the cheese will inflate).
    • Note: It is better to make larger pieces of cheese (around 900 grams), especially if we want them to mature for 4 or 5 months to develop body and complexity in flavor.
    • Note: This process requires dedication throughout the day.
    • Use 10 liters of raw milk or fresh whole milk that is already pasteurized for this recipe.
    • With 10 liters of sheep's milk, we will obtain approximately 1.7 kg of cheese once it has been aged.
    • With 10 liters of cow's milk, we will obtain about 1.2 kg of cheese.
    • If we decide to pasteurize the milk, we have two options: perform a slow pasteurization at 62ºC for 30 minutes (thermized milk) or a quick pasteurization at 72ºC for 15 seconds.
    • After pasteurization, it is crucial to quickly lower the milk temperature to the working temperature, which is usually between 30ºC and 35ºC, in order to proceed with the curdling process.

    Calcium Chloride

    • If making the cheese with raw milk, there is no need to add calcium chloride, as its natural concentration is sufficient for proper coagulation.
    • If using fresh supermarket milk, add calcium chloride at an approximate dose of 0.16-0.2 ml per liter, which is about 1.6-2.0 ml for every 10 liters of milk. Dilute the calcium chloride in water, never in milk, before incorporating it. For the starter culture, the manufacturer of the mesophilic culture Choozit 4001 LYO 50 DCU (Danisco) recommends 1 sachet of 9.3 grams per 100 liters of milk. The standard dose for aged cheeses would be approximately 0.93 grams for every 10 liters of milk. With raw milk, it works well by adding only about 0.4-0.5 grams per 10 liters, equivalent to 4 doses of the mini measuring spoon per 10 liters. If we want to make cooked curd cheeses working at higher temperatures, it is advisable to use a thermophilic culture. In the case of Forki-style cheeses, I do not use commercial cultures, but rather a blend of kefir and yogurt, which gives good results.
    • To make this type of cheese, I prepare a mixture consisting of half a cup (coffee with milk type) of kefir and 4 dessert spoons of whole milk yogurt. The yogurt provides thermophilic cultures, and at the working temperature of 32ºC, although they do not develop fully, they help reduce the acidity of the kefir. For animal rennet, I use the Extract of liquid kid rennet from Cuajos Caporal. The manufacturer recommends 1 ml (15-20 drops) for every 2.5 liters of sheep's milk and 1 ml (15-20 drops) for each liter of cow's or goat's milk, with a coagulation time of between 30-35 minutes at a temperature between 30ºC and 35ºC.

    From experience, it has been found that there is enough

    • For Sheep's milk, add 3.5 ml of liquid rennet for every 10 liters of milk, which is equivalent to 53-55 drops per 10 liters. Maintain the milk temperature at 30°C while adding the rennet and stir gently for about 2-3 minutes.
    • For COW and Goat milk, use between 9.0 and 10.0 ml of rennet per 10 liters of milk, equivalent to 135-180 drops per 10 liters. For cheeses like Idiazabal, lamb's rennet paste is used, but considering the difficulty of obtaining it in small amounts and its preservation, use liquid lamb rennet. Again, maintain the temperature at 30°C while adding the rennet.
    • For the dry salting process, apply approximately 2% of each piece's weight in salt. This will be about 20-30 grams of salt per piece. Apply the salt evenly and let the pieces rest for 24 hours at a cool temperature, in a low-humidity area.
    • In the case of brining, a method used for large quantities, prepare a 25% salt brine. For a water volume of about 3 liters, you will need approximately 750 grams of salt. Submerge the pieces in the brine for 12-24 hours depending on the size of the pieces, in a cool place, to ensure uniform salt penetration.

    Tomme

    • With sheep's milk, heat the milk slowly until it reaches 32°C, monitoring the temperature to ensure proper uniformity.
    • With cow's milk, gradually heat the milk until it reaches between 34-35ºC, stirring occasionally to prevent it from burning at the bottom.
    • With goat's milk, gently heat until it reaches 29ºC, carefully monitoring to maintain this constant temperature throughout the process.

    Manchego

    • Slice the Manchego cheese into thin pieces approximately 5 mm thick, ensuring the pieces are uniform for a consistent presentation.
    • Arrange the Manchego slices on a serving plate. Distribute them in a circle or straight line, as preferred, to facilitate easy picking and tasting.
    • Lightly drizzle the cheese slices with extra virgin olive oil to add a sheen and an aromatic touch.
    • Add some fresh thyme leaves over the cheese, evenly distributed to impart a layered herbal flavor.
    • Let the cheese rest at room temperature for about 15 to 20 minutes before serving, allowing the aromas to develop and the texture to soften.
    • Serve the Manchego immediately accompanied by toasted bread or nuts to complement the cheese's intense flavors.

    Add the starter culture

    • Add the yogurt or kefir (or dilute the starter dose in a cup of Milk, Never in Water) and incorporate it into the warmed milk.
    • Stir well to ensure everything is well mixed.
    • Let rest for 1 hour at the temperature at which we warmed the milk. To achieve this, it is useful to leave the pot in the sink, submerged in a warm water bath, maintaining the temperature consistently one or two degrees above the initial temperature of the milk.

    Add the Rennet

    • Dilute the dose of rennet in a tablespoon of bottled Mineral Water (Never in Milk). It is important to use water instead of milk to ensure a proper dilution of the rennet.
    • Let rest for 30-45 minutes at the temperature at which we warmed the milk. To facilitate this process, you can keep the pot in the sink, in a warm water bath, and maintain the temperature one or two degrees above.
    • For Tomme and Manchego, let rest for 1 hour at 32ºC. For Idiazabal and Parmesan, let rest for 30 minutes at 30ºC. It's important to adjust the resting time for each type of cheese.
    • After this time, check if the cut is clean. If it is not yet clean, let it rest longer. Keep in mind that, depending on the milk used, the curd may have a different consistency. Sheep's milk usually produces a more compact curd than cow's milk.

    Prepare the Molds with Cheesecloth

    • Cut the cheese cloth to the size of the molds you will use, leaving a margin of about 5 centimeters on each side to ensure it covers the entire surface.
    • Rinse the cheese cloth with cold water according to the manufacturer's instructions, and then drain it well to remove excess moisture.
    • Place the cloth inside the molds previously greased with a thin layer of mild oil, ensuring that the cloth fits perfectly against the sides and the bottom of the mold.

    Cutting the Curd

    • First, make vertical cuts of 3-4 cm in length in the curd. Let it sit for 5 minutes to allow some whey to be released and the curd to firm up.
    • Next, make horizontal cuts also 3-4 cm in width. Let it sit for an additional 5 minutes to ensure better separation of the whey.
    • Next, make cuts at an inclined angle with an approximate width of 3 cm in all directions, ensuring that all cubes are of similar size. Let rest for 5 minutes.
    • Finish by making passes in all directions, cutting the cubes smaller and smaller until the desired size is achieved. As you cut, begin stirring the curd gently and, if necessary, heat it, maintaining a constant temperature while stirring for about 45-60 minutes. Stir in a figure-eight motion to ensure no corners are left unstirred. Keep the curd temperature consistent. For Tomme cheese, keep the temperature at 32ºC while stirring. With COW’S milk, heat up to 40ºC; for Manchego, heat slowly to 40ºC while stirring; for Idiazabal, heat slowly to 37ºC while stirring; for Parmesan, heat slowly to 57ºC, stirring with a serving paddle because this temperature is too high for doing it by hand.
    • Continue stirring until a piece of curd taken between your fingers returns to its initial form once pressed. The stirring time can range from 45 to 60 minutes, until you feel a consolidated texture.

    Allow to rest so the curd can settle for

    • When the curd has reached the necessary consistency, let it rest for about 10 minutes, keeping it at a temperature of 30-32 degrees. During this time, you can prepare the whey for future rind washings during maturation. If we separate the whey at this moment, while still warm, we can add salt. Although you can also choose to do the washings with salted water, I personally prefer to use the whey, as it has worked very well.
    • Separate 1 liter of whey while it is still warm, taking advantage of the heat to facilitate the dissolution of the salt.
    • Add a quantity of salt to the whey according to the type of rind we want to achieve. To obtain a typical, rather white rind, add 15 grams of salt per liter of whey. This corresponds to a ratio of 1.5 grams of salt per 100 ml of whey.

    Running to Blavosa

    • Store the container in the refrigerator, ensuring it is well-sealed. We will use it over the next month to treat the cheeses, so make sure to keep it at a constant temperature between 2°C and 4°C to ensure proper preservation of the ingredients.

    Strain the curd

    • Remove as much whey as possible by gently pressing the curd with a spatula or spoon, ensuring the excess liquid drains away. This process can take about 10 minutes and is essential for achieving a firmer consistency.

    Fill the Molds

    • Fill the molds almost to the top, ensuring to leave enough space to close the pressure lid without any issues.
    • Gently press the contents of the molds for 5 minutes using very little weight; this will help eliminate excess whey and compact the cheese uniformly.
    • Once the initial pressing is complete, carefully remove the cheese from the mold and flip it to ensure an even curing process.
    • Gently press again for 5 minutes, also with very little weight, to ensure proper cheese formation.

    Premsar the cheeses

    • Place the cheeses in a clean, sturdy kitchen cloth. Ensure that the cloth completely covers the cheeses.
    • Apply even pressure to the cheeses with your hands, folding the cloth, for about 2 to 3 minutes to remove excess liquid.
    • Allow the cheeses to rest in the pressed cloth for 15 minutes in a cool, dry area to ensure all liquid has been removed.

    From this point on, the weight and time will vary according to

    • Remove the cloth and carefully place the cheese back into the mold.
    • Let it drain in the mold for 12 hours, preferably overnight, making sure it is in a cool place without drafts.
    • Flip the cheese every 4 hours whenever possible during the resting period. When going to sleep, leave it to rest undisturbed until the next morning.

    Salting the cheeses with non-iodized sea salt

    • Salt all sides of the cheese with fine sea salt at a ratio of 2% of the weight of the piece. This ratio helps to preserve and evenly flavor the cheese.
    • For a 2 kg piece, use 30 grams of fine salt. A brine can also be used, which is a method used for salting large quantities. However, for homemade cheeses where we make few pieces, it is not advisable because it requires a lot of salt and time, and the surface salting mentioned earlier works quite well.
    • Prepare a brine at 25% by dissolving 250 grams of fine salt for every liter of cold water. Make sure to prepare a bit of additional salt to adjust if necessary.
    • We will need approximately 1 kg of salt for every 4 liters of water. Once the salt is completely dissolved, add between 250 and 500 grams of additional salt to ensure a good concentration.
    • The immersion time varies according to the weight of the cheeses. The estimated time is 3 to 4 hours for every 450 grams of cheese, ensuring adequate salt penetration.

    Tomme & Manchego

    • For a Tomme or Manchego cheese weighing 2 kg, submerge in brine for about 15-16 hours. Ensure the brine temperature is between 10°C and 12°C to guarantee proper curing.
    • For cheeses weighing 1 kg, leave them in brine for about 8 hours, maintaining the brine temperature in the same range of 10°C to 12°C for even salting.
    • For cheeses up to 1/2 kg, submerge for about 4 hours in brine, ensuring the temperature remains constant between 10°C and 12°C.
    • For cheeses around 300 grams, leave them in brine for about 3 hours. As with the other cases, maintain the brine between 10°C and 12°C for consistent results.

    Aerate at the workshop ambient temperature

    • Once salted, let the products dry at room temperature on a rack until the surface is no longer moist. This may take several hours depending on the climate and humidity of the workspace.
    • Turn them every 6-8 hours to ensure uniform drying on all sides.
    • Ensure a minimum of 48 hours of drying, checking that the rind begins to show signs of dryness.
    • When the rind is completely dry to the touch, transfer the product to the ripening cellar to continue with the process.

    Aging

    • When the cheese moves to ripening, it is important that the rind is completely dry. This helps prevent the development of unwanted molds on the cheese surface.
    • The optimal conditions for ripening include maintaining a constant temperature between 8 ºC and 14 ºC and ensuring the relative humidity is between 80% and 85%. These conditions allow for proper development of flavors and textures.
    • Gentle ventilation is essential to promote air exchange around the cheeses and prevent excessive moisture buildup.
    • It is important to turn the cheeses frequently during the aging process to ensure even drying and ripening. We recommend doing this at least every two or three days.
    • To wash the cheeses, we will use the reserved salted whey from when we made the cheese or prepare a saltwater solution with a concentration of 1.5% salt (15 grams of salt per liter of mineral or boiled water). This wash helps control microbial development on the rind. Various treatments can be applied to the rind, although in hard cheeses its effect on the interior is limited.
    • During the first few weeks, we need to turn the cheeses every two days to ensure even maturation. Later on, turning them once a week will suffice. For specific maturation: *Tomme: 4-6 months at 10°C-12°C and 85%-90% humidity; *Manxego: 4-6 months at 12°C-15°C and 85%-90% humidity; *Idiazabal: 3-6 months at 8°C-14°C and 85%-95% humidity; *Parmesan: 8-10 months at 10°C-12°C and 85%-90% humidity. During this period, we can make adjustments according to the desired appearance of the cheese rind.

    Blooming Crust

    • Moldy rind: Allow molds to develop in a humid and temperate environment, ideally between 10 and 14°C. Each time we turn the cheese, gently rub the surface with your hands to help distribute the molds evenly. At the end of the maturation, approximately after 4 to 6 weeks, brush the cheese carefully with a soft brush to remove excess mold. If desired, this can also be done midway through the maturation process to control mold development.
    • Clean and glossy rind: For a week, wash the cheeses with warm water every two days, ensuring to turn them regularly. Use a knife to gently scrape and remove any surface mold that may appear. When the rind appears dry, rub the cheeses with olive oil every 15 to 20 days to maintain their gloss and protection. For washed rind, the appearance of molds can be encouraged by treating the rind with different solutions. To wash it, use the previously reserved salted whey or prepare a saltwater solution, maintaining an appropriate salt concentration.

    Unwanted

    • Mucor mold: Identified by their gray color with hairy filaments (also known as "cat hair") and have a slimy texture when removed. They are not toxic and do not affect the taste of the cheese, but they are unsightly and almost everyone removes them. To remove them, gently scrape the rind with a knife, moving constantly until they are completely gone. Over time, other molds will take their place. A more intense salting prevents the appearance of Mucor.
    • Fungi Pseudomonas aeruginosa: These appear if we have moved the cheese to mature before the rind dries completely during the airing phase. These fungi are brightly colored, with a common shade being between green and phosphorescent yellow. They are not toxic, but can impart bitterness to the cheese. We remove them very carefully using the tip of a knife, making sure not to damage the cheese's rind.

    Truffles

    • White rind Geotrichum Candidum: Wash every two days during the first week. Each time we turn it, we gently clean it with a damp cloth soaked in brine prepared with a solution of 1.5% (15 grams of salt per liter of mineral or boiled water). Ensure to turn it uniformly so that the washing is effective.
    • Red rind (Brevibacterium linens red): Wash every two days for a complete month. Each time we turn it, we must clean it with a cloth soaked in 1.5% brine (15 grams of salt per liter of mineral or boiled water). Maintain humidity above 90% and perform frequent washes (every two days) to encourage the appearance of the reddish B. Linens fungi.
    • Orange rind (Brevibacterium linens): Wash every two days for a complete month. Each time we turn it, we wash it with a cloth soaked in brine with a concentration of 6.0% (60 grams of salt per liter of mineral or boiled water). Ensure that the cloth is well-soaked to guarantee effective cleaning of the rind.
    • Fungi Penicillium Roqueforti: An excess of salting and a temperature lower than 10 ºC promote the presence of P. Roqueforti. If the goal is to create a cheese with a white rind but we over-salt it and keep it at a low temperature, this will favor the development toward the presence of blue Roqueforti fungi. Make sure to control the temperature and salt level to avoid unwanted changes in the cheese's development.

    Smoked

    • It must be cold-smoked in order to preserve the product's flavor and texture.
    • Use sawdust from orange, cherry, almond, olive, oak, or beech wood. Do not use sawdust from pine, fir, cypress, or eucalyptus as they impart an undesirable taste.
    • Before smoking them, coat them with a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil to help absorb the smoke and enhance the flavor.
    • They should be smoked for about 5-6 hours, maintaining a low temperature. Every 45 minutes, turn them to ensure even smoking.
    • Once smoked, wrap the product in aluminum foil and leave it in the refrigerator for 24 hours to allow the flavors to develop.
    • After resting in the refrigerator, lightly clean the product and place it inside an airtight bag. Continued refrigeration storage will help preserve its taste and aroma.

    Tomme style Forki style Manchego style Idiazabal

    • For 1 Kg, let it rest for 10 minutes. For 2 Kg, let it rest for 10 minutes. For 1 Kg, let it rest for 15 minutes. For 2 Kg, let it rest for 15 minutes.
    • Unmold and remove the cloth. Unmold and remove the cloth. Unmold and remove the cloth. Unmold, turn over, replace the cloth, turn over again, and place back in the mold, repeating the action to ensure cohesion.
    • For 1 Kg, rest for 10 minutes. For 2 Kg, rest for 10 minutes. For 2 Kg, rest for 15 minutes. For 2 Kg, rest for 15 minutes.
    • Unmold and remove the cloth. Unmold and remove the cloth. Unmold and remove the cloth. Unmold, turn over, reposition the cloth, turn over again, and rest in the mold to compact.
    • For 2 Kg, rest for 1 hour. For 3 Kg, rest for 15 minutes. For 3 Kg, rest for 30 minutes. For 6 Kg, rest for 30 minutes.
    • Unmold and remove the cloth. Unmold and remove the cloth. Unmold and remove the cloth. Unmold, flip, reposition the cloth, flip again and reposition inside the mold to stabilize.
    • For 3 Kg, rest for 2 hours. For 3 Kg, rest for 15 minutes. For 6 Kg, rest for 2 hours. For 9 Kg, rest for 2 hours.
    • Unmold and remove the cloth. Unmold and remove the cloth. Unmold and remove the cloth. Remove the cloth, flip, reposition the cloth, flip, place back inside the mold. For 12 Kg, rest for 12 hours before unmolding.
    • For 3 Kg, rest for 2 hours. For 6 Kg, rest for 3 hours.
    • Unmold. Now determine if you want them semi-hard or hard. Remove the cloth.
    • For 6 kg, let it rest for 4 hours.

    Semidurs: - Unmolding

    • Place a 3 kg weight on the cheese for 2 hours to compact.
    • Gently turn the cheese to ensure a uniform shape.
    • Carefully remove the cloth surrounding the cheese to free it.
    • Place a weight of 3 kg for 2 hours on the opposite side.
    • Unmold the cheese carefully, ensuring it retains its shape.

    Bowls

    • Cook a 5 kg weight in the oven at 180 ºC for 2 hours.
    • Turn the piece to ensure even cooking.
    • Remove the cloth carefully to avoid damaging the meat.
    • Continue cooking a 5 kg weight in the oven at 160 ºC for 5 more hours.
    • Allow to cool slightly before carefully unmolding.
    Recommendations & Tricks
    • Use sheep's milk for higher yield; with 10 liters of this milk, you will obtain about 1.7 kg of aged cheese, compared to the 1.2 kg you would get with the same amount of cow's milk.
    • If you decide to use raw unpasteurized milk, ensure that the cheeses age for at least 2 months to guarantee food safety and eliminate any risk of harmful bacteria.
    • When preparing cheeses for prolonged aging (4-5 months), choose to make them in pieces of 900 grams or larger to ensure a good development of the body and flavor of the cheese.
    • Organize your time efficiently, considering that the cheese-making process can take up a good part of the day, especially during the initial preparation stages.
    • Always gather 10 liters of raw or whole fresh pasteurized milk before you start to ensure you have enough quantity for your needs.