The Catalan TableIngredients
Servings:
4
Ingredients
Step-by-step Guide
Fresh Yogurt Cheese - Fresh Blue Cheese
- With one liter of yogurt, you will obtain approximately 200 grams of fresh cheese. For best results, make sure to use natural yogurt and preferably organic.
- If you want to prepare more than one liter of cheese, adjust the amount of salt proportionally. As a reference, use approximately one teaspoon of salt for every liter of yogurt. Stir the yogurt well with the salt until it is completely integrated before beginning the draining process.
Aging time: between 1-2 months
- The day before, place a piece of 20 grams of commercial blue cheese cut into pieces in a glass full of whole pasteurized milk. Cover the glass with a paper towel to allow it to breathe and let it rest for 24 hours at room temperature.
- The next day, strain this milk with a fine-mesh chinois and mix it with 1 liter of natural yogurt (only milk and bacterial cultures, without thickeners, pectin, or corn flour) and add 5 grams (1 teaspoon) of non-iodized sea salt. Boil the cheesecloth and add a bit of baking soda. Then, rinse it with cold water. Place the cheesecloth over a strainer. Add the P. Roqueforti culture to the yogurt and stir gently. Pour the yogurt onto the cloth, gather the ends of the cloth, and tie a knot without compressing the bag.
- Hang the bag to drain for 12-24 hours. You can pass a spoon under the knot and hang it inside a deep pot. During this time, occasionally tighten the bag to help it compact. After 12 hours, the resulting texture will be quark-like. After 24 hours, it will be similar to fromage frais.
- Once the bag is drained, without opening it, place it inside a bowl. Open the bag, add salt to the curd, and stir it with a spoon to shape it.
- Re-tie the ends of the bag and make a knot. For fresh cheese for immediate consumption, add a teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt. For fresh cheese to preserve, add two teaspoons of salt.
- Hang the bag again to drain and let it drain for 4-24 hours. For immediate consumption or to store in the refrigerator for up to a week, drain for 4 hours. If we want to preserve it submerged in olive oil, continue draining for 24 hours. Additionally, during this time, press the knot a couple of times.
- Once dry, transfer the cheese to the maturation chamber.
They can aromatize fresh cheese with herbs
- Once salted, let the cheese drain for 4 hours in a colander or on a rack to remove excess liquid.
- Then, mix the chopped herbs with the cheese and let it rest in the refrigerator submerged in olive oil for 1 hour to allow the oil to properly infuse the cheese. After a week, pierce the cheese with a skewer, making about 6-8 holes to aid the aromatization process.
- Salt the cheese again and let it drain for 24 hours to ensure it is dehydrated and begins to harden.
- Prepare a mixture of dried herbs to taste, such as thyme, oregano, and rosemary, to flavor the cheese.
- Fill a glass jar halfway with olive oil, ensuring the oil is of good quality.
- Form balls with the cheese paste, approximately 2 to 3 cm in size, to facilitate handling and later coating.
- Roll the cheese balls over the dried herbs to coat them completely, enhancing the aroma and flavor.
- Completely immerse the coated cheese balls in olive oil inside the previously prepared glass jar.
- Close the jar and store it in a cool environment. If you choose to refrigerate it, be aware that the oil will solidify. It is advisable to keep it in a maturation chamber for 1-2 months, turning the jar twice a week to ensure the oil evenly infuses the cheese. If the oil has solidified, remove the jar from the refrigerator the day before to allow it to return to its liquid state.
- Minimum cheese maturation: 1 month to achieve a good balance of flavors and texture.
- Maximum maturation: about 6 months, to obtain a drier and intensely flavored cheese.
Recommendations & Tricks
- Make sure to thoroughly drain the yogurt using a cotton cloth or cheesecloth to remove excess liquid; this will help achieve a firmer and creamier texture in the fresh cheese.
- When adding the blue cheese to the mixture, cut it into small pieces or crumble it with a fork to facilitate even mixing with the fresh cheese.
- Serve the fresh and blue cheese with a bit of honey for a sweet and salty contrast that will enhance the natural flavors. You can also add some crushed walnuts for a touch of crunch.