Sunday 2 June 2013

Feta Cheese Recipe

I am finally able to post my Feta recipe! 

Feta is a greek word meaning "slice" and is always exclusively made of goats or sheeps milk.  It originated from the hillsides of the Balkans.

We make Feta Cheese using cows milk and this recipe makes delicious cheese.! 

2 Litres Farm House Milk

1/8 tsp = 1 Level “Dash” Spoon of Mesophillic Culture

1/8 tsp = 1 Level “Dash” Spoon of Thermophillic Culture (we suggest TCC-3 for flavour)

1/16 tsp = 1 level “Pinch” Spoon of Calf Lipase (or more for a stronger flavour)

2 mls Calf Rennet (please check your Rennet bottle for exact amounts per litre of milk as this can vary)

½ ml Calcium Chloride

Plain Salt (Non-iodised)

1 x Feta Mould

 Don’t forget you can double this recipe to get two decent sized fetas! (You will require two square moulds)                                  

1.   Sterilize all of your equipment by boiling in the pot you will use to heat the milk. Put them to the side covered with a paper towel whilst you prepare your milk.

2.   Boil some water in the jug and put aside ½ cup of cooled boiled water to mix with the rennet and Calcium Chloride at a later stage.

3.   Add 2 litres of milk to the pot, place cheese thermometer in the milk and cover. Slowly heat milk to 31˚C on a very low heat. (Use a warm water bath if you have a gas stove top).

 4.Once the milk is at 31˚C add the Mesophillic and Thermophillic Cultures and then the Calf Lipase. Stir gently for at least 1 minute with a slotted spoon (do not break surface of milk).

 5.Leave milk for 20-45 mins to ripen allowing the cultures to start acidifying the milk. Ensure that the pot is kept warm by placing it in your cheese cave to maintain the temperature (especially if working in a cool room). Or by leaving in the warm water bath to make sure the temperature is maintained.

 6.Mix 2-3mls of Rennet (check bottles instructions) with ¼ cup of the cooled boiled water. Mix 1 ml of Calcium Chloride with ¼ cup of cooled boiled water. Pour Calcium Chloride in first, stirring gently for approx 30 seconds (do not break surface of milk). . Next pour Rennet in, stirring gently for approx 20 seconds (do not break surface of milk). Leave to set for 30-40 mins. Leave Thermometer in the milk and cover. Place in your polystyrene cheese cave to maintain the temperature if the room is cool.

 7.Check that your curds have set by lifting out the thermometer, you should see a clean break on the surface of the curds. Leave for a further 5-10 mins if the curd appears too soft.

 8.Cut the curds into 2cm blocks with a long knife. Turn curds gently with a slotted spoon a couple of times. Leave for approx 20 mins, this helps expel more whey and make the curds firmer. After the 20 mins turn curds again once and leave for another 20 mins. Turn curds one more time and leave again for 20 mins. After this your curds should be firm enough to spoon into your feta mould.

 9.Pop your molds onto your draining mat/tray and gently lift the curds into the molds with your slotted spoon until the molds are full. If you are left with excess curds, wait for 5 mins. You will find that the curds in the molds have reduced and you can keep adding more curds. (It should be 2 litres of milk per mould).

 10.Leave curds for at least 12 hours in the molds at room temperature, covered with muslin or similar. The next day gently remove the cheese from the mold and flip over putting it back into the mold to leave for another 12 hours or so (until evening). Depending on how firm you like your feta you can either proceed to brine after 24 hours or leave your cheese at room temperate for another 12-24 hours to make the cheese even firmer. (I think it is better firmer but you may prefer a softer feta).

 11.After approx 24-48 hours your cheese should have firmed up firm enough to be brined in a salt water solution.

 12.Follow our feta brining technique to brine your feta. (See our website for the brine recipe and instructions).



Sunday 24 February 2013

Aspartame in Milk?

New Petition by 2 huge dairy organizations to allow aspartame to be added to milk.. see link

http://www.activistpost.com/2013/02/aspartame-in-milk-without-label-big.html

23 February 2103 Copy of article:


Aspartame in Milk Without a Label? Big Dairy Petitions FDA For Approval

Activist Post

Two powerful dairy organizations, The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), are petitioning the Food and Drug Administration to allow aspartame and other artificial sweeteners to be added to milk and other dairy products without a label.

The FDA currently allows the dairy industry to use "nutritive sweeteners" including sugar and high fructose corn syrup in many of their products. Nutritive sweeteners are defined as sweeteners with calories.

This petition officially seeks to amend the standard of identification for milk, cream, and 17 other dairy products like yogurt, sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, and others to provide for the use of any "safe and suitable sweetener" on the market.

They claim that aspartame and other artificial sweeteners would promote healthy eating and is good for school children.

According to the FDA notice issued this week:
IDFA and NMPF state that the proposed amendments would promote more healthful eating practices and reduce childhood obesity by providing for lower-calorie flavored milk products. They state that lower-calorie flavored milk would particularly benefit school children who, according to IDFA and NMPF, are more inclined to drink flavored milk than unflavored milk at school.
Although the FDA considers aspartame to be a "safe and suitable" sweetener, a recent Yale University study appears to directly challenge the claim that aspartame would reduce obesity. In fact, the study concluded just the opposite, that artificial sweeteners actually contributed to obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

The IDFA and NMPF argue "that the proposed amendments to the milk standard of identity would promote honesty and fair dealing in the marketplace" yet they don't want changes to the labels on dairy products.
Accordingly, the petitioners state that milk flavored with non-nutritive sweeteners should be labeled as milk without further claims so that consumers can “more easily identify its overall nutritional value.”
It's unclear how consumers can more easily identify the overall nutritional value of milk products that are flavored with non-nutritive sweeteners without labels.

Quoting Section 130.10 of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, the dairy giants claim a new label is not required because sugar is added to milk without labeling it, and "the modified food is not inferior in performance" and "'reduced calorie' (labels) are not attractive to children" so marketing as such is of no benefit or detriment.

The FDA has opened public comments until May 21 for anyone interested to "submit comments, data, and information concerning the need for, and the appropriateness of, amending the standard of identity for milk and the additional dairy standards."

To submit a formal comment or send data to the FDA concerning adding aspartame and other artificial sweeteners to milk products CLICK HERE.