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Chèvre

See Bovre - the same recipe but using cow's milk.

This is pleasantly tangy. For a different flavour and texture, optionally add Penicillium candidum.

INGREDIENTS
 4 litres  whole milk, raw or pasteurised (not UHT or Ultrapasteurised) cow's or goat's.
 1 sachet  Mad Millie Mesophilic Culture
15 g       brie or camembert rind shavings (optional)
 2 drops   Calcium Chloride
 2 drops   Rennet
 5 to 12 g Salt (no iodine) or up to 1% of the weight of the drained curds

CULTURE
If you are making the bloomy version, liquidise the rind shavings in a little milk and sieve out any lumps.
Add the bloom infusion to the main batch of milk.
Add the mesophillic culture to the milk at 24 Celsius (e.g. one sachet of Mad Millie Mesophilic Culture).
Wait 5 minutes then stir.

CALCIUM CHLORIDE
Add two drops of calcium chloride to one tablespoon of water and stir this into the milk.

RENNET
Add two drops of rennet to one tablespoon of water and stir this into the milk for up to a minute.

RIPEN
Culture the milk for 24 hours at 18 to 25 Celsius.

STRAIN
Gently ladle the curds into a butter muslin bag.
Hang the bag and drain for up to 8 hours at room temperature.

Catch the whey for use in other recipes.

SALT
Weigh the curds.
Add 0.5% to 1% iodene free salt.
Example 1 kg of curds needs 5 to 10 grams of salt. My preference is 7.5 grams.
Mix the salt thoroughly.

BLOOM - Mouldy version only.
For the version including Penicillium candidum, dry and ripen three or four small wheels for a week at room temperature.
Once fairly dry, continue the warm ripening under a plastic box to trap humidity. Mould should start to form.
Invert the wheels frequently and carefully or the mould will peel off.
After about a week, chill to 12 C and ripen for a further week or longer if you prefer a stronger flavour.

CHILL
Chill to firm up the curds.
Optionally form the curds into rolls or wheels.