Milk Three Ways Workshop - Led by Holly White
Materials for Crème Fraiche
• ¼ cup cultured buttermilk (not “old-fashioned”)
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream (Very important: Cream must not be Ultra-Pasteurized.
It will not ripen correctly. Pasteurized is OK.)
• 1 wide-mouth quart canning jar
• Spoon
Making Crème Fraiche
• Pour two cups of heavy whipping cream into quart canning jar. Leave
lid off, but cover with cloth.
• Allow cream to ripen at room temp for two hours.
• Add ¼ cup of cultured buttermilk to the cream, stir well.
• Allow to sit covered in an undisturbed, dark corner of your countertop
overnight.
• Stir vigorously the next day. Cream should be thickened and smell pleasantly
sour.
• Allow to rest on your countertop for 12 hours or more- up to 48 hours
is fine in cool weather.
• Stir again, cover with lid, and refrigerate. Will last 7-10 days.
Butter Prep and Shaking Steps
• Pour two cups of heavy whipping cream into quart canning jar. Leave
lid off, but cover with cloth.
• Allow cream to ripen at room temp, about two hours.
• Close jar with snug-fitting lid.
• Shake, shake, shake!
• Watch for the whipped cream stage- you are getting close. Should take
about 10 minutes.
• Listen: You can hear the moment “slosh” turns to “ka-chunk”.
• Watch: Cream will coat the jar less as buttermilk and butterfat separate.
• Butter grains will form.
• Do not allow butter to form into a solid ball. Butter is easier to rinse
while still in the grain stage.
Butter Storage
• Add salt after removal of buttermilk, if salt is desired. Salt helps
to preserve butter, especially if raw cream is used.
• Store in refrigerator for longer-term storage.
• Make clarified butter for longer-term, room temperature storage (unsalted
recommended). Clarified butter won’t burn and is great for cooking.
• Roll into “log” in wax paper and freeze.
Butter Facts
• Grass-fed butter will be yellow, but grain-fed butter will be off-white.
• Vitamins: Grass-fed butter is a rich source of easily absorbed vitamin
A. Butter also contains all the other fat-soluble vitamins (D, E and K2), which
are often lacking in the modern industrial diet.
• Minerals: Butter is rich in important trace minerals, including manganese,
chromium, zinc, copper and selenium (a powerful antioxidant). Butter provides
more selenium per gram than wheat germ or herring. Butter is also an excellent
source of iodine.
• Fatty Acids: Butter provides appreciable amounts of short- and medium-chain
fatty acids, which support immune function, boost metabolism and have anti-microbial
properties; that is, they fight against pathogenic microorganisms in the intestinal
tract. Butter also provides the perfect balance of omega-3 and omega-6 essential
fatty acids. Arachidonic acid in butter is important for brain function and
prostaglandin balance.
• CLA: When butter comes from grass-fed cows, it contains high levels
of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a compound that gives excellent protection
against cancer, and also helps the body build muscle rather than store fat.
Source: Weston A. Price Foundation
“Why Butter is Better”
Materials for Quick Mozzarella
• 1gallon whole milk
• ¾ cup filtered water (water must be unchlorinated)
• 1½ tsp citric acid (see sources at end of packet)
• ¼ tsp liquid rennet (see sources at end of packet)
• Non-iodized salt
• 2 pots, minimum 6 quart-capacity
• Colander
• Long cooking or curd knife
• 2 pairs rubber dishwashing gloves
• Cooking thermometer
Making Simple Mozzarella
• Pour 1 gallon of milk into 6 or 8 quart pot.
• Dissolve 1 ½ teaspoons of citric acid in ½ cup of filtered
water.
• Heat milk to 55F, add diluted citric acid solution.
• Dilute ¼ teaspoon of liquid rennet in ¼ cup filtered water.
• Heat milk to 90F. Add rennet, stir gently for about 1 minute.
• Continue to heat milk slowly to 105F. Curds will solidify. Do not allow
curds to overcook!
• Turn off heat. Cut curds. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes.
Simple Mozzarella- Processing Steps
• Scoop curds out of whey, place in colander.
• Heat whey to simmering- about 175F.
• Squeeze excess liquid whey out of curds, divide into 4 balls.
• Press balls into a firm shape and place into hot whey.
• Let curd balls sit in whey for a few minutes. Remove and stretch. If
the curd won’t stretch, place back in hot whey for a few minutes more.
• Stretch curds like taffy and fold while still hot.
• Repeat heating and folding process 2 or 3 more times.
• To salt cheese, either place balls of finished cheese in brined, ice-cold
water (2 tablespoons of non-iodized salt per quart of filtered water) or sprinkle
about a teaspoon of salt onto melted curds during first stretching.
Some recipes call for salting the cooking whey, but then you can’t use it or compost it.
Sources and Further Reading
“Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon
This book details the benefits of acidified and raw milk products.
Fankhauser’s Cheese Page
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/cheese.html
Dr. Fankhauser’s site is a clear, concise introduction to simple home
cheese making.
“Home Cheese Making” by Ricki Carroll
www.cheesemaking.com
A very detailed and more commercial approach to cheese making. Carroll also
sells a wide array of ingredients and cheese making tools at her website.
Leener’s
www.leeners.com/
Complete supply house for all kinds of slow food.