Farmhouse Cheddar
Here is a picture of the “Farmhouse” Cheddar that I started last weekend.
Normally Cheddar cheese goes through a particular process after the curds are set and cut to expel some of the whey. If you make a cheese like cheddar but omit the “cheddaring” process, it is called Farmhouse Cheddar. The cheddaring process follows.
First you will drain the curds and then allow them to knit together into a single mass curd, then you cut the mass into slices and stack the slices on top of each other to gently press out some whey, and keep the stacks warm. I usually keep the colander with cheesecloth over the pot holding the hot whey. Every so often for some hours you re-stack the slices to press out the same amount of whey from all of the slices. When this is complete you mill the slices into smaller curds and salt them before putting them into a press.
I skipped that rather long step: I just salted the curds and then put them into the press to press out whey overnight. This should result in cheddar-tasting cheese that has a different texture.
This one is air-drying to form a fairly dry rind prior to being waxed.
(P.S. I am sorry about the garage-blogging. It is a long project that will crowd out some of my spare time that I normally use to make cheese. I need to finish it soon though, as the American Cheese Society meeting in Montreal is in early August. I will be there!)