Havarti cheese, a Scandinavian creation, is a mild-tasting cheese that has a creamy taste, softens easily at room temperature, and blends well with herbs. It takes some equipment to make this cheese, but it is not particularly expensive. If you can set aside a block of time for this project, and are willing to wait three months for the final product, these steps will tell you make Havarti cheese.
Instructions
1. Heat 4 gallons milk to 86 degrees F, and add mesophilic culture (a dry powder available from cheese-making suppliers), according to package directions. Let the milk ripen for 45 minutes.
2. Add 2.8 milligrams calf rennet diluted in 1/4 cup cool water. Stir in for 1 minute and let rest for 36 minutes. The milk will begin to coagulate.
3. Check curds. If they are firm, cut them at half-inch intervals to help drain the whey, let rest a few minutes and then stir the mixture for 15 minutes. If the curds are not yet firm, wait a few more minutes, then proceed.
4. Drain about a third of the liquid (whey) off and stir again for 15 minutes. Add about a gallon of water, heated to 130 degrees F. Test the resulting mixture and adjust hot water until the whole mixture is between 95 and 100 degrees F.
5. Add one ounce (2 tablespoons) salt and stir for 15-30 minutes, or until curd separates and dries.
6. Transfer mixture to cloth-lined colander and drain all the whey. Keep slicing curd to keep it releasing liquid.
7. Transfer to a cloth lined mold of desired shape. Add 8 pounds of weight for 20 minutes. The weight may be a gallon jug filled with enough water to provide the desired weight.
8. Unwrap the cheese, rewrap and turn over in the mold. Increase weight to 16 pounds for 2 hours.
9. Cheese should be formed and firm. Wait a couple of hours, then submerge in 65 degree F water 8 hours or overnight.
10. In the morning, submerge cheese in brine (1 tablespoon salt to one quart of water) for 6 hours, then drain and dry surface with paper towels.
11. Keep unwrapped cheese at cool temperature (60 degrees F) and turn daily. Wipe with brine (according to proportions above) every two days for three months until it reaches the desired ripeness. Wrap and store in refrigerator.
Tags: drain whey, Havarti cheese, hours then, minutes then, rest minutes, three months, water hours
