Cheesemaking

Marinated Greek Feta Cheese

Last October I attended a two day cheese-making workshop. I remember battling an awful cold at the time. It didn't help that our teacher Graham, was a passionate, enthusiastic, slave driver who worked us solidly. I'm glad he did though.  Looking back, we achieved so much in those two days. I went from using fresh cheese immediately to enjoying cheese ripened just in time for Christmas Day.  The satisfaction in unwrapping my very own handmade cheese was more rewarding than I can say.  What a talking point.



Graham pressing the cheddars

  If you live in Queensland I can't recommend this course enough. Check out Graham's website http://www.cheesemaking.com.au/.  Better still, GO!  You won't regret it.  Thanks Graham for an exhausting, thoroughly comprehensive and totally rewarding time.

I had a blast and these were the cheeses we made; Chabichou, Quark, Greek Feta, Cheddar, Camembert and Brie, Whole Milk and Whey Ricotta and Fresh Mozzarella. 


 I used the fresh quark to bake a cheesecake. I topped it with my strawberry and mulberry homemade sauce. It was refreshingly tangy.  The taste of the cheese really came through. Amazing.



Fresh Chabichou Round





The Chabichou was simply delightful with savoury or plain crackers. A neutral, slightly tangy taste. Everyone loved it.  We savoured every mouthful.

The Geek feta round after 36 hours of open air draining.  It really was beginning to "get up the nose" by this time.  Despite this, it looked absolutely perfect.

A view of the Greek feta halved. Yippee. Perfect.

Packing the cut up feta to be marinated. I added whole fresh garlic, sprigs of lemon oregano and whole black peppercorns.

I used a combination of extra virgin olive oil and canola oil with which to marinate the feta. I should mention I did the exact same thing with a round of Chabichou.  They held their shapes beautifully. The feta was sharp and quite pungent. The kids were not a fan. I sense that I had created a true Greek feta. It brought back memories of the cheese my aunt used to buy to make her cheesy pita with feta. This smelt and tasted exactly the same.  The marinated Chabichou was a real hit.  It seemed to take the flavours on better. Although soft and crumbly as I packed them into the jar, the cubes held their shape and tasted delicious. Hooray again!

The camembert was a real surprise. It deserves a post all on its own.  The cheesemaking course was rather pricey, but truly worth it.  I am still reaping the benefits. And the recipes are there if I were so inclined to begin a cheese factory.  Another dream, another day.