Making Chevre: From Goat to Plate

I always thought that making goat cheese was really difficult to do.  It takes a bit of time but it’s actually awfully easy.

First your goat needs to give birth.  This starts her milk flowing.

Next you need to learn how to milk.  This is a fairly easy thing to do but I found that I was using new muscles and I was kind of sore for a while.

A gallon of milk is what most recipes call for.

Heat the milk to 160 degrees farenheit to pasteurize it then put it in an ice water bath to cool it to 86 degrees.

Add culture, stir and let sit for twelve hours.

The curds are soft and almost creamy.

Spoon the curds into chevre molds to let the whey drain off.  This takes about 24 hours.  The longer you let it drain the drier your cheese will be.

Once the cheese has drained take it out of the mold and cut it into the desired size.

I like to roll the cheese in herb and spice mixtures.

The first row on the left has been rolled in zahtar, an oregano based spice mix from the Middle East.  The second row in a Thai spice and the third in a Japanese mix of toasted sesame seeds and salt.

Related posts:

1. Making Homemade Yogurt
2. Cooking with the Seasons: Orzo with Spinach, Goat Cheese, and Butternut Squash
3. Cooking With The Seasons: Succulent Ribs

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