SCA Culinary Symposium, or, Making Cheese in a Bodice

What is more fun than making cheese?  Making cheese in medieval clothes!  Well, ok, my clothes are technically renaissance…

This weekend, Mr. Cheesemaker and I drove up to Marin County to experience the Society for Creative Anachronism Culinary Symposium.  For the uninitiated, SCA is a group which recreates medieval history, from costumes to jousts to historical cooking methods.  And they offered a whole track of cheesemaking classes at this symposium, from the basics to pressed cheese, mozzarella, skyr (Icelandic yogurt-like cheese), and cooking with and tasting historic cheeses.

Here are some highlights:

Check out the medieval contraption this gentleman built to drain his "bag" (farmer's) cheese

And you thought wimples were just for Sound of Music...

Much of our lunch was cooked on the outdoor "hearth". Where are the men? Breaking down a pig, of course.

I was pressed into service in the Cooking with Cheese class...maybe it was my serving wench attire.

I did learn a lot, so next time you are in my class, hit me up on the history of Norwegian settlers’ eating habits in Iceland or why Cheddar wasn’t served at the cheese tasting.

Happy New Year!

If you are curious about what is coming up this year for OC Cheesemaker, see my Calendar page which has been updated through June. I will be teaching all over Southern California, for Transition Laguna, the Craftcation Festival in Ventura, and the Ecology Center, as well as at my home base in Orange. First class Jan. 29!

It’s Not Too Late…

to get your Mozzarella in Under an Hour Kit for the holidays. Order online by 2pm on Dec. 20 or stop by the Dragonfly Shops and Gardens at 260 N. Glassell St. in Orange to pick one up in person. Merry Christmas!

Goat Curd Cheesecake

So, you have a bunch of extra chevre sitting around…ok, this never happens.  But if you do make some homemade goat cheese and actually don’t eat all of it, try this amazing recipe I got from Culture Magazine for Thanksgiving:

Ingredients:

2 lb. 3 oz. very soft goat cheese (here’s where making your own goat cheese will save you a ton of $$$)

Juice and zest of 2 lemons

7 eggs

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar

Bottle of brandy (the magazine says this “takes into account the chef’s needs”)

1.  Heat oven to 350°F.  Butter a 10-inch springform cake pan and line with parchment.  Place on a baking tray.

2.  Whisk the goat cheese, lemon juice and zest together until fluffy.  Do not use an electric mixer, as it will overwork the curd.

3.  Whisk together the eggs and sugar and whisk the mixture little by little into the goat cheese mixture.  Pour into the cake pan.

4.  Bake for one hour.  It will still have some wobble when it comes out of the oven.  To serve, pour 1-2 tablespoons of brandy on each slice.

Happy holidays!

 

Big News — Cheesemaking Kits for Sale!

Just in time for the holidays, my Mozzarella in Under an Hour kits are out!  The kits are available for purchase online and at my classes.  For just $18, you will receive the supplies and instructions to make 8 batches of homemade mozzarella.  For more information, check out my “Buy a Kit” page or go directly to my shop.  Give the gift of cheese!

OC Cheesemaker on Facebook

Well folks, it’s happened.  OC Cheesemaker is on Facebook.  Please “like” me and share with your friends!

Test Your Cheese Knowledge!

If you have not played this game, I recommend it.  I’m embarrassed to say it’s harder than it sounds!

www.cheeseorfont.com

 

Eat Real Festival

Yes folks, that’s me doing a demonstration at last weekend’s Eat Real Festival at Helms Bakery in Los Angeles.  I braved “carmageddon” (ok, it only took half an hour to get there) for this terrific first LA incarnation of an Oakland festival.  My mozzarella demo, at 7pm, had to compete with the butchery competition and patrons who had been drinking at the Firestone Brewery booth since 10:30am, but the audience was still well over 50 people.  You know, my classes are more the intimate, 5-student type, not the “demo in a large warehouse on a wireless microphone with tons of noise and chaos all around” type, but I think it went pretty well.  I certainly learned a lot.  I was hoping there would be more representation from Orange County but I think the 405 closure scared everyone away that had to come from outside LA.  Nonetheless, the festival was a big success, with food trucks, music, all kinds of homesteading goodies to buy, and I even talked with the Organic Valley people and they told me their gallon-size milk is not ultra-pasteurized!!  This is great news as Organic Valley is sustainable, available just about everywhere, and would be great to use for cheesemaking!  I have been bummed forever that their milk is ultra-pasteurized but I guess that’s only the half gallons.  So, all in all, a successful day…maybe I’ll see you at Eat Real Festival 2012.

Goatpacking

Getting a little closer to Nibbles...

Ok, I know this is not-quite-cheese-related, but…in my quest to learn everything I can about goats before taking the plunge on my own animals, I went GOATPACKING over 4th of July weekend.  For those of you who have never heard of goat packing…this means backpacking with goats to carry your gear!  Have you ever heard of a better idea?  Our trip was in the Escalante National Monument in Utah, near Bryce Canyon, it is beautiful, high desert country, with our guides, Shawn and Shari, from Escape Goats.  And the goats!  Nibbles, Elvis, Klassy, Tex, and Stubbs…some of them seasoned packing goats and some total newbies!  All of them the largest male goats I’ve ever seen, some over 200 pounds.  And some with horns!  A lot for a little 100-pound weakling like myself to handle.  I will be sticking with mini-does, I think.

Peter and I with the gang!

We took a goatpacking seminar, meaning this was a work trip, not a sit-back-and-have-everything-done-for-you-trip (ok, the guides did do most of the work).  We learned everything from how to pack a balanced bag to wilderness first aid for the goats.  Hopefully someday my milking does will at least do a day hike with me!

You Snooze You Lose!

The July 10 mozzarella class is SOLD OUT.  But another class has been added to the schedule for Friday, August 5 at 7pm so don’t delay, reserve today to info@occheesemaker.com!