Andrew Wilder Makes Chevre

What Could Be Easier?

Last January I posted three of Andrew Wilder’s recipes- one was for both Horseradish Cheddar and Jalapeno Cheddar and the other was for Ricotta Salata. They all came from his wonderful blog-www.imakecheese.com.

These days, Andrew devotes most of his time to his other blog-www.eatingrules.com where there’s a lot of good information about the food situation in this country. This last October he led 415 folks in his October Unprocessed campaign where they all pledged to give up processed foods for the entire month.

I was looking for an easy New Year’s Eve recipe and I thought of Andrew. Sure enough, in November, 2009, he posted the recipe below which also appears in our book, Home Cheese Making. Chevre is a natural choice for a party because it’s quick, it’s easy and everyone loves it. Your guests are sure to be impressed when they find out you made it!

I’m embarrassed to say it took me so long, but I finally decided to try making a fresh Chèvre. Turns out this is the easiest cheese I’ve ever made. Seriously. Oh yeah, and it was insanely delicious, too.

If you’re just getting started making cheese, I’d suggest you do this one first — even before the 30-minute Mozzarella. If you start around 7pm you can have a pound and a half(!) of fresh Chèvre with dinner the next night!

1. Heat a gallon of goat’s milk to 86F.

2. Add one packet of Chèvre starter, mix well.

3. Let set for 12 hours, at room temperature (at least 72F).

4. Gently ladle the curds into a colander lined with butter muslin (like cheesecloth, but with smaller holes).

5. Tie up the corners and allow to drain for 6-12 hours, at room temperature (again, at least 72F). The longer it drains the drier it will be. Just check in on it every few hours. I use twist-ties and rubber bands and just hook it onto my kitchen faucet.

6. Remove from muslin, mix in a little salt (optional–but makes a pretty big difference), and form into “logs” or whatever other shape you want.

7. Carefully roll in fresh herbs, cracked pepper, dried herbs, or whatever else looks yummy.

From top to bottom: with fresh chives from my garden, with Herbs De Provence, with fresh ground pepper, plain (unsalted), and Organic Fuyu Persimmon from Love Delivery.

8. Indulge!

Panini with grilled veggies (eggplant, red bell peppers, and onions), spinach, fresh chèvre on Sourdough. Oh yeah!