Dandelion Cheese
I cut up dandelion root (=dandelion rennet) into raw milk yesterday; today I ate some of this fresh cheese on a slice of multi-grain toast!
If you were wondering, this was my third time using homemade vegetable rennet to make raw cheese; all were good. The first time I made 3 different batches: 1 using dandelion stem and root (with the the dandelion latex, that milky white sap), 1 using fig latex from the leaf stem, and for comparison, 1 using milk kefir. All were good, but I was after dandelion, for which I could not find any specific recipe. The second time I made 2 batches, 1 with dandelion rennet, 1 with fig rennet; I rolled the dandelion cheese into little cheese balls, then coated them with different toppings, and that was great. The third time I only made dandelion cheese, and ate it plain on toast. The other times I used glass ramekins, gave each its own stir (a fig twig to stir the fig batch), covered them all with a clean dish towel, and the next day lifted the towel to look, see, and taste. This time I put the milk and chopped dandelion root into a chopper, gave it a few brief whirs (which didn't significantly chop the root further), took the lid off, and covered the unit, blade and all, with a dish towel. I have read to use non-reactive metal in cheese-making.
For ease of making, it doesn't get much easier than: 2 ingredients, chop the 1, give both a stir, cover, leave overnight. I've read about issues using pasteurized milk. I used raw milk from a South Carolina farmer we've bought from for years, his milk government-tested twice a day, always good.
I've read the essential characteristic step for cheese is coagulating the casein component of the milk protein, achieved in the majority of cheeses by enzymatic (rennet) coagulation: animal, microbial, or vegetal ("milk thistle", fig, nettle, dandelion, etc.); you can make acid- and heat/acid coagulated cheese without rennet; my brother John & I made this once when we were in school. I welcome your feedback!
Dandelion Cheese
I cut up dandelion root (=dandelion rennet) into raw milk yesterday; today I ate some of this fresh cheese on a slice of multi-grain toast!
If you were wondering, this was my third time using homemade vegetable rennet to make raw cheese; all were good. The first time I made 3 different batches: 1 using dandelion stem and root (with the the dandelion latex, that milky white sap), 1 using fig latex from the leaf stem, and for comparison, 1 using milk kefir. All were good, but I was after dandelion, for which I could not find any specific recipe. The second time I made 2 batches, 1 with dandelion rennet, 1 with fig rennet; I rolled the dandelion cheese into little cheese balls, then coated them with different toppings, and that was great. The third time I only made dandelion cheese, and ate it plain on toast. The other times I used glass ramekins, gave each its own stir (a fig twig to stir the fig batch), covered them all with a clean dish towel, and the next day lifted the towel to look, see, and taste. This time I put the milk and chopped dandelion root into a chopper, gave it a few brief whirs (which didn't significantly chop the root further), took the lid off, and covered the unit, blade and all, with a dish towel. I have read to use non-reactive metal in cheese-making.
For ease of making, it doesn't get much easier than: 2 ingredients, chop the 1, give both a stir, cover, leave overnight. I've read about issues using pasteurized milk. I used raw milk from a South Carolina farmer we've bought from for years, his milk government-tested twice a day, always good.
I've read the essential characteristic step for cheese is coagulating the casein component of the milk protein, achieved in the majority of cheeses by enzymatic (rennet) coagulation: animal, microbial, or vegetal ("milk thistle", fig, nettle, dandelion, etc.); you can make acid- and heat/acid coagulated cheese without rennet; my brother John & I made this once when we were in school. I welcome your feedback!