Homemade Cheese by Janet Hurst

I was reading the New York Times online yesterday and came across an article in the Dining and Wine section about a new DIY guide for kitchen projects, which included three on how to make cheese in the comfort of your own home.


There seems to be an ever-enlarging segment of our population that is becoming more food savvy. They want to know where their food comes from, what ingredients are included, how to get more involved, and how to become more self-reliant. The do-it-yourself food movement is looking for ways even a kitchen klutz can make their own food.

Cheese seems to be food that is being swept along with this movement. It is awesome to read about how many artisan cheesemakers are developing a following across the United States; not just cheesemakers, but GREAT cheesemakers!

So, this NY Times article seemed to be right in stride with a more personal focus on food.

A couple of months ago Voyageur Press invited me to review an advance copy of a book written by Janet Hurst. It, too, seems to be riding the crest of this self-sufficiency, DIY wave of interest.

The title of Janet's book is “Homemade Cheese: Recipes for 50 Cheeses from Artisan Cheesemakers,” but this book includes so much more than recipes. My first impression was delight. Just flipping through the pages, taking in all the gorgeous color photographs that Janet included in her book, was a visual feast!

Since becoming intrigued with artisan cheese, I’ve often used “Home Cheese Making” by Ricki Caroll as my resource. It will remain a valued book in my library. Structured more like a manual, it has excellent cheesemaking recipes and provides a lot of ways to use the cheese, and a resource section telling where to get equipment and supplies. Janet Hurst even mentions Ricki as Queen of Cheese, and honors her as an inspiration and mentor.

Janet, however, presents a different approach. She includes easy-to-follow steps for cheesemaking, but additionally provides insight into the lives and production of twenty artisan cheesemakers who work their farms, dairies, creameries and take pride in their animals, their cheese, and their accomplishment. At the back of this book is a wealth of resources and websites to reference. I’m a visual freak, so I relished the abundance of photographs of animals, farms, cheesemakers, cheese, and prepared dishes.

I responded readily to Janet’s book because it is so friendly, simple to follow, attractive to the eye, well researched and has a very personal touch. It’s like sitting down with her and, over a cup of coffee and a plate of hot out of the oven scones, having her share all of these wonderful experiences. Her passion for cheese is evident.

Janet writes from a background of 20 years of having a farm and goats and growing vegetables and making cheese. She’s still making cheese in her kitchen in Missouri, when she isn’t speaking to groups, teaching how to make cheese, freelance writing about cheese and food, and promoting her book.

Below I’ve included the link to Janet’s blog and her website. Her book is published by Voyageur Press, and is currently available for purchase for $19.95.

I wholeheartedly recommend you get your hands on a copy of “Homemade Cheese: Recipes for 50 Cheeses from Artisan Cheesemakers” and keep it within reach. It will provide you with wonderful ways you can make your own cheese in your own kitchen, and have fun doing it!



www.inpursuitofcheese.blogspot.com
www.cheesewriter.com

More About Gothberg Farms ...

A mountain high list of to-dos has kept me from finishing off my article about Gothberg Farms' delicious assortment of goat cheeses. However, I was online with some research, and unexpectedly came across the following recipe. It is the perfect thing to get back into the article and wrap ‘er up!

I haven’t—yet—personally made this recipe, but I have enough chevre to make it tonight for dinner. It looks like it would be delish!

Art Smith’s Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits

I read that these biscuits are served to diners at Art Smith’s Chicago restaurant, Table Fifty-Two.

Makes 12 biscuits

2 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) cold butter
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) goat cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk
Extra butter to grease pan and top biscuits
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Place one 10-inch cast iron pan into the oven while it is preheating. Place flour and salt into a medium-size bowl. Cut in the butter and goat cheese. Make a well in the middle of the ingredients and pour in the milk. Stir until the mix is moistened, adding an extra tablespoon of milk, if needed.

Remove the hot skillet from the oven and place a tablespoon of butter into it. When the butter has melted, drop ¼ cupfuls of batter into the pan. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter. Bake from 14-16 minutes until browned on the top and bottom. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy them while they’re warm!

Doesn’t that sound tasty?

But, more specifically back to Gothberg Farms. Since first getting my hands on a sampling of Rhonda’s goat cheeses, I’ve used them in a number of recipes. There are a couple cheeses I haven’t yet sunk my teeth into, and Rhonda seems to keep coming up with new cheese delights. The latest that I’m aware of is a cheesecake they’re making right there at the farm. Who doesn’t love cheesecake?!!!

I’m including some photographs of the farm and “the LaMancha ladies” from this summer. The photo of Rhonda was taken at her booth at the Anacortes Farmers Market in September.

I paired the Gothberg Caprino Romano with salsa and chips, which I heartily recommend. Rose, one of the ladies in our office makes the salsa from scratch, which I also heartily recommend for total taste explosion. I also cut up what I had left over and dropped it into a steaming hot bowl of homemade Italian minestrone. Lovely!

I enjoyed melting the Caerphilly in a grilled cheese sandwich. I also dropped little chunks of it into some chili I made. Loved it.

The fresh chevre was heavenly with the fresh summer peaches and blueberries! And of course, it is a wonderful addition to a salad anytime. It was really helpful to find out I could freeze the chevre and thaw it out later. I’ve now done that twice and have been pleased that the cheese retains its smooth texture and taste, although I did like it best fresh.

The ricotta I tried with cantaloupe, kiwi and cherries and I loved it! I also used some of the ricotta in an Italian pasta dish I whipped up one night for dinner.

Speaking of ricotta. Here is a photograph of some cookies made specifically for Gothberg Farms by The Breadfarm, using Rhonda’s ricotta. The cookies were a very nice addition to my afternoon tea.

It just shows you can’t miss with ANY of the Gothberg Farms cheeses.

Although the farmers markets are finished for the season, you can still purchase Gothberg Farms cheese at their farm on Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm. They’re located at 15203 Sunset Road, Bow WA 98232 (360) 202-2436, at Terra Organica and Bargainica at 1520 Cornwall Avenue, Suite 101, Bellingham (360) 715-8020, and at Slough Food at 5766 Cains Court, Suite B, Edison 98232.

My recommendation would be to make it a road trip by dropping by Gothberg Farms, Slough Food and the Breadfarm in Bow-Edison. John, owner of Slough Food, has some lovely wine selections and an international assortment of cheese, plus other foodie goodies; and the Breadfarm is in the same building (360) 766-4065, so MUST stop in there, too! You will be ever so glad that you made the road trip!

I’ve had a wonderful time getting to know Rhonda and learning about her operation, and meeting her very personable goats. Rhonda exemplifies the attitude I’ve found among artisan cheesemakers. Cheesemaking is so much more than a livelihood; it’s a passion, a way of life, with a high regard and affection for their milk-producing animals, and an ever-prevailing ethic to provide the best quality product to their patrons.

Thank you, Rhonda and staff at Gothberg Farms!

http://www.gothbergfarms.com/
http://www.sloughfood.com/

http://www.breadfarm.com/

Inspiration--and more--found at Gothberg Farms ...

About a year ago I acquired a copy of “Artisan Cheese of the Pacific Northwest” by Tami Parr, and quickly browsed through the list to see what cheesemakers were in my neck of the woods. I love driving down to La Conner to wander through the galleries and see what’s what at the Museum of Northwest Art, so I was delighted to see that Gothberg Farms in Bow, about an hour’s drive from Birch Bay, was right along my route to La Conner. I didn’t make immediate contact, but I found Gothberg Farms on Facebook and have been following Rhonda’s activities.

I was intrigued not only with what Rhonda has been doing with her cheese and how she’s continually developing delicious new magic with her goats’ milk, but also with the compliments and loving that are consistently posted on her FB page. I wanted to meet this woman who I knew was going to be amazing even before I met her!

Opportunity smiled on me when this summer Rhonda had a couple of hours open up at the same time I had available, so I whipped down to Bow-Edison and we finally met. I was not disappointed. She is every bit as friendly and encouraging and amazing as I had anticipated!

She warmly greeted me with her faint Texan drawl and I was immediately shown the milking room, shown where they transform the milk into cheese, the 52-gal pasteurizer, the coolers, the “cave” (a converted refrigerator trailer) where some of the cheese is aged—everything was soooooo squeaky clean and orderly!

Then we went into the barn and I met the purebred LaMancha goats responsible for the great milk that ends up as great cheese. (Did I mention that everything was spotless and smelled sweet and fresh—in the barn, I tell ya!) Each of the does has a name and her own personality and all were curious. They were quite personable and friendly. I couldn’t help myself; I had to smile at all those cute faces.

Parr wrote in her book, “After a career as a nurse executive, Rhonda Gothberg was ready for something else. ‘I wanted a family goat for a little home milk, a few chickens, a little home cheese,’ she laughs.’ One mother-baby goat pair turned into several more and several more … and now Gothberg finds herself with a milking herd of 14 LaMancha goats, along with a thriving cheesemaking business. She’s the kind of person whose energy and enthusiasm leave little doubt that she’d be successful at whatever she put her mind to.”

Rhonda was not at all boastful of her accomplishments, and made frequent reference to her family, staff, friends and neighbors in helping her to make it all possible.

Rhonda had been a Realtor before becoming a cheesemaker, and so looked around Skagit Valley for just the right farm before she and her husband Roy found and bought the dilapidated 40-acre cow dairy farm in Bow. Over the years, with a lot of sweat equity and not a little inconvenience, they’ve rebuilt the house and the renovated the old cow barn, and have since built a new barns for the does, and bucks.

One thing quickly led to another and in 2004 Gothberg Farms became a licensed Grade A goat milk microdairy. Rhonda has been marketing her cheese for only seven years, but has made a name for herself. She has it down to a science, folks! This woman knows responsibility and accountability!

Not only has she grown her dairy and makes great cheese 3-4 days a week with the help of her staff of loyal and knowledgeable ladies, she also gets involved in her community.

She mentors other aspiring cheesemakers, answering questions, making recommendations based on what she had researched and learned firsthand.

Because it’s important to Rhonda to provide the best for her goats, she researched the best feed for her herd, and convinced Conway Feed to custom mix a grain ration to her specifications. This augments the high-quality Eastern WA alfalfa hay and Skagit Valley pea hay. Conway Feed now offers the Gothberg blend to other feed customers, as well.

Rhonda supports the efforts of 4H kids in her community. She speaks at various workshops and seminars. She gets involved with and sells at farmers markets in Everett, Anacortes, Mt. Vernon and Bellingham. She participates in community causes, dinners, and farm/cheese tours. She keeps current an informative and folksy website, frequently updates Facebook, and Twitters! She's involved in sustainability causes and is knowledgeable about animal husbandry and food industry regulations.

She collaborates with Slough Food where you can choose from Gothberg Farms finest cheeses among a global assortment, and John will recommend just the right wine to pair with your choice of cheese. Breadfarm uses Gothberg Farms cheese in one of their rustic country loaves, and Skagit Co-op is another retail source for her cheese. Gothberg cheese is featured on the menus of a number of local restaurants, including Adrift in Anacortes, The Rhododendron Café in Bow, and Nell Thorn in LaConner. Metropolitan Market in Seattle also retails her cheese.

Since Rhonda uses only the milk of her own herd of 20 or so LaManchas to make Gothberg cheese, I wondered what those restaurants did during the winter when the does are dry and fresh cheese is no longer available. Rhonda said they stock up on the chevre in the summer and freeze it.

I was quite the skeptic, but I froze some of her chevre and about a month later let it defrost to room temperature and it was creamy and tasteful and I couldn’t really discern the difference in taste or texture from fresh! Interesting tidbit to know!

In this article, I wanted to highlight Rhonda and how she got started as a cheesemaker. I’ve discovered that quite a few artisan cheesemakers had successful careers as something else, but at some point decided to take a different road.

For all of Rhonda's obvious efficiency and capability, I was moved most by her statement on her website, "It is still magic to me every time the milk turns to curd! I love the entire process, from goats, to kidding, to milking, and cheesemaking. This is a lifestyle change which is most welcome and most rewarding."

As an aside, although Rhonda's passion is artisan cheese, she still has her Realtor license and with her intimate knowledge of the Skagit Valley, she is willing to help folks buy just the right place. If she's in the midst of something and can't assist you herself, she'll put you in touch with someone she knows and trusts will serve your real estate needs; she's that kind of gal!

It amazes me how she finds time for everything!

Next time I’ll share more about Gothberg Farms goats and their wonderful cheese! Yum!

However, I can’t wait until then to share the following recipe I lifted from the Breadfarm website:

CHEF DREW’S GOAT CHEESE SPREAD

This recipe was created by our good friend Drew Jackson. After he made it for several dinner parties, we finally asked for the recipe. We love it made with Rhonda Gothberg’s fresh Chevre. Made right down the road from Breadfarm, it is quite frankly the best cheese around!

½# Gothberg Farms Fresh Chevre (or other goat cheese)
½# unsalted butter (at room temperature)
4T shallots, minced
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Puree goat cheese and butter in a food processor. Add shallots, salt and pepper and whip to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve with crostini or toast points.

Enjoy!


Slough Food
5766 Cains Court Suite B, Edison, WA
http://www.sloughfood.com/

Breadfarm
5766 Cains Court, Edison, WA
http://www.breadfarm.com/

Adrift Restaurant
510 Commercial Ave., Anacortes WA 98221
http://www.adriftrestaurant.com/