In February, low-fat dairy is a Foods of the Month. Do you love cheese? If so, consider making your own cheese at home. This is a great project for the whole family and only takes a few hours from beginning to end. For delicious and healthy low-fat cheese that is homemade, use goat’s milk. Did you know that a 1 oz. serving of goat’s milk cheese has about half the fat than a typical brand of cheddar cheese? Follow these easy steps to make your own low-fat goat’s milk cheese!
Supplies – to make your own cheese, you will need: goat’s milk (from the dairy section of the supermarket), 1/4 cup lemon juice, salt, a thermometer, cheesecloth (this can be ordered online or purchased at a speciality food store), a colander, and a large wooden spoon or spatula.
Step 1: Use a saucepan to cook goat’s milk on medium-high heat for about 15 minutes until it reaches 180 degrees.
Step 2: Remove milk from heat, stir in lemon juice, and watch as it starts to curdle, or clump together. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Line the colander with 2 layers of cheesecloth and pour in the curdled milk. Gather the sides of the cheesecloth and tie together.
Step 4: Tie the cheesecloth bundle to wooden spoon or spatula and suspend over a pot or jar to allow the cheese to drain.
Step 5: After about 2 hours of draining, your cheese is done! Remove contents from cheesecloth and mix together with salt and other herbs (we used chives). Serve on whole grain baguette slices and enjoy!
