Ohh Mozzarella, You're So Delicious

So I set out to make Mozzarella fueled with inspiration and a love of cheese. It can't be that hard, right? I stole this recipe completely and entirely from my friend Lacy. In fact, since Mozzarella turned out to not be the breeze I anticipated it being, you may wish to consult Lacy's site because the woman knows her stuff! I also regret to inform the few of you who are reading this, that the pictures I took of this endeavor did not turn out due to a lens error on my camera...ugh! That's a rant for another day, though. So all my disclaimers out of the way-- here goes:

I actually made this twice. The first time it came out the consistency of cake batter and refused to straighten up and be cheese. I was disheartened, but! Determined not to be beaten by mozzarella, I set out a second time and was rewarded deliciously with success and a container of cheese in my freezer.

Ingredients:

2 gal milk

2.5 tsp citric acid powder dissolved in 1 cup of cool water

1 tablet Rennet dissolved in 1/2 cup cool water (note: if you can't find the tablets, 1 tsp liquid Rennet is comparable to 1 tablet)

2 tsp salt

You'll also need a thermometer. I used a candy thermometer that clips to the lip of the pan.

OK a quick note about the ingredients. I found the citric acid powder at a health foods store. Though I have heard rumors that some super markets have both citric acid and Rennet in the baking aisle, this was not the case in Lynchburg. I spent more money on gas searching for these items than I did on all the items together. The Rennet I was eventually able to locate at a farmer's market kind of place in Madison Heights but not before I got multiple blank looks from multiple store owners.

Here's what you do:

Using a non-reactive stock pot, bring the milk to 88° over medium heat. While the milk is heating, prepare the citric acid solution and the Rennet solution. Once the milk reaches 88°, add the citric acid solution, stirring. The milk will begin to curdle. Add the Rennet solution and stir occasionally until the temperature reaches 105°. Once the temperature reaches 105°, remove from heat and let the mixture set for about 2 hours. You should see the curd begin to separate from the whey (the liquid part) and the curds should have a "set" appearance. The time I was successful, this took about 2.5 hours. Cut the curd into cube-like sections and slowly reheat the mixture on low heat. Once the temperature reaches 108°, keep it here stirring occasionally for 30-40 minutes. You want to keep the curd on top of the whey from clumping back together, and from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Using a slotted spoon, remove the curds portion from the whey in the pot and place in a collander to drain for about 20 minutes. You can save the whey to make ricotta. Break up the curds and evenly add salt. Put curds into a glass bowl and microwave for about 45-60 seconds. Once it cools slightly, knead it to evenly distribute the heat and nuke again for 20 more seconds. This time knead and stretch the cheese until it has a shiny appearance. (This won't take long). Roll into balls and store in a water solution with 2tsp salt. You can also freeze mozzarella.

My newest love is Triscuits--specifically Fire Roasted Tomato and Olive Oil Triscuits. You have no idea how amazing a slice of home-made mozzarella tastes on this cracker...