Brrrr.....

There is nothing like springtime in Michigan. When it's good it's very very good. Mild temps, sunshine, birds, little buds of flowers and leaves. Then there's this year. Gray. Cold. Windy. It's mid-April and we have a fire in the fireplace. What to do on a cold windy Sunday? Guess it's time to cook something.

 I've been thinking about cheese lately. I watched some food porn about cheese fondue. I read an article or 6 about different kinds of cheese. I drooled at the thought of a fresh margarita pizza, with a special gluten free crust. So today I made mozzarella cheese. I had time, I had the simple supplies, and I always have people in the house who will taste-test for me.  So I made a quick trip to the health food store for Rennet and picked up a gallon of whole milk. Have you noticed that it's getting harder and harder to get full-fat dairy?

My first batch of mozzarella came out well, if a little bland. It's a very simple procedure; it only took me about an hour. I heated the gallon of milk to 80 on my candy thermometer and added 1 1/2 tsp of citric acid (another thing I get at my health food store in the bulk area) diluted in a couple of tablespoons of cool water. Then I heated it a bit more and added 1/4 tsp of liquid rennet diluted in a couple of tablespoons of cool water. Gradually heated the pot to 105, kept it there for a few minutes until the liquid part (whey) became a greenish clear, and took it off the heat. I strained it and pushed out as much of the whey as I could. Then I plopped it into a Pyrex baking dish and zapped it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Knead, add salt, zap. Knead, zap, knead, zap. I should have used more salt, but I have a beautiful log of smooth mozzarella. I think I'll serve Caprese salad tonight.