As a pizza chef, cheese is my canvas. It holds within it, the potential to transform bread and tomato into a universally loved foodstuff. Our pizza cheese of choice has the power to transport us, from the streets of Parma to the caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, and as a Welsh chef, this ability is precious.
No longer confined to Caerffili Cheddar, it’s now possible to travel the length and breadth of Wales through its cheese. From Pentraeth, Anglesey with Caws Rhyd y Delyn, to the mountain of Snowdonia with Cosyn’s sheep milk cheeses. It’s a very exciting time in Welsh cheese.
With all this choice available on my doorstep, the natural thing for me to do was…
…ignore all these great cheeses and make my own! Yes, you read correctly, today I’m going to be making Queso Fresco, Ffresh Cheese, with nothing but milk from Llaethdy Llŷn (and a bit of Tesco’s vinegar).
For the full recipe, with measurements and techniques click below.
Prepare the Equipment
Line a sieve over a bowl with a clean towel or cheese cloth.
The bowl should be large enough to hold the volume of milk used (the whey will drain into this bowl once the curds form).
Make the cheese
Heat the milk to 75-80°C
You can heat the milk either on the stove or in the microwave. Just be careful not to bring the milk to a boil, or to let it catch if using a saucepan.
- 1 liter whole milk (best quality available)
Add your acid of choice to the warm milk.
In terms of acid choice, it all depends on flavour preference. White, distilled vinegar will impart little to no flavour, whilst a wine vinegar or lemon juice will impart more of their own flavour to the fresh cheese.
- 20g of acid ( 2% acid per liter of milk)
Let the mixture sit and seperate ( ~ 30 munud )
You’ll see the affect of the acid instantly. The casein in the milk will coagulate, separating out to form solid curds and liquid whey.
Pass the mixture through the lined sieve, salting the curds to taste. Let drain (30-60 munud)
The longer you let the curds drain, the firmer the fresh cheese will be. Pressing the cheese by placing covering it and weighing it down in the cheese cloth will produce a cheese firm enough to cut.
- Pinch of salt (to taste)
The cheese will be ready to eat straight away, once you’re happy with it’s taste and consistency.
More to See
With the cheese ready, add it to anything from toasties to salads to pizzas. Whatever you do, this will be a tasty addition to your culinary repertoire.
