2012.7.8. Cheese making at River Valley

Parmesan and Feta Cheese making class of ~1.5 hours at River Valley cheese in Fall City. $65 with Groupon. Still too expensive. The hands-on part is only cutting the already made Feta and coating the already made Parmesan wheel in salt. Plastic gloves were provided to keep our hands clean. Total 16 students in this session (2 classes every weekend day). However, it's still fun. A cheese platter was laid out at the door (the fresh goat cheese with honey and lavender is yummy. The rest is not aged enough to develop a lot of flavor, and a bit on the salty side), which we could sample at anytime; a slice of cheese cake (made fresh today at 4am) was boxed for us to take home. As for studying material: a stainless steel bowl to cut the Feta, sea salt and olive oil to season it, and a plastic container to take home with. For Parmesan, we picked a wheel, rolled it in salt, and Julie wrapped it for us. A ~10 page printout with detailed instruction and link to resources. Only one student (it's her birthday) was called up to turned the milk while it congealed, and to scoop the curd into a perforated can to squeeze the whey out. Julie is fairly practical, teaching us to make cheese in a small home setting, telling us where to buy material and the reasonable price or how to go about making our own.

Julie Steil, the owner, started cheese making 7 years ago (after a high rise management career). According to her, she was #6 in WA state at that time. Up to 2 years ago, she kept a herd of 200 cows + buffalo + yak + sheep + goat, breeding them and milking them. The cheese factory is just a garage. Instead of cars, it has a few deep sinks and fridges, a big tub.

Here are my notes + printout distributed by Julie:

• Milk: non-antibiotic, hormone-free (not when the cow is mating or in heat), no flash or ultra pasteurization.
  Recommended pasteurized milk sources by Julie: Twin Brook Creamery 360-354-4105, Grace Harbor Farms 360-366-4151.
  Licensed raw milk dairies in WA: Pleasant Valley Diary 360-366-5398, Garden Home Farm 360-424-4112, Conway family Farms LLC 360-834-0315, Rocky Run Farm 360-262-9138, Our Lady of the Rock 360-468-2321, Kurtwood Farms 206-696-0989, Sea Breeze Farm 206-567-5769, Heritage Farm Ltd. 360-378-2872, St. John Creamery 206-909-5055, Dee Creek Farm 360-225-7426, Christipaul Farm 360-580-7589, Jackie's Jersey Milk 360-398-1889, Grace Acres Farm 253-970-3845, Marlees Dairy Goats 509-773-5190, Hansville Dairy 360-638-2909. (I don't know how Julie orders this list.)
• Culture: mesophilic for low temperature, thermophilic for higher temperature.
• Rennet: buy liquid rennet with clear expiration date.
• Procedure for Parmesan
  1. Heat 1 gallon cow's milk to 90°F over low heat or in sink basin (in less than 30 min).
  2. Add 1/4 teaspoon direct set thermophilic culture (TA61). Cover for 30 min.
  3. Gently stir in 1/2 teaspoon liquid rennet with an up and down motion. Cover and let it sit for 30 min.
  4. Cut the curds into 1/4" cubes.
  5. Heat the curds slowly to 125°F (2°F/5 min). Stir often to keep curds from matting. When the curds are size of a grain of rice, remove from heat. Let it sit for 5 min.
  6. Strain through a colander to pour off the whey.
  7. Ladle the curds into a cheese mould until full. Top with a follower. Press lightly at 5 pound for 15 min. Flip the cheese, press at 10 pounds for 30 min. Flip the cheese again, and press at 20 pound for 12 hours or overnight.
  8. Apply a light coat of salt all over the pressed cheese.
  9. Age at 40-50°F for 2-12 months. Flip once a week to distribute butterfat for the first 4 weeks. After 2 months, rub with olive oil to keep from drying out.
• Procedure for Feta
  1. Heat 1 gallon pasteurized milk to 85°F over low heat or in sink basin.
  2. Add 1/8 teaspoon direct set mesophilic culture (MM100). Hold temperature for 30 min.
  3. Gently stir in 1/2 teaspoon liquid rennet with an up and down motion. Let sit for 30 min until coagulation.
  4. Cut the curds into 1/2" cubes, let sit for 10 min undisturbed.
  5. Scoop the curds into a draining bag or butter muslin.
  6. Hang in fridge so bag is not touching liquid for >4 hours.
  7. Remove from bag. Freeze now, or for eating within 2 weeks: salt to taste, add herbs, olive oil etc.
• Cream Cheese
  1. Heat 1 gallon pasteurized milk to 76°F
  2. Add 1/8 teaspoon direct set mesophilic culture (MM100). Stir gently, hold temperature for 30 min.
  3. Gently stir in 1/16 teaspoon liquid rennet. Let it sit overnight or at least 8 hours.
  4. Ladle soft curd into a draining bag, and hang in fridge for a day.

After the class, swam in the nearby Snoqualmie River. A bit hard to walk on the pebbles with my injured ankles. Not a lot of shade. The water is very clear, can easily see where I was standing. The current is quite strong. I only stayed on the shallow side, which I could just sat on the pebbles with water up to my neck. Water was fairly chilly, especially the deeper running center. Refreshing for this hot afternoon (above ~80°?). Lots of people floating on brightly colored tubs fashioned with back rest and drink pockets. Often times 3-4 tied together. Saw one guy standing on a surf board and peddling down stream. A bit precarious. Relaxing and fun to watch them. Would be glad to return with some drinks on another hot day. Did tried Rattlesnake Lake. Even more people. Grass and shade, but water is a bit dirty. On the way back, dined at Sip Restaurant and Wine Bar, armed with 2 $50 gift cards (my birthday present that was nearly impossible to use without a car after their Seattle branch closed.). The cheapest wine flight ($15, I liked the first one, the lightest), an appetizer (good), 2 entrees (The short rib I ordered was way too dry. The tuna dish came with an interesting pasta, sweet and tangy.), 1 scoop of ice cream (not bad). Still need extra cash to cover the tip. Nice outdoor seating. Nice wash sink in the restroom. Almost empty in the main dining room.