By: Dawn Robnett, Mesquite Valley Farm
My goal this month is to help give you ideas to use up a fair amount of milk, quickly. Chevre and its many variations are one of the fastest and easiest cheeses you can make without a lot of extra equipment and it takes a gallon of milk to make one batch. I'm not going to go over how to make chevre because it's that easy to make. Instead, I'm going to give you different ways to use it once it's made.
CHEVRE SPREADS
First, we loosen the cheese with cream. You can also use half and half or yogurt. Milk is not a good option as it makes the cheese grainy. You can loosen the cheese by mashing and stirring it by hand or you can use a mixer with a whisk attachment. We like using the mixer because you can whip the cheese a little more and it can get very light and fluffy. Start out by adding a little cream or yogurt and let the texture of the cheese be your guide. While you're loosening you should also add a fine non-iodized cheese salt to taste. From there, you have your blank canvas to add flavor.
Flavor combinations:
• Chipotle Chili in Adobo Sauce. Chop the chilis and add those and a little sauce and add until it suits your taste. Great on bread in sandwiches if you like a little spice. For me, it replaces sliced cheese and mayo.
• Orange Marmalade. I like sweetening the cheese with a little bit of powdered sugar but not a lot. You still want to use salted cheese for this as it brings out the citrus flavors more. I love this combination on a bagel.
• Pesto makes a great spread for crackers or as a topping or filling for chicken.
• Roasted garlic, shredded Parmesan, white pepper, and caraway. Great on crackers, sandwiches, or even with chicken.
• Any fruit compote, favorite jam or jelly, or lemon curd will work also.
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