SWISS CHEESE CUBE RECIPES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1-tablespoon of the bread crumbs.
• Dip the cheese cubes into the egg mixture and then roll in the bread crumbs to coat well.
• In a large skillet, melt just enough oil to make a 3-inch depth.
• Heat to 380-degrees.
• Fry the cheese cubes, a few at a time, for 1 minute or until crisp and golden.
• Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
• Keep warm until ready to serve.
• Serve with toothpicks.
• Makes: about 1 dozen.
• (*Can substitute cheddar, mozzarella, co-jack, pepper jack or one of your own favorites).
• Serve plain or with dipping sauces such as spaghetti, pizza, marinara, ranch or bbq.

Steps:

• Heat the milk to 87°F. Add the thermophilic culture and stir well. Add propionibacteria and stir for at least 1 minute. Cover and allow to ferment for 15 minutes.
• Check temperature and make sure milk is no warmer than 90°F. Stir to homogenize the milk, and slowly fold in the diluted rennet. Using an up-and-down motion with your spoon will ensure that the rennet works its way through all the milk, so you can get the highest possible yield.
• Allow the cheese to set for 30 to 45 minutes at 90°F, or until the whey begins to separate from the curd. You should see a layer of mostly clear whey floating on top of the curd, and the curd should be pulling away from the sides of the pot.
• Using a long knife, cut the curds into 1/4-inch cubes.
• Stir the curd with a whisk, slicing it into small pieces. The pieces should all be roughly the same size.
• Keep the curds at 90°F and stir with the wooden spoon, working out the whey, for 35 minutes.
• Over the next 25 minutes, slowly heat the curds to 120°F, stirring frequently with your wooden spoon. As you stir, the curds will shrink. Keep the curds at 120°F for 30 minutes. The curds should be small, and if you bite one it should squeak in your teeth. A handful of curds, squeezed into a ball, should fall apart in your hands.
• Pour the curds-and-whey through a strainer, capturing the whey in a bowl to save for future projects (or you can discard it).
• Pour the curds into a press lined with cheesecloth. Work quickly; you do not want your curds to cool. Press at 10 pounds of pressure for 15 minutes.
• Using a fresh piece of cheesecloth, flip the cheese and press, again, at 15 pounds of pressure for 30 minutes.
• Repeat this process again, at 15 pounds of pressure for 2 hours, rinsing the cheesecloth in clean, cool water each time and hanging to dry.
• Finally, press at 20 pounds of pressure for 12 hours, or overnight.
• Mix 2 pounds of sea salt with 1 gallon of cold water to make a brine. Place the cheese in the brine and let it soak for 24 hours.
• Take the cheese out of the brine and age at 55° to 60°F for one week. Flip and wipe daily with a damp cheesecloth dipped in salt water.
• Age the cheese in the kitchen (or another warm room) for 2 to 3 weeks. Flip and wipe daily with a damp cheesecloth dipped in salt water. The cheese should swell and will have a characteristic Swiss cheese smell.
• Place the cheese in your aging refrigerator or cheese cave for 12 weeks or more. (Click here for practical methods for aging cheese.) Flip once or twice a week and remove mold with a cheesecloth dipped in salt water.