farm to table.
i remember summer visits to a small, local farm. a tiny, old scandinavian woman, always in an apron, sold us raspberries and cheese. the old tiny woman and her tiny farm are long gone. but my mother remembers her (and her cheese) with such sweet fondness.
it has been with her in mind that my mother has taken up a cheese making hobby. when i was home for a visit, we made batches of this seriously squeaky cheese.
squeaky cheese
2.5 gallons of raw milk
1 tablespoon of salt
1/2 tablet of rennet
dissolve rennet in cool water and set aside.
heat milk to 88f.
remove from heat and stir in rennet. let set for 25-45 minutes or until jelled (looking like flan floating in water).
cut or break up the curd and let stand for 5-10 minutes more. strain (using a cheese cloth or just a colander)to remove as much whey as possible.
smoosh the curds into a 9" pan. sprinkle with salt. broil until dark and bubbly on top. remove from broiler, flip cheese, add more salt, and broil on other side.
remove from pan to cool. refrigerate (if there's any left)!
