I tried to make goat milk feta once upon a time, and it failed miserably. Dry, chalky and lacking in flavour, it put me off trying again for a long time. I adore chèvre, a soft goat cheese, and am happy to buy it regularly – see my obsessions post on goat cheese. However I do often think how much I would like to try making it again.
One thing I do make at least once a week is yogurt, and I often drain some of it to make labna. If I’m organised (rarely) I then roll it into little balls and marinate it in olive oil with rosemary and garlic. Not long ago I was fishing a cube of delicious Meridith goat cheese out of the jar (certainly not with the intention of eating it off the fork) where it was marinating in olive oil, thyme and peppercorns…. and I bet you can guess where this is going…
This is obviously not a true cheese, and I hesitate to call it that, but the process of making yoghurt and cheese are similar. Cheese is made by separating the fats and proteins of milk from the whey with an acid, while coagulating it with (good!) bacterial culture. Yogurt uses culture to coagulate, or set, the milk, then in the case of labna, the whey is drained off later. So, close enough I say.
This version will of course taste a little different to ‘real’ cheese – it has a yoghurty tang rather than a cheesy saltiness, but it is creamy, thick, and most importantly, has that special goaty taste.
First make your yoghurt. For years I’ve used a commercial yoghurt maker that uses hot water and thermal mass to bring cold milk to temperature and keep it there. I found it wasn’t terribly reliable, often yielded thin yoghurt, and was often plagued with contamination and a plastic taste. Watching a friend make yoghurt the traditional way recently, inspired me to buckle down and do it properly again. But if you have a preferred yoghurt making method, go for it. Or, skip this step and buy some goat milk yogurt at the shop. I won’t tell.
Goat Milk Yoghurt
1 litre goat milk
1/4 cup real Greek yoghurt
Heat your milk in a saucepan or microwave until nearly simmering. It needs to reach this high temperature to kill off the existing bacteria in the milk, so that the yoghurt bacteria can get in and do their good work. If you don’t ramp up the heat enough, the yoghurt bacteria will have to battle it out for space, and you’ll end up with thin yoghurt. Let the milk cool to between 41 and 48 degrees Celcius. Or, just warmer than skin temperature. It should feel pleasurably warm if you dip a finger in, neither hot or insipid. Scoop out a cup of milk, mix with the yoghurt, and return it to the bowl. Keep at a steady temperature, again between 41 and 48 degrees Celcius, for 6-8 hours. I use my oven set to its lowest temperature, with a thermometer on the rack to avoid accidental overheating. You could also tuck it under a wood stove, or in an esky partly filled with warm water – you made need to replace the water a few times. Or use a yoghurt warmer if you have one!
Goat Milk ‘Cheese”, or Labna
This is the easy bit! Line a colander with four layers of cheesecloth. Goat yoghurt is naturally thinner than the greek yoghurt I usually use, and you only want the whey to escape through the mesh. Carefully scoop the yoghurt into the lined colander. Bring the corners of the cheesecloth up and tie a knot, ‘sealing’ the yoghurt inside. You can then either leave it in the colander or hang into over a bowl or pot to drain for a few hours (up to 24 if you’re really patient!), or until it stops dripping. Remember, the longer it drains, the firmer it will be. Give it a very gentle squeeze now and then to feel how it’s going. Once your cheese has reached your desired consistancy, roll it carefully out of the cloth and into a bowl.
Here are a few ideas of what you can do next:
- Eat it now, just as it is.
- Scatter with fresh chopped herbs and serve with crackers, etc.
- Roll into small balls and drop them into a jar with olive oil. Flavour with rosemary, thyme, peppercorns, garlic… Just make sure you add the cheese to the oil. if you put the cheese into the jar first, they’ll stick together.
