When it comes to making cheese made from goat milk there is no one single recipe that you can try.  This is because there are many different types that you can make.  The soft spreadable variety is referred to as chevre and is perhaps the most recognizable type.  However there are other cheeses you could opt to make too.

What makes goat’s cheese different from other cheeses is the three fatty acids contained within the milk, and these are capric, caproic and caprylic acid.  These fatty acids aren’t present in cow’s and sheep’s milk in the same quantities which is why they taste different.

The milk is basically 90% water, which is referred to as being whey.  Whilst the other, solid part of the milk is referred to as the curd.  When we make goats cheese you need to separate the whey and the curd.  There are two techniques for doing this however they both involve acidifying the milk.  One of the methods is to add a type of bacteria to the milk and this bacteria then multiplies.  This in turn causes the lactose to turn into lactic acid.  More lactic acid is formed the longer the bacteria is allowed to stay active.

The other method uses vinegar or lemon juice as the acidifying agent to allow the separation of curd and whey to occur.  When the vinegar or lemon juice is added to the milk you will be able to see this happen almost straight away.  When you drain the milk you will end up with curd that is lovely and soft.

You will find that some kinds of goat cheese are not really suitable for making at home because they need special ingredients and such like.  However there are some cheeses that you can make easily if you want to.

Ingredients

1 quart of goat's milk
1 cup buttermilk (active culture is a must)
2 tsp vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt (fine)

Put the milk into a heavy pan and heat at a low temperature to 175 degrees.  It’s important that you don’t allow the milk to boil and also make sure you stir the milk frequently.  Also make sure that a skin doesn’t form on the milk.  In order to ensure the milk remains at the correct temperature you can use a dairy thermometer.

Once the milk has reached 175 degrees, you can pour in the buttermilk and vinegar (or lemon juice) then remove from the heat.  Keep stirring as the milk starts to curdle, this will happen within half a minute.  You’ll then need to allow it to sit for 10 minutes or so.

Whilst you are waiting for the cheese to sit, you need to get a number of cheesecloth sheets over a colander then place the colander in a big enough bowl.  The next step is to spoon the whey and curds into the cheesecloth so that the whey can drain out.  Then leave it to sit for another 10 minutes.

Take the edges of the cheesecloth and gather them together at the top and tie with some string.  Then attach it to a wooden spoon, the bag should then hang when you place the wooden spoon across the top of a bowl.  Allow it to sit like this for 30 minutes so that all the why can drip out.

Take the string and cheesecloth away and place the cheese into a bowl.  Put in the salt and mash it all up so that you end up with a smooth cheese.  If you so desire, you can add in some flavourings such as herbs like thyme, rosemary and sage.

Feel free to eat the cheese straight away, alternatively you can press it into a ramekin then place it into fridge for 24 hours.  Make sure you cover the ramekin with plastic to keep it sealed.

Serving the cheese is then very easy.  All you do is place the ramekin upside-down on a dish and the slide it off the cheese.  For presentation you can add a little side salad of green leaves.  It’s really tasty with crackers and bread.