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Winemaking
Recipe for homemade Havarti cheese
Preparation:
Heat the milk to 30°C. Dissolve the calcium chloride in 100 ml of lukewarm water and add it to the milk, stirring thoroughly. Add the starter cultures to the milk. Distribute them evenly, then leave the mixture for 40 minutes to allow them to multiply. Dissolve 0.5 g of rennet in 50 ml of water at 35°C. Heat the milk to 35°C and add the rennet. Mix thoroughly and quickly. Leave for 50 minutes to form a firm curd. After this time, cut the curd into 1 cm cubes and let it stand for 5 minutes, then stir gently for 15 minutes. Let it rest for 15 minutes to separate the whey.
Pour off 1/3 of the separated whey. Stir with a whisk for 15 minutes. In place of the poured-off whey, gradually add water at 55°C and stir until the temperature reaches 35–40°C. Add 3 teaspoons of salt and herbs and stir gently for 20 minutes, maintaining the temperature at 35–40°C.
Transfer the curd to a cheese mold lined with cheesecloth and place it in a cheese press (at room temperature). Press for 30 minutes under 3 kg of weight, then remove the cheese from the mold, unwrap the cloth, and gently flip it to the other side. Wrap it again in the cloth and place it back in the mold. Press for 2 hours under 7 kg of weight. After this time, remove the cheese and transfer it to water at 18°C. Leave overnight.
Remove the rested cheese from the water and transfer it to brine for another 6 hours. Next, place the cheese in a dish lined with paper towels to dry. Leave it for 3 days at room temperature, turning it twice a day and wiping it with a salt solution (1 tablespoon of salt dissolved in 1 L of water).
For further aging, store the cheese at 15°C with 90% humidity for:
- 5 weeks if you prefer it milder and softer
- 14 weeks if you prefer a sharper flavor and aroma
