Pimento Cheese

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Believe it or not this was my first time ever making pimento cheese. Pretty incredible considering it's a staple item for almost any Southern gathering, particularly those involving tea sandwiches. From showers to ladies luncheons to church picnics, pimento cheese, usually in sandwich form, is guaranteed to make an appearance. I have to confess though, that I just never really cared for pimento cheese...at all. However, Hubs loves it. He asks for it all the time and I always find a reason not  to make it. Somehow pimento cheese came up recently in conversation (we talk about food a lot!) and once again Hubs said how much he loved the stuff. I just happened to have all the necessary ingredients on hand,so I thought I'd surprise him with some homemade pimento cheese. To find a recipe I thought I'd start right at the top and consult the godfather of Southern foods, Chef Frank Stitt. I'll admit that if my first experience with pimento cheese was this pimento cheese, it wouldn't have taken me so long to make it.

Party time!

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I'm a member of a book club that started in my neighborhood a few years ago. We're an eclectic, opinionated, fun group of women, ranging in age from mid 30's to early 60's.We meet monthly and take turns hosting the book club in our homes. It's always a good time. We have lots of food, drinks, and gossip deep, intellectually stimulating book discussion. 
One of the things I enjoy about hosting the book club is that it gives me a chance to break out the party food recipes that I've been tucking away. I had been wanting to make a cheese ring for a while and hosting the book club ladies was the perfect excuse to break out this old Southern favorite. I found several different recipes on the internet for this ring, even one know as Rosalyn Carter's Cheese Ring. How Southern, circa 1970's is that? All the recipes were basically the same with just a few minor differences. My ring is a combination of things I liked from a couple of recipes I found. 
After the cheese ring is taken out of the mold, the center of the ring is filled with strawberry preserves. I dressed it up with a sprinkle of pecans and some fresh fruit. I loved how retro-y it looked and the book club devoured it.

Cheese Ring with Strawberry Preserves

Ingredients:
1 pound shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (white cheddar is good too)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
5 medium green onions, finely chopped (white parts only)
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste
1 cup of chopped pecans

Method:
In a medium bowl, mix together the Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, green onion, pecans, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder until well blended. *Coat a ring shaped gelatin mold generously with cooking spray, or you can use a silicon mold. Spoon the cheese mixture into the mold, cover, and chill for 2 to 3 hours to set.
Unmold onto a serving plate, and pour strawberry preserves into the center. Arrange crackers and fruit around the outside of the ring.
*If you don't have a mold, you can make the cheese into a log and wrap it in plastic wrap to set up. Serve the strawberry preserves on the side. I used these homemade strawberry preserves, but any good quality store bought preserves would be good. The ring would also be delicious served with raspberry preserves.

Eating her curds and whey...

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Back in Miss Muffet's day there were many family owned and operated dairies in the U.S. My grandfather was one of those dairy farmer's so I feel a personal connection to the dairy farmer. There has been a rapid decline in the past 20 years in family owned and operated dairies. In Alabama, my home state, 10 years ago there were approximately 200 small family run dairies. Today there are only about 60 and they are struggling hold on to their farms. There are numerous reason for the decline, but one of the major reasons for the decline is the takeover by corporate farming. These farms are strictly for money making. There is little regard for the animals or the quality of the product. The cows are fed high corn diets, attached to mechanical milkers, and pumped full of hormones, all in an effort to get the most milk for the least expense. The small farmer can't simply compete on volume and are not paid enough for their milk to keep their farms running. It's a sad situation that only we as consumers can change by supporting our local farmers. Not only will you be helping keep them in business but you will be getting a much higher quality (and healthier!) milk.

Brand new baby calf!

Sorry for getting out my soapbox, but the plight of the small farmer, is an issue near and dear to me!
I'm lucky enough to live very near Working Cow Dairy,  a certified organic milk dairy. Hubs and I visited their farm this past weekend. If I were a cow, this is where I'd want to live! The day we visited, they were offering milk buy one get one gallon free! I came home with 2 gallons of organic milk and a half gallon of organic chocolate milk.

I needed to use up some of my milk so I decided to try give cheese making a try. This was a first for me so I decided to make a simple farmer's cheese. Farmer's cheese is a simple unripened cheese, similar to cottage cheese, but drier and firmer in texture. It has a mild, slightly tangy flavor and is firm enough to slice or crumble. It's an all-purpose cheese that can be eaten as is or used in cooking. I think it's great spread on fresh bread. I added flat leaf parsley and chives to mine, but it's very good just plain.

Farmer's Cheese

1/2 gallon whole milk (NOT ultra-pasteurized)
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons of any fresh herb, chopped (optional)

**Note: You do not want to use ultra-pasteurized milk for cheese making because a curd will not set. Ultra-pasteurized milk is not always labeled as such, but you can tell because the expiration date is extremely long, usually 30-90 days from the day you buy it. Regular pasteurized milk, however, will work fine for cheese making. Milk from a dairy in your area will give you the best results.

Bring milk to a slow boil. Keep the heat at medium or medium low, otherwise you risk burning the milk to the bottom of the pot.
When small, foamy bubbles begin to form on the surface of the milk, but it is not yet at a rolling boil, turn off the heat. If you have a thermometer, which is helpful, the temperature will read about 190 degrees.

Add the vinegar and stir the milk. You will notice curds immediately beginning to form.

Let the milk sit for 15 minutes. After this time, add any additional flavors (like fresh herbs).
Place a colander over a large bowl or pot. Drape either cheesecloth or a thin dish towel over the colander. Pour the curds into the cheese cloth. The whey (liquid) will drain and be collected in the bowl below and the solids curds will be caught in the cheese cloth.

Parsley and chives for my cheese.

Look at those lovely curds!

Mmmmm

Lift the cheese cloth up and wrap it around the curds, twisting and squeezing to expel moisture. After squeezing out the moisture, the curds for farmer's cheese will be dry and crumbly. If you want a creamier texture, mix a little of the reserved whey back in with the curds. To shape the cheese, keep it wrapped in cheese cloth and form it into a mound on a plate. Set another plate on top and press the curds into a flat disc that is 1-2 inches tall. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or so before removing cheese cloth.

I love the pattern from the cheese cloth!

Buy local, support your local farmers!!

Wordless Wednesday

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