1/2 of a watermelon, cut into 1″ or smaller pieces and seeds removed (seedless watermelons are easiest)
1 cup of Fig Infused White Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Salt
1 bunch of minced cilantro leaves with stems removed.

Put the chopped watermelon in a bowl.
Combine the vinegar, brown sugar, and salt and mix well.
Pour the vinegar mixture over the watermelon.
Sprinkle the cilantro over the watermelon, and then mix well.

There is something primal and satisfying about making your own mozzarella. Maybe it’s the patience it requires as you sit and let your milk rest in a citric acid solution, knowing that the longer the curds sit, the more flavorful the cheese will become. Maybe it’s the satisfaction as you knead the cheese, knowing that just a short while ago it was just milk. Certainly it’s the incredible flavor you experience as you bite into your fresh cheese, knowing that at no point in history has a human ever eaten cheese fresher than the very instant you place your handiwork on your tongue. Regardless of the reason, it’s an amazing culinary experience. Be sure to look below for a handy way to take your culinary adventure and REALLY turn up the flavor.

The challenge with most recipes for homemade mozzarella is they don’t give the curd enough time to rest, resulting in a weakly flavored, rubbery version of this cheese. Although the total recipe can take upwards of 3 hours, take comfort in the fact that it only takes about 30 minutes of actual cooking time.

Ingredients:
1 gallon milk
1 teaspoon citric acid dissolved in 1/4 cup bottled water (bottled is important as it normally doesn’t contain chlorine). Citric acid can be found at most health food stores or pharmacies. It’s sometimes also called “Sour Salt.”
1 teaspoon citric acid left in crystal form
1 tablet of rennet crushed into powder and dissolved in 1/4 cup bottled water. (Look for rennet in the same aisle as pudding and jello mixes).
3/4 cup salt

Gear
6+ quart non reactive stock pot (stainless steel or non-stick)
Accurate thermometer
Cheese cloth/strainer
4 quart saucepan

Pour milk into stockpot and bring to a minimum temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add dissolved citric acid to milk and stir.

Add crystalized citric acid to milk and stir. At this point, small curds will start to form.

Put the stockpot over low heat and SLOWLY bring the milk to a temperature range of 88 – 92 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover and let it rest for one hour, checking occasionally to make sure the milk is within temperature range, adding heat as necessary.

Add dissolved rennet and stir. Let it rest for another hour. At this point the curd should be completely separated from the whey, and will be apparent if you stick your finger into the mix. In the event you don’t get a clean break, wait another 30 minutes and try again.

Using a long knife, cut a grid in the curds, with 1/2″ spacing.

Apply low heat and gently stir the curds. Pay attention to your thermometer and make sure it stays below 110 degrees. The more heat you apply, the more dense your curds will become.

Pour the curd/whey mixture through a cheese cloth lined strainer, saving the whey if you want to make ricotta.

Gently lift the cheese cloth out of the strainer, wrap it completely around the curd and squeeze as much whey out of the curds as possible.

Mold the curd into 3 parts, and set aside in a non-reactive bowl. The tighter you can pack the curd, the more cheese you’ll retain.

Add 3 quarts water and 3/4 cup salt to a saucepan, and bring to 160 degree fahrenheit.

In a separate bowl, place one of your 3 parts curd and pour hot/salty water over the curd. Wearing rubber kitchen gloves (not latex), grab your curd ball and knead it until it develops a shiny/stringy texture. You may have to put the cheese back into the hot water to help melt the curd. Once the cheese has formed, place it in a bowl filled with ice and water to cool. Repeat process on the remaining two balls of curd.

Cheese will keep refrigerated in a water bath for up to 1 week.

Things to look out for when making your own Mozzarella cheese:
-Keep your pot, bowls, and stirring tools sterile. Bacteria from non-sterile tools can ruin the batch.
-using older milk. As milk ages, it becomes naturally acidic. Adding citric acid makes it even MORE acidic. Rennet won’t properly work if there is too much acid in your milk.
-Once you add the rennet, don’t disturb the curd other then to test for a clean break after one hour, and then every half hour after that.
-Don’t use UHT milk. Because it’s treated at a higher temperature than standard pasteurization processes, the proteins in UHT milk react in a manner that doesn’t promote cheese making.
-It may take longer than an hour for the curds to properly separate from the whey. Don’t fret, you may need to wait as long as 3 hours before the curds separate.

If you’ve never tried Burrata, you’re in for an incredible culinary treat. In the Puglia region of Italy, EVERYTHING was used when making fresh mozzarella, including the leftover whey drained off the fresh ball. This attempt at frugality ultimately results in the ultimate in creamy cheese.

In order to get to Burrata, one must first make mozzarella. Granted, if you wanted to, you COULD buy fresh mozzarella, and just cut the curds into small pieces, put it in a bowl, add water heated to a temperature of 160 degrees, kneed the cheese, and then wrap it around a heavy cream and cheese curd filling. But what’s the fun in that? When you make it yourself you get to experience firsthand the joy of watching the milk casein proteins coagulate into a curds, ferment at the hand of citric acid, and then ultimately be transformed into a glossy stringy ball of fresh cheese. If you’re going to be doing that ANYWAY, why not tak.e an extra step and turn your already creamy ball of mozzarella into the ultimate in creaminess?

This recipe is not for the faint of heart, but I promise you, the incredible taste and texture far outweighs the challenges.

Ingredients:

1 recipe for Fresh Mozzarella Cheese (see previous post.) Stop before you place the balls of curd into hot water.
Alternately, 1 lbs of store bought fresh mozzarella cheese.
2 Tbs heavy cream.

While you’ve got your balls of fresh curds strained, you’re ultimately going to have a few extra curds that didn’t make it into the ball. Gather roughly 1/4 cup of those curds and combine them with the heavy cream. Using a fork, mash/mix/stir the curds until you get a reasonably smooth consistency. Set aside. If you’re using store bought mozzarella cut a small portion of the cheese off, and dice it into 1/2″ cubes. Cut enough off to get 1/4th cup.

For the next step, grab a cereal bowl and have it at the ready, you’re going to use it as your burrata form.

Add 3 quarts water and 3/4 cup salt to a saucepan, and bring to 160 degree Fahrenheit.

Homemade Mozzarella Instructions:

In a separate bowl, place one of your 3 parts curd and pour hot/salty water over the curd. Wearing rubber kitchen gloves (not latex), grab your curd ball and knead it until it develops a shiny/stringy texture. Be careful, even with gloves on the cheese gets REALLY hot. Keep your hands out of the water as much as possible to save burning your hands. You may have to put the cheese back into the hot water to help melt the curd. Once the cheese starts to become stringy/shiny, flatten the cheese into a circle and place it in the cereal bowl.

Spoon 1/3 of your cream/curd mixture on to the cheese circle and then fold the edges over the top, sealing the cheese as you go. Once the cheese is completely sealed, place it in a bowl filled with ice and water to cool. Repeat process on the remaining two balls of curd.

You can store it in cold water in the fridge, but you must consume it within 48 hours of making.

Store bought mozzarella instructions:
Split your mozzarella into 3 equal portions and flatten. In a separate bowl, place one of your 3 parts mozzarella and pour hot/salty water over the cheese. Wearing rubber kitchen gloves (not latex), grab your cheese ball and knead it until it develops a consistent melted texture. Keep your hands out of the water as much as possible to save burning your hands. You may have to put the cheese back into the hot water to get a consistent texture. Once the cheese starts to become stringy/shiny, flatten the cheese into a circle and place it in the cereal bowl.

Spoon 1/3 of your cream/curd mixture on to the cheese circle and then fold the edges over the top, sealing the cheese as you go. Once the cheese is completely sealed, place it in a bowl filled with ice and water to cool. Repeat process on the remaining two balls of curd.

You can store it in cold water in the fridge, but you must consume it within 48 hours of making.

We’re talking about the chemistry of canning today on Good Things Utah, including Botulism, Dos and Don’ts, and Sugar Science.

How does sugar play a role in the canning process?
- The amount of sugar used when preserving fruit makes a huge impact on the overall quality of the ultimate preserve. Assuming acid levels are high enough, sugar is one ingredient you can safely change without fear of food safety. Sugar content of the syrup you use to pack your fruit will have the biggest impact on the long term quality of your fruit. Nature likes a balance, meaning the sugar content in your canning syrup needs to match the sugar content in your fruit, otherwise osmotic pressure changes the quality of your fruit. If your syrup is to sugary, the plant will push water out of your fruit into the syrup in an attempt to balance the sugar content. This creates shriveled fruit. If your syrup is not sugary enough, the fruit absorbs water from your syrup in an attempt to increase the overall sugar content. This causes your sugar to swell with water and create a water, bland preserve.

Considering that the sugar content of fruit changes daily, one would think it would be challenging for a home cook to know how much sugar to add to the canning syrup. Fortunately, there is an easy method to getting the syrup right. If the recipe has too much sugar, the fruit will float, whereas if it has too little sugar, the fruit will sink to the bottom of the jar. The trick to getting your syrup sugar content correct is simple, prepare your canning liquid as you normally would, but omit the sugar. Remove 1/4th of the canning liquid and add your sugar to the remaining 3/4ths. Add your sugary syrup to prepacked cans of fruit until the fruit starts to float. Then add non sugared water to the bottle until the fruit ceases to float, but doesn’t fall to the bottom. Continue this process until you have the appropriate amount of air (headspace) between your lid and fruit as determined by the recipe. (In general terms, the lower the acid, the higher the headspace).

What is Botulism?

- The botulism toxin is a byproduct of a thermophilic (likes heat) bacteria that thrives in low acid, low oxygen environments. Because it is not killed by normal boiling methods, It is the biggest threat to the home cook. A few things to keep in mind when canning in order to prevent botulism:
- Make sure your recipe is scientifically tested. Unfortunately, grandma’s recipes may not have the proper acid content to prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum. When in doubt, call your local extension service for help. They are experts on the subject.
- Throw away any cans/bottles that are bulging, smelly or moldy. Although you can kill the Clostridium Botulinum bacteria if you have a pressure cooker, it doesn’t necessarily eliminate the botulism toxin. If you see a bulging can the botulism toxin is already in your food. Throw it away, it’s not worth the risk.
-When harvesting your garden, process your produce as quickly as possible as some fruits/veggies become less acidic. Tomatoes are particularly susceptible, as their acid content tends to decrease as they age.

What recipe modifications can I safely make to my canning recipe?
-Amount of sugar (assuming food has a pH of 4.6 or higher)
- Salt in recipes where it is only for flavoring, but not for preservation (pickle recipes, for example, use salt as a preservative)
-Adding MORE acid than the recipe calls for.

What should I avoid when canning?
Although the list for this particular question is by no means exhaustive (consult the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning for a more thorough list), the following actions will create trouble in your preserves:
-Adding extra thickener to your recipe. This changes the thickness of your canned good, which ultimately changes the way heat works it’s way into the middle of your preserve. Thicker preserves take a LOT longer to cook.
-Use up to date methods. As of today, the USDA only recommends using water bath, and pressure canners.
-Cooking food for too short of a time period. The altitude in Utah means the boiling point is lower than sea level. Because of this, recipes need to be adjusted for a longer cooking time to create safe foods.

Good reference material for food safety guidelines:
USU Extension Service: http://extension.usu.edu/utah/htm/fcs/food-preservation-canning
Ball Blue Book of Preserving: http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Blue-Book-of-Preserving/dp/0972753702/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278867370&sr=8-1
USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html

We discussed some of these principles today on Good Things Utah, but here are the secrets in detail.

One of the joys of knowing a few scientific principles surrounding cooking is the confidence to whip up a sweet concoction of flavors with minimal effort. For example, the vinaigrette. Most people tend to shy away from making their own as the thought of mixing oil and water seems impossible. However, with a little magic in the form of tensioactive molecules, you can combine the two.

Assume for this example that oil speaks French and water speaks Mandarin Chinese. A tensioactive molecule is the French/Mandarin translator helping the two bodies to stay together. Keep in mind that some ingredients are better at carrying on a conversation than others, but at a minimum, you’ll be able to combine the two liquids for the purposes of making a dressing.

Secrets:
-Start with a food containing a tensioactive molecule to bind the water and oil together. Foods with tensioactive molecules that go well in salad dressings include: honey, shallots, garlic, and mustard (gelatin, flour, and potatoes do to, but they’re a little harder, but not impossible, to include in a vinaigrette).
-Use a ratio of at least 1 part water/vinegar to 1 part oil, but no more than 1 part water/vinegar to 2.5 parts oil. (Some books say you can go as high as 1 part water to 3 parts oil, but vinaigrette geometry means your dressing will be more likely to break).
-Drizzle, don’t pour, your oil into your water while mixing. The slower the better as it will create smaller bubbles of oil suspended in the water solution.

That’s it!

Using these secrets, you can make a vinaigrette out of virtually any flavor in your kitchen. Like lemon? Combine a little mustard with lemon juice, salt and oil. Prefer peaches? Why not mix some peach puree with champagne vinegar, sugar, roasted garlic, and oil. Revel in raspberries? Raspberry puree, raspberry vinegar, honey, and oil. Just remember the secrets to a vinaigrette and it’s easy!

3 oz Bacon
1 minced shallot
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tbs brown sugar
1/4 cup + 2 Tbs maple syrup
1/4 cup bacon drippings
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Pan fry bacon until crispy, remove bacon from pan and pour drippings into a heat safe measuring cup. Reserve enough bacon drippings in the pan to cook shallots.
Add shallots to the pan previously used to cook the bacon and cook over medium heat until translucent.
In a food processor or blender, combine shallots, vinegar, maple syrup, and brown sugar.
Turn the food processor/blender on high speed and blend till ingredients are incorporated.
Combine olive oil and bacon drippings (be careful, drippings will still be hot).
SLOWLY drizzle oil/drippings mixture into your food processor. It should take 90-120 seconds to add the entire amount.
While food processor/blender is still running, add 2/3 of the cooked bacon, save the rest for garnishing your salad.
Stop food processor/blender and salt to taste.

1 finely minced shallot
1 cup of balsamic vinegar, reduced to 1/4th cup
2 Tbs Cocoa Nibs
1 Tbs Honey
1/4 cup rosemary/garlic infused olive oil (see recipe below)
Salt to Taste.

Add shallot to a lightly oiled hot fry pan and cook till tender
Add cooked shallot, balsamic vinegar reduction, cocoa nibs, and honey to a food processor
While food processor is running, slowly drizzle olive oil into the processor.
Add salt to taste.

Rosemary/Garlic infused Olive Oil for Cocoa Nib Vinaigrette
3/4 cup olive oil
6″ stalk of fresh rosemary, cut into 1″ segments
3 cloves of peeled garlic
Add all ingredients to an oven safe vessel, narrow enough to submerge garlic and olive oil. Place in a 200 F oven for approximately one hour. (I use a tall/narrow measuring cup)
Remove from oven, leave rosemary and garlic in oil, cover and use the next day.

1/4 cup lemon juice
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbs chopped fresh oregano (or 1 Tsp dry)
1 Tbs chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 Tsp dry)
1/4 – 1/2 cup expeller pressed peanut oil

Combine lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, oregano and rosemary in a food processor, run the processor until the spices are chopped into relatively small pieces.

SLOWLY drizzle in the oil while the food processor is running. Start with teeny tiny amounts at first, and then continue to drizzle until all is added -it should take 1 to 2 minutes to add the oil if you’re adding it slow enough.

1 cup whole raspberries
1/4 cup raspberry infused vinegar
1 Tsp honey
1/4 cup sugar
Juice from one lime
1/4 cup neutral flavored oil (like grape seed or canola oil)
Salt to taste

Combine raspberries, vinegar, honey, sugar and lime juice in a blender/food processor. Mix until raspberries are pureed, and all ingredients are incorporated
Slowly drizzle in oil while the blender/food processor is running.
Add salt.

We used this recipe today on Good Things Utah to showcase how delicious quinoa is.

1 cup Quinoa (either red or brown is fine, make sure it’s well rinsed)
1 roasted red pepper, chopped into 3/4″ juliennes (think stubby matchsticks)
1/4 cup artichoke hearts, minced
Garlic and Herb Vinaigrette Dressing
2 Tbs thinly sliced basil leaves (or 2 tsp dry basil)

Cook the quinoa in 2 cups simmering water over medium/medium-low heat until all the water is absorbed by the grain (20-30 minutes).

Combine the red pepper, artichoke hearts, quinoa, basil and dressing (you will have extra dressing).

Garlic and Herb Vinaigrette Dressing
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbs chopped fresh oregano (or 1 Tsp dry)
1 Tbs chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 Tsp dry)
1/4 – 1/2 cup peanut oil

Combine lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, oregano and rosemary in a food processor, run the processor until the spices are chopped into relatively small pieces.

SLOWLY drizzle in the oil while the food processor is running. Start with teeny tiny amounts at first, and then continue to drizzle until all is added -it should take 1 to 2 minutes to add the oil if you’re adding it slow enough.