Fresh Goat Cheese, Tomatoes, Basil
By: Atlantia Aquarian
Recipe Information
Recipe Yield: 32oz
For Culture
1 gallon fresh goats raw milk
(pasteurized)
1 packet direct set Chevre culture
(contains rennet)
Directions
1.​ Slowly heat 1 gallon of pasteurized
goat's milk to 86​º​F.
2.​ Add direct set culture packet.
3. ​Let rehydrate for 2 minutes, then stir to
dissolve.
4.​ Cover and let it set at 72​º​F for 12 hours
or until thickened.
5.​ Ladle curd gently into a butter muslin
lined colander, hang and drain 4-8 hours
or until you reach desired consistency.
Experiment
This experiment tested the texture of 3
different types of cheeses. I experimented
with how the temperature affects the goat
cheese texture, I tested 3 different
temperatures 62​º​F, 72​º​F, 82​º​F to see
what would happen with the texture of
the cheeses. I tested the texture by
dropping a spoon from 10 cm high on to a
100 ml of cheese, to measure how far the
spoon will go into the cheese. The cheese
at 62​º​F went 0 cm far, 72​º​F went 2.5 cm
far, and 82​º​F dropped 3 cm far. This
shows that the lower the temperature of
the cheese, the more liquidy the texture
will be. This also shows that the higher
the temperature of the cheese, the more
the cheese will have a harder texture.
This experiment also included a survey,
done at my group’s dinner exhibition.
This survey contains the responses of
public feedback on the different textures.
Participants rated the cheese on a 0-10
scale, 0 being a liquidy cheese, 2 being
very soft cheese, 3 being sour cream, 5
would be a chevre, 6 would be a feta, 8
would be a cheddar and 10 being a hard
cheese like parmesan. This survey
showed that cheese #1 had an average of
2, making it a very soft cheese and cheese
#2 had an average of 5, making it a 102 degrees. On the other hand, the
chevre. Cheese #3 averaged at 8 making it thermophilic is a heat-loving culture, this
a cheddar cheese. can be heated up to 130​ ​degrees. This is
used in most Italian cheese such as
The Science Behind parmesan, mozzarella, or Swiss.
A cheese culture is a group of specific
bacteria strains put together for making a
specific cheese. The majority of cheese
cultures work in a similar way, but they
are classified based on the temperature at
which their texture will be. Cheese
cultures are also distinguished by the
strains of bacteria they contain, along
with the type of bacteria strains and the
ratio of each strain within a cheese
culture will vary depending on what
cheese is being intended to make.

All cheese cultures do the same basic

Personal Commentary
work, they rapidly raise the acidity of the
My mom is a huge part of why I chose to
milk by consuming the lactose (milk
make chevre. I have grown up watching
sugar) present and converting it into a
her make chevre and this experiment
lactic acid. By doing this it disables the
helped me make a deeper connection to
already present bacteria, which helps the
the process and the results. There are
rennet to set the cheese. The starter
many steps to making chevre, and
cultures also help in development and
understanding each step makes for a
preservation of the flavor of the cheese,
better result. It is also nice to have the
during the cheese making and afterward
feeling of comfort while eating the cheese,
in the aging process.
because I know how the goats are treated,
where the ingredients come from, and
Cheese cultures can be broken into two
how much work it took to create what is
types, mesophilic and thermophilic.
on my plate, which gives me greater
Choosing from either one of these
appreciation.
cheeses, will depend on the type of cheese
you want to make. Making a mesophilic
cheese means that you would get a soft
cheese, Chevre or a Sour Cream. This type
of cheese is called a non-heating loving
culture, they are not heated to more than