A collection of all Cheesepalooza participant whole milk ricotta making experiences!
Ricotta Boursin by A Canadian Foodie
This is a revealing Cheesepalooza Round Up. Not so visually interesting to some, yet to an artisanal cheesemaker, a delight! Did you notice I called us “artisanal cheesemakers”? Wheee!
Each participant from our first of twelve monthly Cheesepalooza Challenges has selected how to “show off” their first challenge. I find the photos that present the cheese in its “naked” form most revealing to me, as they are easiest to compare, so to speak. I cannot taste them, but I can see the curd. It has been a very gratifying “getting to know you” month, and I think this will continue well into the next two months. Some of our participants were unable to contribute to challenge one for a variety of reasons, but are looking forward to challenge two.
Others will be contributing late, and I will simply add them to the bottom of the round up, so it will be well worth your while to check back in a week or so, and take a look at the bottom of the post for the late entries.
The good news? And there is a lot of it! Every one is having a ball! The discovery of this very simple to make sweet, yet savoury cheese has been as exciting for most as it was for me. There were trials and errors, but each has persevered through to success. Bravo! Our Cheesepalooza Facebook Page tracks conversations and postings in real time, and is well worth stopping by to “like”. Our participants who don’t have websites have been posting their challenges there. I will include them in this round up once I receive the required information from them.
I will also be publishing alternate cheeses done this month in another post, and the “winning” participants for this challenge will be announced mid month. Remember, Addie, Valerie, Deb and Ian are each picking a “winner” from each challenge each month to be presented mid month. More on that in the Challenge Two post, out tomorrow!
I hope you enjoy this parade as much as I did – and please take the time to read, read, read – and get to know your fellow participants as this is just the beginning. We have a year to work together making cheese and communication and collaboration will be key to our success. Comment! Discuss! Enjoy!
Ian at Much To Do About Cheese from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
I have just got to know Ian through our Cheesepalooza Project and what a gift meeting him has been!
Simone at Junglefrog Cooking from The Netherlands
I have followed Simone for a few years and learned a great deal from her over the years. She is an incredible photographer and I am delighted that she decided to join our project!
Jane at The Healthy Beehive from Granby, Colorado, USA
Cheesepalooza has introduced me to Jane and her site. I am enamoured. I will be spending much more time over there!
Alanna at 360 Degrees of Cheese from Sydney, Australia
Ian introduced us to Alanna as they have followed one another. She is an experienced “cheesehead” and I, for one, am thrilled she is back to cheese making and has joined our project!
Valerie at A Canadian Foodie from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Success! Bravo, Valerie. I had a party in the kitchen all by myself!
Laurel at California Laurel in Manteca, CA, USA
Laurel and her mom are making cheese with us. I am sure we have all heard of the 5 degrees of separation, but a project like this really opens ones eyes. How she found out about it, I don’t yet know, but I am thrilled she did. I have had a blast exploring her site and reading her work.
Addie at The Big Cheese Project from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Addie works with me on the Slow Food Edmonton executive, but that isn’t how we met. We met through Twitter at a local party in a restaurant. Meeting Addie has been a gift for me as he is a tenacious scientist into whatever he takes on with a zeal that is hard to match. His reflective and gentle manner makes him my favourite cheese making partner! I have so much fun making cheese with him. He also has a very bright palate and surprises me consistently by what he is able to taste and articulate through tasting.
Ntala at Crazy Mare Ranch from Barrhead, Alberta, Canada
Cheesepalooza also brought Ntala to my attention and she lives 2 hours away! Deb and I had the pleasure to meet her. I will be going to her farm to make cheese with her. She is a hair dresser who farms, makes cheese and so much more. I cannot wait to visit Barrhead and make cheese with her. This is another one of those serendipitous connections made through the magic of social media and technology – and the love of cheese!
Christine at wannafoodie.ca from Calgary, AB, Canada
Christine is just a ray of sunshine. What else can I say. Positive energy exudes from this gal. I met her at Eat Alberta last year, but on Twitter much before that, and cannot wait until we can make sourdough bread and cheese together. She lives 3 hours away, and all is possible.
Geniviève at And a Stick of Butter from Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada
I met Gen through Slow Food Edmonton, as well. I cannot wait to taste her cheese and possibly make cheese with her this year! She lives 30 minutes out of the city, so we will definitely be getting together!
Thanks for your hard work on this Valerie. I really appreciate it. It looks like there are lots of Ricotta to choose from.
Thank YOU, Ian!
Hasn’t this been a fun month of getting to know one another and tasting and talking CHEESE! What a blast I have had… and my new favourite “old song”: we have only just begun!
🙂
Valerie
Looks great! Hope to be more organized this next challenge!
Gen!
You did great!
I would love to make cheese with you sometime when you are in town – or want company. It would be a BLAST. This next challenge will really lend itself to that, and making others, too! We definitely need to make cheese together, soon!
🙂
Valerie
Wow! Everyone’s Ricotta looks amazing! I really have to step up my photography to fit in with everyone!
Loved reading the blogs and seeing where everyone is from! Can’t wait for he next challenge.
Heather!
I cannot wait to meet you! I am very sure we will meet at the next cheese tasting and I can promise you, that you and your three friends will have fun with the next challenge. Can you urge them to send me their links so I can include their posts in this round up?
🙂
Valerie
Wow, so much lovely cheese! Thanks for all the organising. I’m looking forward to this months challenge.
Alanna
I am enjoying reading through your site and know the next challenge won’t be too challenging for you, but also know you can share a great deal of insight with all of us when you do it.
🙂
V
Even though I’ve made ricotta on my blog already..I was going to make a ricotta cheesecake with homemade ricotta..for this month. I don’t know what happened..everything slipped my mind outside of bread..and now it’s the 31st and I plum forgot! That said..I’m definitely IN on the next one! The round-up is fantastic..a ‘scroll’ of beautiful, creamy ricotta!
Lisa!
So glad to hear from you – and would STILL love you to send me the deets when you DO make your cheesecake with fresh ricotta – as I know you will – to include in the round-up, even if late, as this will be a timeless accounting of the progress each of us makes through our year of cheese!
🙂
V
How do I post my ricotta? Looking forward to the next challenge.
Sarah!
Thrilled you are on board with this! Please just send me the following and I will add you to the round up!
name
blog url (ricotta post)
where you are from
( I have your e-mail, etc)
I am tickled pink to know you are interested!
🙂
V
Am I ever glad I found your website. How bright and refreshing.
Kathleen
Thank you!
This is because of all of the wonderful people we have working together making CHEESE!
🙂
Valerie
Looks great! Thank you so much for all of your efforts in bringing this together. I am so excited and am greatly anticipating the next challenge!
Great round up Valerie, and thanks for the kind comments. I would definitely class myself as a cheesehead, but perhaps not very experienced. I’m here to learn too! And isn’t it amazing that there can be so many different variations of the same cheese!
What a lot of work to gather everyone’s photos and information together … and so glad you did! It is great fun to see everyone’s efforts. Looking forward to popping in on all the blogs to say hello.
These cheeses are terrific! What great accomplishements!
FYI to all re: ricotta. There are many different styles of ricotta, often driven by the end use; or at least that’s how it works for cooking. If you want a fluffy curd, first heat the milk to 180 degrees and then add the 1 teaspoon citric acid. You’ll get immediate moist curds. Add more citric acid if there’s still cloudly whey (more protein in there to turn to curds). General point to remember: the longer the curds sit in the hot whey, the more moisture they expel. If you want moist curds, drain them asap. Additionally, the amount of time you drain the curds renders moist or drier curds. So, drain less if you want moist.
Mary!
This advice makes so much sense. Thank you! What a great help for future Whole Milk Ricotta with Citric Acid. This is the coagulant I prefer for flavour, but I am having difficulty controlling my curd with it! This will help a great deal!
🙂
Valerie
I definitely think it’s visually stunning. All cheese naturally is.
Wow what a fantastic roundup Valerie! I’m gonna visit every one and read their notes as that will be interesting I think to compare how everyone did. I just found my goatmilk so am all geared up to make the chevre this weekend! Having a blast!!
Simone!
Glad you found the milk! Mine is sitting on the counter as we speak! Not the milk – the almost cheese. It is sitting for the 12 hours before I strain and hang it.
🙂
V
I have just made it through all of the posts in this Round Up. What a fantastic group of Cheesepalooza participants! I am truly excited about this year of learning and creating and sharing with one another. 🙂
Bravo!
I had almost finished when dad went into the hospital – so I am still not quite done – was, but then others have now finished!
🙂
V