Masterclass
Stepbystep
1
Place4 litresorganic
pasteurised,unhomogenised
milkin a largesaucepanfitted
witha cookingthermometerover
lowheatandslowlyheatthemilk
to38°C.Meanwhile,combine
8mlliquidvegetarianrennet(see
note)and3 tspboiled,cooled
waterin a sterilisedjug.When
themilkreaches38°C,remove
thethermometerandturnoffthe
heat.Stirin rennetmixturewith
a sterilisedmetalspoonuntil
wellcombined (2 minutes).2
Coverpanwitha lidandset
asideuntilmilkhascoagulated
andcurdsform(1 hour).During
this time, keep the temperatureat38°C;todothis,turntheheat
ontomediumfor 30 seconds
every15 minutes.3
Whenthecurdshaveset,
usea large,sterilisedknife
tocuta cross-hatchpatterninto
thecurdstocreate3cmpieces.
Maintainingthetemperatureat
38°C,standfor5 minutes,then
stirthecurdsevery5 minutesfor
30 minutes to release the whey.4
Linea colanderwithmuslin
(leavingplentyofexcesscloth
overhangingthesides)andplace
overa bowl.Usinga sterilised
meshspoon,transfercurdsto
a colander,reservingthewhey.
Fora flavouredversion,stir2 tsp
chopped fresh herbs, such asrosemary,intothecurds,then
covertopwithoverhanging
muslinandweighdownwitha
heavyweight.Setasideatroom
temperature to drain (2 hours).5
Transferhaloumiinmuslin
toa 9½cm(3¼-cup)square
cakepan,pressingdownfirmly
tofit.Weighdownwitha heavy
objectsimilarinshapetothetin
and refrigerate until set (1 hour).6
Meanwhile,makea brine
solutionbycombining40gm
seasaltflakeswith1.5litrescold
waterin a large lidded container.7
Heatreservedwheyto85°C.
Removehaloumifrompan
andcutintosixpieces.Working
inbatches,cookhaloumiinwhey
for 10 minutesoruntilit floatsto
thesurface.Removethenplace
in the brine until ready to eat.●1 5
4
Theequipment
Cheesemakingreliesonprecision,inparticulartemperature,thereforea digital
thermometeris a greatinvestmentandis easiertoreadthana regularcooking
thermometer.Forthisrecipe,youwillalsorequirea smalljug,metalspoonand
slottedspoon,smallsyringe(seenote),muslinanda 31/4-cupsquarecakepan.Anoteonsterilising
Cleanlinessis oneofthemostimportantaspectsofcheesemakingtoguarantee
thebestshelflife.Firstly,ensurethatyourkitchenis spotlesslyclean.Dothisby
washingit downwithhot,soapywaterthenwipingwithwhitevinegar.Sterilise
allutensilsbyboilingthemfor 15 minutesbeforeuse,thenallowthemtoair
dry.Anyitemsthatcan’tbeboiledcanbesprayedwithwhitevinegar,which
willkillanywildmouldsporesthatcouldpotentiallycontaminatethecheese.A
ll cheesebeginswithmilk,and
employsa processoffermentation
thatis,inessence,simpleenough
tomastersothatyoucanproduce
freshcheeseandcultureddairyproducts
at home.Whilemakinghaloumiinvolves
a numberoftechnicalaspects,if youfollow
thesestepsprecisely,you’llsoonbeenjoying
thebestcheeseyou’vetastedoutsideof
Cyprus.Therecipebelowtakesaround
fivehoursfromstarttofinishandmakes
480gmhaloumi.We’veaddedrosemaryto
thisversionforextraflavourbutyoucan
keep it simple or add any herb of choice.NoteVegetarianrennetis availablefromspecialistfoodshopsand
cheesemakingsuppliers.Tomeasurerennetyouwillneeda small
(1mlor5ml)syringe;theseareavailablefrompharmacies.Youcan
pan-frythehaloumiimmediatelyina littleoliveoiluntilgolden,or
keepit refrigeratedinthebrineforuptoa month.Thelongeryou
keepthehaloumi,thefirmerthetexturebecomesand the saltier
it will be. Pat the haloumi dry before pan-frying.●GOURMET TRAVELLER 47PHOTOGRAPHY BEN DEARNLEY & WILLIAM MEPPEM. STYLIST SOPHIA YOUNG.