THE LITTLE THINGS - HOME MADE WINE, CHEESE AND CRACKERS

During challenging times like the, one of my favorite comfort foods (along with chocolate and peanut butter) is cheese and crackers with a cool glass of red wine.  One of the obstacles to this is the price.  Crackers can be bought for under $2 a box, but cheese is at $5 a pound and wine at $6 or so per750 ml bottle.  In a week it is easy to spend $10 or more on such luxuries and by the end of the month the funds equivalent to the highly necessary telephone service are spent.  I can't give up the telephone and feel these small treats are near necessities since they qualify as food and drink.

Therefore, I deceide to make them myself.

CRACKER RECIPE

:

Step 1: Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups Mixed Flour*
• 3/4 tsp Salt

• 1/3 cup Olive Oil
• 1 cup Water

• 2 tblsp ground rosemary

For the dough, I've use white flour and various mixtures of white and whole wheat, oatmeal, rice and other grains.  I found that more than 1/3 whole wheat and any self rising flour were not very palatable.  Corn meal sprinkled on the baking sheet helped prevent sticking, but didn't make satisfactory crackers if used in the dough. To make flour from oatmeal and whole grains I used an electric coffee grinder and sifted the results for consistently fine flour.

Step 2: Prepare the Dough

Mix dry ingredients thoroughly. Add in wet ingredients and mix with a fork until dough is uniform in texture and add water or flour until dough is not sticky or crumbly. Knead a few times just until fully combined and form into a single lump. 

Step 3: Roll Out

Working in small batches, roll out the dough into very thin sheets on a well floured breadboard or counter top with a rolling pin.  A pasta machine does well to if you have one.

For the first batch I suggest trying a couple of different thicknesses to see what you like. For our baking conditions, 3/32 of an inch does fairly well. 

Step 4: Prep

To prep the crackers for baking, score into cracker sized pieces with a serrated pizza wheel or a fork to create parting lines and prevent large bubbles.

Sprinkle with coarse salt and ground rosemary.

Step 5: Bake

Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until well browned. Transfer the bakes dough to a cooling rack immediately. The crackers easily snap apart along the score lines.

That was the easy part.

Making cheese was a bit more involved.  Thankfully our local supermarket had a sale on one of my favorites: whole milk at $2.24 per gallon!   

Rennet is essential for curling the cheese and can be bought online at:

WHERE TO BUY RENNET TABLETS

There is also a recipe on that website for hard cheese there which I give in modified version below:

BASIC HARD CHEESE

by Dr. David Fankhauser, for Redco Foods 10 June 2003

One gallon of milk yields about one pound of cheddar-style cheese. You may use skimmed or whole milk for this cheese, but whole milk makes a richer cheese. This cheese has no added color. 

Ingredients to turn one gallon of milk into one pound of cheese:

• 1 gallon fresh milk (the fresher the milk, the more predictable the cheese)
• 1/4 cup active cultured buttermilk (1/2 cup plain yogurt will also work yogurt must contain live and active culture)
• 1/2 tablet rennet (1/4 tablet will work, but takes a bit longer to coagulate, see step 5)
• salt

Required Apparatus:

• thermometer, reading range 0 to 225F (-10 to 110C)
• whisk or other effective stirring and mixing device 
• two sterilized stainless steel 4-6 quart pots, one with a lid. (A thick metal bottom prevents burning.)
• a long bladed knife (9-10 inches long)
• 8" strainer
• A large handkerchief, sterilized by boiling and drying
• A cheese pressing frame (4" diameter, 5" tall can, about 20 oz, ends removed, save one end for a follower)

1. INOCULATE THE MILK: The evening before you plan to make cheese, warm 1 gallon of fresh milk to 68F (20C) in the sterilized pot. Thoroughly blend in 1/4 cup buttermilk to inoculate. Cover inoculated milk with the sterilized lid.

2. INCUBATE OVER NIGHT: Let sit out at room temperature overnight

3. WARM THE MILK: The next morning, gently warm the milk up to 86F (30C). Meanwhile, dissolve 1/2 tablet of Rennet in 1/4 cup of cold water.

4. ADD THE RENNET: Stir the dissolved rennet into the 86F milk to mix thoroughly. Cover, let sit undisturbed for an hour or more in a warm place in the room. Be patient. Do not disturb the milk until it has coagulated.

5. ACHIEVE A CLEAN BREAK: Test for a "clean break" (completed action of rennet): Probe a clean finger into the milk and lift. If it has gelled enough to break cleanly as the finger is lifted, go to next step. If the milk is liquid or semi-gelatinous and softly flows across your finger, let sit until a clean break is obtained. It may take as long as 1-2 hours more. Be patient, do NOT disturb the milk.

6. CUT THE CURD: Once a clean break is achieved, cut the curd with a long knife: begin at one edge of the pot and cut straight to bottom. Cut repeatedly parallel to first cut, but increasing the angle of the knife until reaching 45 degrees at the other side of pot. Rotate the pot a quarter of a turn, cut as before. Repeat the rotating and cutting two more times, yielding 1/2 inch cubes of curd.

7. SET THE CURD: Place the pot over a low fire, stir curd with cleaned bare hand by reaching down to bottom, gently lifting and stirring. Cut larger curds as they appear. Do not mash or squeeze. Continue stirring for 15 min to prevent the curds from clumping together or overheating at the bottom. Warm the curds to 92F (34C) for softer curd cheese, or as high as 102F (39C) for very firm cheese.

8. SEPARATE CURDS AND WHEY: Stir and maintain 92F until curd has contracted to consistency of firm scrambled eggs. Remove from stove and let sit for 10 minutes. The curds should sink in whey. Pour off the whey through a strainer and save for ricotta if you wish. Place the curds in a large bowl.

9. ADD SALT: Sprinkle two teaspoons salt over curds, working with hands to mix in. Pour off any additional whey.

10. PRESS THE CHEESE: Line a smooth-sided 4" x 5" tin can from which both ends have been removed with a sterile large white handkerchief. Place the still-warm curds into the cloth, press into the can. Fold the corners of the cloth over top of the curds and cover with the cut-out end of the can. Place a heavy weight on top to press down the curds. Let the milk culture sit at room temperature for 12 hours or so.

11. CURE THE CHEESE: The next morning, remove and unwrap the cheese from the press. Rub the outside with salt, re-wrap with a fresh handkerchief and place on a rack in the refrigerator. Replace "bandage" when it becomes wet (daily at first). When a dry yellowish rind forms (about one to two weeks in the refrigerator), dip in melted wax, store in refrigerator for about a month (if you can wait that long). The longer you wait, the sharper the cheese.

Avoid aluminum pots because the acid will dissolve the aluminum.

Sterilize the pot just before use by pouring 1/2 inch of water in the bottom, covering, and bring to a rolling boil for at least five minutes. Pour out the water, replace sterile lid, and keep sterilized pot covered until you are ready to add the milk. 

My experience with cheese making was that holding the temperature constant on the stove top was a real challenge as it varied with room temperature and finding the sweet spot on the electric range control took some experimentation.

I had most of the necessary items on hand except the thermometer and the cloth.  The thermometer was for sale in the supermarket for about $1.89, and a clean cotton sheet cut into round circles 20" in diameter fit the other part of the bill.  I traced the circle using a round baking sheet, black sharpie and scissors.  The rennet was ordered online and took about a week to arrive in the mail.

Things went pretty much according to plan, except that in the coolness of our poorly heated house, the curds didn't form as firmly as desired.  I turned up the heat on the stove (as if making ricotta cheese) and that solved the issue.

Since most metal food cans these days are stamped out of one sheet of metal and then have the lids pressed on, it was difficult to find a can which was easy to open at both ends.  I have a nice can opener that opens the seam rather than cuts through the lid, and this makes a nice can to use as a cheese mold.  I found that cans of evaporated milk still have seams on both ends typically, and used these for the molds.  Wooden circles cut to size and placed at each end between a well scrubbed and sterilized c-clamp completed the cheese press.

When removing the curds from the whey, I found that a small strainer was very helpful too.  This left me with nearly a gallon of whey.  Not wanting to waste it by pouring it down the drain, I ladled it into the water dish for the dog that happily lapped it up.

It took about a week for the cheese to harden in the refrigerator after the whey was pressed out, then, unwrapped, another two weeks to harden.  The result was quite tasty.  I used some cheese before it hardened like cheese spread and it too was quite good on the crackers.

The wine was another matter.  Retail grapes are expensive and pressing store-bought grapes is not a solution if cost savings are desired.  I planted some grape vines in the yard last spring, but it will be a couple years yet before they are mature enough to harvest.

Thankfully, East Texas has a native grape, the Muscadine that grows wild.  A friend who already had wine making equipment and I went found a very large vine by the roadside and picked about 100 lbs of fresh grapes during the midsummer season.  We made the wine approximately according to the following steps:

http://www.weekendbrewer.com/Wine_making_basic_steps.htm

Wine Making Basic Steps

1) Clean all grapes de-stem and place them into a coarse cloth or nylon bag. Set the bag in a clean, sterilized 5 gallon bucket or one with 20-25% more capacity than the volume of juice anticipated, and squeeze the bag by hand until the only a little juice dribbles from the pulp.  Give the pulp to the chickens and wash the bag,

2) Test the density and sugar content of the juice and add water and or sugar to achieve the desired strength.

Example: If the juice and water you test with your hydrometer is at 1.040 then ADD sugar to bring the starting gravity up to 1.085 - 1.090   for wine with a finished alcohol of 12 to 12-1/2 % A/v. If you want a lower alcohol, add less sugar.

3) Test for acid balance. Follow the instructions from the Acid test kit

White Wine .65 - .75 Tartaric  /  4.2 - 4.9 ppt. Sulfuric
Red Wine .60 - .65 Tartaric  /  3.9 - 4.2 ppt  Sulfuric
Fruit Wine .55 - .65 Tartaric  /  3.6 - 4.2 ppt  Sulfuric

Add 1 ea. level Tsp. of ACID Blend to raise the Acid level .15 (15%) Tartaric or 1 ppt Sulfuric to one gallon of the juice.

Excessive Acidity will cause the wine to have a sour taste and odor.

Note: Muscadine grape are pretty tart, and I didn’t have to add any tartaric acid.

4) Juice cut with water will require nutrients to be added back. On an average add 1-tsp. per gallon of Yeast Nutrient (Diammonium Phosphate)

Fruits contain pectin in the cellular structure to retain their juice. The pectin enzymes break down the cells to release the juice and flavor. Also pectin will cause a cloudy finish to your wine. Pectin enzyme will clear the wine by breaking down the pectin's. It is best added before fermentation.  In liquid form add 3 drops per gallon. In dry form add 1/2 tsp. per gallon.  Alternatively, filter through charcoal to remove the cloudiness.

5) Your fresh fruit will have wild yeast and bacteria. An easy way to get ride of these contaminants is to add 1 each crushed Campden tablet per each gallon. Let the juice stand for 24 to 36 hours before adding the commercial yeast. Note that Campden Tablets contain Sodium Metabisulphite which makes the taste somewhat bitter. And adds suphites

If you are allergic to sulfur, and do not want to use Campden Tablets, then you will need to bring the juice just to a boil and then cool it covered (If you don't want to lose a significant portion of the natural aroma and flavor). Cool to 75 degrees and then add the yeast starter.

6) A good time to start your commercial wine yeast is while you a waiting for the Campden tablets take care of the wild yeast and bacteria. That is, start the yeast culture about 18-24 hours before adding the yeast.

 Yeast Starter: Boil 1-1/2 cups of water and 1/2 cup of the juice with one tablespoon of sugar for 3-4 minutes. Let this sugar mix cool to 75 degrees. (You may place it in the freezer for a few minutes to aid in cooling).  After the mix has cooled, sprinkle the yeast on top. Cover and let the yeast work for 18-24 hours. Lightly swirl the yeast mix to put all the yeast back into suspension before adding to the wine must.

A very easy way to start your yeast is to use a 750ml wine bottle. Sanitize the bottle and fill it with the cooled yeast starter. Add the yeast to the bottle and seal it with a #2 stopper and an air lock. The starter will start to ferment in a sanitary container that is easy to pour into your main fermenter.

7) After adding the yeast starter slurry to your wine juice. We recommend fermenting your wine in a closed fermenter. A clean, sterilized food grade bucket with a matching lid is a good way to start. Make sure the lid is airtight. Drill a small hole in the lid for a rubber stopper to fit snugly. Insert an air lock into the stopper or a piece of tubing long enough to go into the stopper and over the side of the bucket and below it one foot (approx. 2 feet long). With one end of the tubing in the stopper, that is in the lid. Place the open end of the tubing into a half filled gallon jug of clean water. (used plastic milk jugs work well). This is called a Water Lock. It will allow the CO₂ to escape but no air to come in as the CO₂ bubbles exit the fermenter into the water jug and the water prevents air from being drawn back into the fermenter through the rubber hose.

8) Make sure your fermenter is in an area that will keep a constant temperature and not exceed about 75 deg F. After the CO₂ has started, keep an eye on the water jug. If it starts to get to full or dirty, replace it with clean water. With the lid still tight on the fermenter, swirl the fermenter to keep the must blended.

9) After approximately five days the wine fermentation will start to slow down. When the fermentation starts to slow, wine is ready to transfer to the secondary fermenter. The specific gravity of the wine at this time should be 1.040 -1.020.

NOTE: The secondary fermenter IS ALWAYS the size of the final batch. Excessive air space can contaminate your wine and cause it to turn to vinegar. It is recommended that a glass container be used as your secondary fermenter. Glass will not leach chemicals that can affect the taste and quality of the wine as plastic may do as the alcohol content rises to 10-12-1/2 percent.

Transfer the wine out of the bucket by siphoning into the glass fermenter. Make sure the sediment in the bucket stays in the bucket and does not get sucked up in the siphon while transferring the wine. Always transfer the wine down the sides or fill the glass fermenter from the bottom up. Never splash the wine. Slashing will start oxidation and cause off flavors.  

10) Let the wine stand for 3-4 weeks or until fermentation is completely finished. The wine can age longer if it is kept sealed. Or, you may want to stabilize the wine (kill all of the yeast) and add the finings now. Before stabilizing the wine, take a hydrometer reading. It should be 1.000 or lower. If the reading is 1.000-1.005, and you like sweet wine you can stop the fermentation at that point.

11) The fermentation can be stopped by killing the yeast,  This is done by adding again 1 each Campden Tablet for each gallon of wine. Crush the Campden well and add to the wine with the finings. Stir your wine very well to bring the CO₂ up to the top of the fermenter. You will be stirring up the small layer of sediment from the bottom.

Important: If you have more than 1/8 inch of sediment in the bottom of your fermenter and your wine is cloudy. You should first siphon off the sediment and then transfer it back into the glass fermenter. Do this BEFORE you add the Campden tablets and finings.

You may have to stir the wine two or three times in a two day period to remove the CO₂ or degas the wine.   After degassing and adding the Campden tablets and finings, let your wine stand for 2-3 weeks.  Finings will remove most or all the small matter floating in your wine. A Fining popular with white wine is Sparkolloid powder. Others include Isinglass, bentonite and gelatin. Note: clean cat litter is a source of bentonite clay.

12) Transfer your wine off of any sediment into another container. If you are going to bottle the wine at this point, and the wine is not to dry for your taste, then proceed. This is the time to sweeten the wine if that is desired. You can bottle some of the wine as is or add a sweetener to the remaining wine. Add potassium sorbate (1/4 tsp. per gallon) to your wine to prevent renewed fermentation before you add the sweetener. To sweeten your wine we recommend for five gallons removing One cup of your wine. Add to the one cup, 2 cups of sugar and bend well. Add 4 tablespoons per gallon or sweeten to taste. Remember you can bottle part of the batch dry, slightly sweeten the batch and bottle more. And if a desert style wine is desired, add more sweetener to the remaining wine to suite taste.

13) A easy way to sanitize your corks is using One Campden tablet to a 1/2 gallon of hot water (not boiling). Let the corks soak in the Campden water for 20-30 minutes. Always make sure your bottles are sanitized before filling.

14) When corking. The length of the cork times 2 equals the amount of space left in the bottle. If your cork is 1-1/2 inches long then the space in your bottle should be 3 inches before you start to insert the cork.

15) If you are going to store your wine in a lighted area, it is best to use a dark bottle. But if you store your wine out of light use any color or clear bottle you have.

END OF INSTRUCTIONS

I ended up with about fifteen gallons of a drinkable wine.  The muscadine grapes gave it a strong flavor that was an acquired taste.  I added considerable sugar too, so it has about 12-13% alcohol content and was pretty potent.  Besides being cheap and strong, it isn’t very popular so I get to drink it all myself.

We also had a good crop of watermelons this past summer.  I made a few bottles of wine from them and added lemon juice as was recommended by one other experimenter.  In a few months I’ll give that arty too.  Meanwhile I will continue to try to improve on what’s been done and report on any significant successes.

Easting and drinking my own wine and cheese was a laborious process, but well worth the expense and effort.  The quality, efficiency and cost were not competitive with an off-the shelf purchase initially, but that’s to be expected when there’s a learningin curce to be climbed.  What I did produce what healthy, tasty and satisfied my need for comfort food.  Moreover, I derived a lasting satisfaction knowing I had made it without the usual compromises involved in business decisions such as exploitation, abuse or pollution.  Moreover, now I have all the equipment, ingredients and know-how to do it again.  And I expect to improve on all the above with each process cycle.  Eventually I hope to be able to produce these things in the flavors nad to the quality standards I prefer.  Then I expect to have the full satisfaction possible from these little things.