Feta, served with Style Points.

Cow “Feta”.  The last time I had cow feta it was made by some mass feta producer, perhaps Athenos or Sargento.  That is the feta most Americans know.  A lot of people “love” feta and don’t even know what animal it comes from.

Feta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece. A sheep’s milk cheese, varying amounts of goats’ milk may be added, as long as goat milk makes up less than 30% of the total mixture.

Feta is now a style.  In the European Union only feta made in Greece with sheep/goat’s milk is allowed to be sold as “feta.”  Over here in the States people eat their Greek Wraps with ripe black olives from California and Feta that comes in a box labeled Sysco, Houston, TX  77077-2099.

I have been enjoying cheesemaking for the past 9 months.  Since January I have been using milk from McKenzie River Farms.  I feel fortunate to have met Carol and her sons.  They are dedicated to biodynamic farming and are guilty of growing very beautiful and delicious produce.  The animals and humans on the farm consume raw organic grass fed cow’s milk.  I am lucky to get the Sunday morning milking for my cheese.

A couple weeks ago I pulled my first batch of feta style cheese.  The first bite was an experience I won’t forget.  I’m not a horn tooter, but damn that’s some good cheese.

My method for feta style is a little different than the norm, forgive the already American lack of respect for the protected designation of origin.  I leave the whey at 88 degrees for the entire process from inoculation with mesophyllic to the straining of the long stirred 1/2 inch cut curd.  I press the curd in molds with 20lbs for  24 hours.  I then remove it from the mold and pack it on a cure of salt, sugar, thyme, and cardamom.  It sits on cure for 3 days.  I overhaul it every day, meaning I flip it to maintain an even coat of cure.  Its pretty cool watching the cure leach the whey out of the cheese wheels.

After I pull it from cure I soak it in the original saltless whey to balance the salt before aging.  I use whey because of its acidity.  Too high of a pH would cause the cheese to get slimy.  You can also use water acidulated with vinegar or lemon juice.  The cheese soaks overnight and is then removed to dry in the fridge for a few hours.  From there the wheels are divided into wedges and submerged in olive oil fortified with herbs and garlic.

Yum.