No Goats, No glory.

The contrapositive of this statement would be goats=glory. My experience this weekend suggests this relationship is indeed true. I have been messing around with mozzarella this fall, but the only time I got it to work well enough not to be embarrassing was with raw milk from the inconveniently far off Happy Cow Creamery. I wanted something besides the Cabot 454 Big Block of extra sharp for pizza. I had discussed the possibility of goatzarella with the ladies at the Split Creek Dairy in the past. They were enthusiastic, so I picked up a trial size (gallon) of raw goat milk, and on my return, discovered that the goat mozz receipt I had was not compatible with the cheesemaking stuff I had on hand. Further research revealed a super-easy receipt for goat ricotta. Technically, not ricotta,  but tasty, and higher yielding than other cheese receipts I have tried. If you can get some raw goat milk, give it a try: heat goat milk to around 195 (not boiling) and add 1/4 c cider vinegar. If it does not separate into white curds and greenish whey, heat a bit more, but do not boil. Ladle out curds with slotted spoon into colander lined with fine cheesecloth and let drain for a few minutes. The receipt I worked from, from  Ricki Carroll's Home Cheese Making calls for adding 3 tb melted butter and a 1/2 tsp baking soda. I'm not sure what purpose the baking soda serves, but I'd try with a bit of heavy cow cream and some kosher salt next time. The finished product, once it has set in the fridge, is a bit stiffer than ricotta, and has a subtle goaty flavor. It worked out well as a base for a white pizza, and was even better rolled into marble sized balls, dusted with herbes de provence. I will be back to see these goats soon.

Comments

[Skeen]

Sounds excellent, Cod. I'm a big fan of the goat in all of her lactating glory. (Reminds me that I've been meaning to try making some goat milk yogurt.)

But can you parse this one? (from the Split Creek website):

"The goats are full partners in the operation"

[Peter]

Technically, I think the contrapositive would be "Glory implies goats" or just "Glory, goats."

[Fesser]

I think Scott "Wide Right" Norwood would agree that glory implies goats.
In re: the partnership of the goats, I am reminded of words Codrespondent BK is fond of quoting from the wisdom of former Flyers coach Fred Shero, speaking of bacon and eggs:
The chicken makes a contribution; the pig makes a commitment.

[BK]

Baiting me with bacon, Freddy "The Fog" Shero, AND the now-defunct Philly-in-the-house Goats (two of whose members played at my wedding)... I scarcely know where to begin. The Goats first album (Tricks of the Shade) is the one to get for some of the tightest political rhyming on record -- for downloads. And another perhaps apt Freddy the Fog quote for you would-be dairy artists: "Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must first set yourself on fire."

Or as the Pythons liked to say, "Blessed be the cheesemakers!?"

[BK]

D'oh! That URL didn't print. Click my name for Goats link.