Cantal cheese: description, production, DIY making

Cantal is a hard cheese made in the French province of Auvergne. Experts consider it one of the oldest cheeses in France. In 1980, the cantal officially received certification of conformity (AOC), which positively affected the growth rate of its popularity.

Description

To taste, the product reminds everyone of the well-known cheddar - cheese has a creamy flavor with a slight spiciness. The more the cantal is infused, the tastier and therefore more expensive.

When choosing a product in a store or on the market, the buyer should pay attention to the packaging - “AOS” should be written there. This means that the product has passed certification.

It is also worth noting the beneficial properties of cantal. This cheese contains a fairly large amount of vitamins and minerals. For example, it contains vitamin A, which favorably affects vision. Thanks to calcium, the product improves the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, and also strengthens and regenerates bone tissue.

Kinds

Specialists subdivide cantal cheese according to the type of milk used, as well as the ripening time.

By type of milk it is divided into the following types:

1. Fermier - Farm -made from raw cow's milk.
2. Laitier - is produced at enterprises on a large scale. For the manufacture of pasteurized milk is used.

Regardless of the type of production, cheese undergoes strict quality control. For cantal, only milk from cows of Salers breeds is used, which from November 15 to April 15 feed exclusively on hay.

If the milk of such cows is produced in the summer, then it is already used for the production of another type of cheese - saler.

Depending on the ripening time, the cantal is:

1. Young - up to 2 months.
2. Average - up to 6 months.
3. Aged - more than 6 months.

Aged cheese is about 20% of the product. It has a sharp specific taste and rarely travels beyond Auvergne.

Cantal cheese production

It is pressed, not boiled cheese, which is produced only from high-quality cow's milk. A feature of its manufacture is the presence of spin and molding processes. At the end, the cantal is placed in special storages (or cellars), where a certain temperature and humidity is maintained.

At the beginning of production, cow's milk is mixed with rennet. About 100 ml is taken per 100 liters of milk. After the cheese has hardened, it is molded and sent under a strong press for 10 hours. At the end, the cantal is removed from the molds and sent for maturation to specially equipped rooms.

Cheese gets into stores in cylindrical heads, the weight of which can vary from 7 to 10 kg. A correctly made cantal will have a yellow mass with red dots and mold. The cheese tastes tender and soft, sometimes you can even smell the grass.

Cooking Cantal Cheese at Home

Making cheese yourself is rather difficult, but quite possible.

Cantal cheese recipe is quite simple. To make a tasty and high-quality product, you need:

1. In a water bath, heat 8 liters of milk to a temperature of 32 degrees. During heating, pour in 8 ml of calcium chloride.
2. When the milk reaches the desired temperature, introduce 1/4 tsp. dry sourdough.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and leave for 45 minutes.
4. Stir the milk and pour in 1/2 tsp. rennet.
5. Leave for another 35 minutes (during this time, milk coagulates).
6. If the clot does not become dense enough, you can leave it for another 10-15 minutes.
7. After thickening, you need to cut the cheese into cubes with sides of 5-6 mm.
8. Place the cubes in a container and begin to mix them slowly for 20 minutes.
9. Place a colander over the sink and line its bottom with gauze. After that, put the cheese mass there and leave for 20 minutes.
10. Put the whey again in a water bath and sprinkle it with salt (needed to speed up the process of separating whey).
11. Place the future cheese under the press for 30 minutes with a load of 9 kg.
12. Take out the product and leave it in the room for 8 or more hours (increasing the acidity of the product).
13. Cut the cheese into 5-6 mm cubes and place them under an 18 kg press for 2 hours.
14. Remove the product from the mold, wrap it in a cheese cloth and put it back under the press, but it’s already under 28 kg for 48 hours, turning it over once every 12 hours.
15. After pressing, the cantal should be removed from the mold and placed in a room with a humidity of 80–85% and a temperature of 11–13 degrees for 2 or more months.

After completing the last paragraph, you will get high-quality cantal cheese of medium exposure.