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The dairy. 463
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grating it with or without maccaroni and spread on bread with butter. Some cheeses are highly colored with annatto, which is perfectly harmless, but as many persons use red lead for cheapness, families would do well to avoid purchasing cheese which has that appearance. It is said of dealers who, in order to give a blue mould to their cheese, have inserted into them pieces of copper or brass, the consequence of which have, in some instances, been fatal, for the dainty morsel thus produced is verdigris.
Making Cheese,—A genuine Scotch recipe.—Take 2 tablespoon-fuls of Irish potatoes boiled and mashed to 10 pounds of milk curd; after the cheese is pressed aud dried in the mould, then remove it without wrapping it up; put it in among the hay in a hay stack and let it remain a year, then it is fit for table use. The cheese will be variegated with yellow and green colors. It is as wholesome as delicious. Water from sage, parsley, cresses and other herbs boiled and put in the milk curd makes it better and more wholesome, being nice and spicy.
Cheese.—Put the cream that has been produced in the night into the morning's milk with the rennet, but the curd, instead of being broken, is to be taken out all together. Place it on a sieve, and while draining gradually keep gently pressing it till it has acquired a consistency; then place it in a wooden hoop and press it dry on boards, turning it frequently, and bind a cloth around it, tightening the same as occasion requires. In some dairies the cheese, after being taken out of the hoop, is bound tight around with a cloth, which is changed every day until the cheese stands in need of no further support. After taking off the cloth it must be brushed everyday for 2 or 3 months with a brush, and when the weather is damp this should be done twice a day.
Sour Cream Cheese.—Take a pint of very thick sour cream from the top of the pan forgathering butter, lay a napkin on 2 plates and pour 1-2 into each; let them stand 12 hours, then put them on a fresh wet napkin in one plate and cover the same. This do every 12 hours until you find the cheese begins to look dry, then ripen it with sage leaves. It will be ready in 10 days. Two pewter plates will ripen cream cheese very well.
To make Sage Cheese.—Bruise the tops of red sage in a mortar with some leaves of spinach and squeeze the juice; mix it with rennet in the milk, more or less, according as you like for color and taste. When the curd is come break it gently and put it in with the skimmer until it is pressed 2 inches above the pot. Press it 8 or 10 hours ; salt it and turn it every day.
Maccaroni as usually Served with the Cheese Course.—1-4 pound of pipe raaccaroni, 1-2 pint of brown gravy and 6 ounces of |
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