Cantal cheese: description, production, handmade

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Cantal is a hard cheese made in the French province of Auvergne. Experts consider it one of the oldest French cheeses. In 1980, Kanthal officially received the Certification of Conformity (AOC), which had a positive effect on the growth rate of its popularity.

Description

The taste of the product resembles the well-known cheddar - the cheese has a creamy flavor with a slight spiciness. The more kantal is infused, the tastier it is and, accordingly, more expensive.

When choosing a product in a store or market, the buyer should pay attention to the packaging - it should say "AOC". This indicates that the product has been certified.

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

Views

Specialists classify Cantal cheese by the type of milk used, as well as by timeripening.

According to the type of milk, it is divided into the following types:

1. Fermier - Farm-made from raw cow's milk.
2. Laitier - produced in factories on a large scale. Pasteurized milk is used for production.

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

If the milk of such cows is obtained in the summer, then it is already used to produce another type of cheese - salera.

Depending on the ripening time, kantal is:

1. Young - up to 2 months.
2. Medium - up to 6 months.
3. Aged - over 6 months.

Aged cheese makes up about 20% of the product produced. It has a sharp specific taste and rarely leaves the Auvergne.

Cantal cheese production

This is a pressed, not boiled, cheese that is made only from high quality cow's milk. A feature of its manufacture is the presence of spinning and molding processes. At the end, the kantal is placed in special storages (or cellars) where a certain temperature and humidity are maintained.

Cow's milk is mixed with rennet at the start of production. For 100 liters of milk they take about 30 ml. After the cheese hardens, it is molded and sent under a strong press for 10 hours. At the end, the cantal is taken out offorms and sent for maturation in specially equipped rooms.

Cheese enters stores in cylindrical heads, the weight of which can vary from 7 to 10 kg. A properly made kanthal mass will have a yellow color with red dots and mold. The taste of cheese is tender and soft, sometimes you can even feel the taste of grass.

Making Kantal cheese at home

Making your own cheese is not easy, but it is possible.

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

1. Heat 8 liters of milk in a water bath to a temperature of 32 degrees. While heating, pour in 8 ml of calcium chloride.
2. When the milk reaches the desired temperature, add 1/4 tsp. dry sourdough.
3. Remove the pot from 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 the milk curdles).
6. If the clot has not become dense enough, you can leave it for another 10-15 minutes.
7. After thickening, you need to cut the cheese mass 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 the bottom with gauze. After that, place the cheese mass there and leave for 20 minutes.
10. Re-put the serum in the water bath and sprinkle it with s alt(needed to speed up the whey separation process).
11. Put 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 (acidification of the product).
13. Cut the cheese into 5-6mm cubes and place them under a 18kg press for 2 hours.
14. Take the product out of the mold, wrap it in a cheesecloth and put it back under the press, but already under 28 kilograms for 48 hours, turning it over once every 12 hours.
15. After pressing, the kanthal 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 step, you will get a quality medium-aged kantal cheese.