Chances are, you have arrived here looking for Perfect Flavor Creamery, to order customized gourmet ice cream, made by hand, or our artisanal handmade cheeses from local dairy. It’s not easy for us to let you down, but we have some news:

Perfect Flavor is taking a break, since Lynsie is pregnant, and due to her physical condition, she can’t continue to run Perfect Flavor.

We’re talking simple, fresh, soft cheeses, like ricotta, impastata, queso fresco, queso blanco, creme fraiche, cream cheese, mascarpone, mozzarella, yogurt, fromage blanc…you get the picture.  Now most of us born-and-bred Americans don’t use a lot of these cheeses in our everyday cooking/consumption.  Ask any French or Italian expat, and they’re tell you that these cheeses were a part of their daily diets back home, and are quite difficult to find in the U.S.  Once found, they tend to be expensive.

At Perfect Flavor, we made all of these cheeses and found that our customers, grocery stores, and restaurant clients hesitated not to get their hands on these locally sourced and produced cheeses.  Why?  Locally made soft, fresh cheeses are in high demand.  We were the only local creamery making a lot of these cow’s milk cheeses.  And for those local-food conscious individuals, being able to purchase these specific cheeses on a local level helped them complete their missing link of locally sourced, handmade and home grown foods.

Now that we’re no longer selling our cheese in stores due to this not-so-little expectation of ours, people are constantly complaining of the lack of these products on their local shelves.  My answer?  Make your own…and here’s how!

Today, we’re going to start with one of the simplest of all: Ricotta.

True ricotta is extremely different from that found in commercial grocery stores.  First of all, real ricotta made with local milk (raw milk from a local milk share IS preferred) has a sweet, complex flavor.  In other words, this simple cheese is far from its bland sister found at the grocery store.  And why skimp on flavor when it’s easier to make ricotta at home than it is to go out and buy some–cheaper, too!  Also, as an added bonus, what if I told you that you could make homemade ricotta AND from-scratch bread all in the same go-round?  Well, you can.  Both recipes could not be any easier, and are great for beginners.

Homemade ricotta can be great on its own, in a savory dish OR a sweet dish.  Often pureed with a little cream and organic sugar, ricotta is the very best healthy dessert served with some fresh,  seasonal fruit.  Also pureed, it can be used to make an ethereal cheesecake.  Mixed with a little sea salt and fresh herbs, it is fantastic as a spread for crackers or crostini.  And of course, there exist its typical uses: filling for cannoli, stuffed shells, lasagna, ravioli, and more!  Making it at home ensures a nice medium curd that is soft like a cloud and oh-so-healthy.  Here’s the recipe:

Ricotta

1 gallon whole milk, preferably raw and from a local farm (never skim, which would make the cheese too dry and rubbery.  If you’d like to experiment but cannot get your hands on local milk just yet, go with organic whole milk, just keep in mind that store bought milk is already over-processed and produces a small, grainy curd)

3/4 cup white or apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt

Process:

Gently heat milk in a stock pot or large saucepan over medium-high heat to 190 degrees F.  Be sure to stay near the milk toward the end, constantly whisking the bottom to prevent major scorching and an even more major clean up later.  Once at 190, remove from heat and pour in vinegar.  Let sit 30 seconds, then begin to whisk slowly.  You will begin to see the curds separate from the whey (yes!  Just like the Miss Muffet rhyme).  What you’ll be looking at are big, puffy, cloudlike white curds that will float separately of the yellow-green watery whey.  Add your salt and stir to incorporate.  At this point, you can strain out your curds through a fine-meshed sieve set over another large bowl or stock pot big enough to hold the whey. Why?  Well, you’re saving the whey, of course!  Now you can package your ricotta in an airtight container and store in the fridge.  It should keep for at least two weeks and usually longer, depending on the freshness of the milk.  To keep it moist, pour a little remaining whey over top to cover.  Ricotta does not melt when cooked, and is great cold, but preferred when warmed.

While whey is not great-tasting on its own, it makes a great substitute for milk in the following bread recipe.  Also, I’ve found that my dog absolutely loves whey and gobbles it up any time I have extra.  After eating/drinking it frequently, her coat becomes softer and shinier.  Amazing and so healthy for her!  Here’s that bread recipe I was talking about, adapted from Ricki Carroll’s “Home Cheese Making” book.  It is not only fluffy and delicious, but so quick and easy to make that you have no excuse NOT to make homemade bread for yourself and your loved ones.  It practically makes itself in an hour and a half from start to finish, with only about 10 minutes being actual hands-on time.

Italian Feather Bread (perfect as an accompaniment to an Italian-themed dinner starring your very own Ricotta)

1 cup warm water (100 degrees)

2 packages yeast (or 4 1/2 teaspoons)

1 tablespoon sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

3/4 cup hot whey (120 degrees)

2 teaspoons salt

5 1/2-6 cups all purpose unbleached flour

Process:

1. If you need to proof your yeast to make sure it’s still alive, then mix it with your warm water and sugar and watch it dissolve and grow.  If you use it often and know it is still kickin’, simply add the water, yeast and sugar directly to 3 cups of the flour in a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.

2. Add your butter and salt to the heated whey and whisk to melt.  You do not want to add this mixture to your yeast if it is too hot, as it will kill the yeast.  I find that adding cold butter helps to bring down the temp to about 100, which is where you want it in order to keep the yeast happy.

3. Once you have added your whey/butter/salt mixture to the 3 cups of flour, mix until incorporated.  Add a cup of flour at a time, not to exceed 6 cups, until the dough looks manageable enough to knead by hand.  If you only need to add 4 cups of flour, then go for it.  The less flour, the better the bread!

4. Knead until smooth and soft (like a baby’s bum).  If it seems to get too tough and resistant, let it sit under a damp towel for 5 minutes, then go back to kneading.  Don’t worry if it seems a tad sticky, just remember to flour your HANDS constantly and NOT the bread itself.

5. Divide your dough into two portions and either shape into large loaves, each on its own parchment/silpat-lined baking sheet OR place shaped loaves into individual buttered or oiled bread pans.  Since this bread is great for sandwiches, I like this option because you WILL have leftover bread and this way it can go into lunches for the week!

6. Cover with damp towels or oiled plastic wrap to rise for 45-60 minutes in a warm place.  Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

7. Once risen, brush with a beaten egg white (if you like a glossy bread) or just leave plain and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden in color.  You can go on feeling the bread to judge its doneness, just keep in mind that a stiff crust in the oven will turn into a soft crust once slightly cooled, and that is the nature of this bread.  Cool on a rack in order to avoid a dewy underside!  (did I just say that?!?!)  =)

Happy Cheese & Bread Making!

From a healthy point of view, we were discouraged for some time over the state of commercial yogurt.  Turn over almost any commercial yogurt in the store and you’ll see ingredients way beyond just milk and cultures (which are the only ingredients that should be in there!).  You’ll see ingredients like gelatin, pectin, corn starch, powdered skim milk, chemical dyes, HFCS and more!  All of these ingredients are completely unnecessary to the production of yogurt, but are added by big, BIG commercial producers of yogurt to ensure a “consistent” product every time that is smooth, thick, and creamy.  What does this mean exactly?  Well, it means that dairy products are inconsistent by nature.  Depending on the type of cow, the ever changing fat content of the milk depending on the cow’s diet and the season in which the cow was milked, and the cultures used.  In fact, yogurt made with just milk and cultures can often turn out slightly different every time it is made.  PLUS, real yogurt, like the kind you find in Europe or the kind you make at home, is MOST often much thinner than the kind we’re used to from Yoplait, Dannon, or other brands.  Adding unnecessary ingredients like pectin, gelatin or other stabilizers is only added to increase thickness, and like I mentioned before, consistency.  If you see a yogurt on the shelves with any other ingredients besides milk and cultures, then in my opinion it is not a true yogurt.

When we began making yogurt and selling it at Perfect Flavor, we encountered almost immediately many customers who were very confused when they saw how “thin” our yogurt consistency was.  It was only when we encountered chefs, the family members of dairy farmers, europeans, and a small number of educated local consumers that we got the response we were looking for.  Finally, they said, here was a yogurt that was the real thing!  And we agreed.  Now, the question is, how can you achieve this real yogurt at home for less money and more fun than buying it at the store?  Easy.

There are two main ways to make yogurt at home.  The first is using an incubator: a small piece of equipment that you can purchase for little money online.  The second is using an oven.  I have used both methods and find them to both be effective!

I first came across the act of making yogurt at home using an incubator when I lived in France.  Needless to say, I was in absolute awe of the fact that I could watch my French hostess pour milk mixed with culture into small glass jars placed in an incubator at night, and in the morning have delicious yogurt in time for breakfast.

When back from France but visiting my dear friend, Samira’s, Bengali mother in Toronto, Ontario, I was curious about the delicious yogurt we ate at her home at almost every meal.  It was then that Samira’s mom taught me how to make homemade yogurt in the easiest way possible: at home with the help of an oven.

For the incubator method, your equipment needs are a little higher, therefore you’ll want to give yourself a week or so to procure your necessary tools.  You’ll need a medium saucepan, a working thermometer whose range starts at at least 100 degrees, great quality raw milk or organic milk (the less processed and pasteurized, the better!), an 8 ounce cup of plain, unsweetened yogurt as your starter (choose Brown Cow, Stoneyfield Farm, or Seven Stars–better yet: a local brand is BEST, but remember to look for the brand with the right ingredients.  You do not want to start your yogurt off on the wrong foot with unnecessary ingredients) and of course an incubator.  My current favorite yogurt incubator is Euro Cuisine.  For this model, make sure to purchase a set of extra glasses on amazon.com so you can make a batch of yogurt while one is still in the fridge.  I like this model in particular because not only is it easy to use, but it’s got glass jars.  With the constant questions raised with the health risks of plastics, especially plastics that are coming in contact with your food while being heated, go with glass and rest assured that you’re not adding any phthalates into your diet.  This incubator is also very easy to clean and has only two buttons: an on/off button and a timer to use for setting how long your yogurt incubates for.  Here’s the recipe:

Take 1 quart of milk, place in your saucepan and heat until the milk reaches 110 degrees F.  This will happen sooner than you think, so stay near the stove and keep an eye on your thermometer.  Remove your milk from the stove and have a pitcher on hand.  Spoon all 8 ounces (1 cup) of your yogurt into the pitcher, then little by little, add the warm milk while whisking until you have a smooth yogurt starter/milk combination.  The small amount of yogurt you have added will be very happy to be mixed in with the warm milk, and once incubated, the cultures present in the mixture will begin to multiply and thrive, turning your milk into full-on delicious yogurt.  Pour your milk/culture mixture into each glass jar, tighten lids, and place in the incubator.  Allow to incubate for as little as 10 hours and as long as 16 hours (the more time the yogurt is in the incubator up to 16 hours, the thicker it will be and the stronger the taste).  I make this yogurt after dinner, allow it to incubate overnight, and place in the fridge in the morning.  The yogurt is ready to be eaten once it is done incubating-at room temp or cold.  Just for your own personal knowledge, the incubator keeps the yogurt at a constant 108 degrees F.  Do not be worried about food poisoning here!  Even though you wouldn’t normally leave milk out on the counter overnight, introducing yogurt culture actually combats the growth of negative bacteria that might make you sick.  Think of it this way: yogurt culture is good bacteria that kills off the bad bacteria naturally.  This does not mean that you would want to never refrigerate your yogurt, just that in the 10-16 hour window that it’s not refrigerated is not going to hurt you.  In fact, those cultures present (probiotics) aid in digestion and help the digestive system to break down all of the food you eat in a healthy, natural way.  This yogurt, once refrigerated, will last in your fridge for up to one month, however this all depends on the freshness of your milk and yogurt starter used.

Now, for those of you interested in trying your hand at yogurt making before committing to a piece of equipment, making it at home in your oven is a great way to start.  Here’s what you’ll need: an oven, a heating pad, a towel, mason jars with lids, a saucepan, a thermometer, milk and 8 ounces of yogurt culture.  Here’s the recipe:

Repeat process above by bringing 1 quart of milk to 110 degrees F, removing it from the stove and adding yogurt culture and milk together in a pitcher.  Meanwhile, prepare your oven: Turn your heating pad on its lowest setting and place the heating pad in your oven to gradually warm the oven.  Make sure you can still create a draft-free environment for your yogurt by ensuring that you can close the oven door with the cord of the heating pad sticking out the side.  Clean your thermometer and place it inside the oven but not on the heating pad.  This is to make sure your oven is maintaining the proper amount of heat for incubation.  Your desired temperature is 108 degrees.  If this means that you’ll need to increase the heat to medium, then do so accordingly.  Pour your milk/starter mixture into your clean mason jars, loosely screw on lids, and place in oven on top of your towel but not directly on the heating pad.  The heating pad should just be sitting somewhere in the oven.  Put a note on the outside with not only the time you put your yogurt in, BUT that NO ONE should turn on oven while your yogurt is incubating.  If the yogurt reaches 120 degrees or higher, the culture will die and you will not make yogurt.  This yogurt, if made at night, will also be ready in the morning, however you may want to experiment with it to let it go a little longer than 10-16 hours in order for you to reach your desired consistency.  Periodically before bed, check the thermometer in your oven by gently opening the oven door, or better yet, just by looking through the window, to make sure the temp is staying at an even 108 degrees F.  If you must open the oven door, do not jostle your mason jars.  Yogurt does not like to be moved at all while it is incubating.  If it does move, the consistency will be chunky and not smooth.

Troubleshooting:

If your yogurt, once incubated, seems to thin, refrigerate it first and the yogurt should become thicker in the fridge, especially if it’s got fat in it.

If your yogurt has lumps, this means that when you combined your milk and yogurt starter, you did not whisk thoroughly enough and distribute the cultures throughout the milk.

Any other questions?  Contact me!

We like to add a bit of organic sugar, raw honey, fresh fruit or wheat germ to our freshly made yogurt.  Have fun with flvoring yours OR just eat it plain!

Here’s to your health!!!

Well, prior to being pregnant, I always assumed two things regarding high protein diets primarily: One was that folks on the Atkins Diet (which I tried out of desperation in college and quickly stopped 1 week in) consume lots of protein, and really only protein. Another aspect of a high protein diet brought to mind body builders downing strawberry-flavored powdered milkshake blends. yum…?

I never really knew until getting pregnant and beginning my childbirth education class focused on The Bradley Method that protein is good. Really good if you’re pregnant. In fact, contrary to what some doctors may say, a diet high in protein during pregnancy is really healthy for both mom and baby. Dr. Bradley, founder of The Bradley Method and an obstetrician from the middle of the 20th century until his recent death, recommends a daily intake of 80-100 grams of protein. Since I couldn’t really wrap my head around what this meant, but now after learning I understand how to incorporate healthy protein into my diet, I’m going to share what I know:

Protein can be found in many foods. Some have lots of protein, others don’t have as much. Foods high in protein are meat, dairy, grains, eggs and nuts. For example, a 3 oz (pretty small) serving size of steak has 20 grams of protein. Chicken of the same portion has 25 grams. Eggs have 6 grams each. A cup of milk (8 oz) has 8 grams, an ounce of real cheese 7 grams, and so on.

Why do I know all of this? Because as a student of The Bradley Method, I have homework each week in which I must record and calculate my daily protein intake as part of a well-balanced diet. In other words, I can’t just eat steaks all day and drink milk, even though my husband would argue that that is exactly what I do-at least when it comes to milk consumption. You see, unbeknownst to me, as I would fill out my daily protein intake on my little pink homework sheet and hand it in to my wonderful teacher, Jenny, she was actually examining everyone’s sheets and running a sort of “protein contest.” Well, as it turns out, my love for milk has paid off. Being that on a typical day I drink between one and two quarts a day, which results in between 32-64 grams of protein alone, I was the Number 1 protein consumer in my class. And I got a prize! It’s a beautiful little Peter Rabbit baby spoon.

Now, first of all, I was not expecting a reward aside from the most obvious prize of all: a healthy pregnancy and really healthy baby. But, I have to admit, getting recognized for my protein-packing abilities makes me feel good. Not to mention the fact that physically, I actually feel fantastic.

Here’s a nice, easy recipe to follow that helps you, pregnant or not, to get a healthy meal with a really healthy dose of protein.

Blue Cheese Steak Salad

Ingredients:

one 8 oz steak (about 53 grams of protein), preferably a locally raised cut like a Delmonico from Polyface Farm

a nice 4 ounce slice of locally made or artisan blue cheese, crumbled (28 grams protein)

1 cup pecans (24 grams protein), toasted at 350 degrees for 7 minutes whole in the oven, then chopped roughly

a big heaping portion of your favorite salad green: I like to use arugula for its spice, or romaine for its crunch. Spinach also works!

Salad Dressing (recipe to follow):

1 hard boiled egg (6 grams protein), pureed with the following: juice of two lemons, 1/2 cup olive oil, smoked sea salt or regular sea salt, white pepper or black pepper to taste, and anchovy paste if you’ve got it, just a couple squeezes from the tube. If you desire, throw in a 1/4 cup blue cheese to make a creamy dressing. Blend and pour over mixed salad.

Process:

Remove steak from packaging, pat dry with a paper towel while your skillet (preferably cast iron) heats on medium high. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper on both sides and place steak directly onto hot skillet. Set a timer for 6 minutes and DO NOT MOVE, POKE, PROD, or otherwise TOUCH. When six minutes is up, flip the steak, set timer for 6 more minutes, then remove to a cutting board to rest for ten minutes. This will produce a perfectly cooked steak, and depending on how thick, can range from a medium rare to medium well. A 1 inch thick delmonico yields a medium at my house. Do not cut into the steak before the ten minute rest is up.

Presentation:

In a large bowl, place salad greens and scatter still-warm pecans over greens. If you’re using arugula or spinach, the warmth from the nuts will help to wilt your greens to a nice texture perfect for this kind of salad.

Sprinkle on crumbled blue cheese.

Pour dressing over salad and toss.

Slice your steak thinly, plate your salad onto two individual plates, and arrange steak on top.

If desired, sprinkle some more pecans and blue cheese crumbles on top and enjoy while warm!

If shared between two people, for instance a pregnant lady and her partner, this meal yields a whopping 55.50 grams of protein per person, which is more than half of your daily required intake!

For dessert, throw in some ice cream (the real stuff!) or some whole milk yogurt with fresh fruit, and you’ve got a fantastic, delicious meal that is not only practically effortless, but also quick to prepare and a very easy way to get the protein you need with the smallest amount of hassle possible.

Look here for more posts concerning healthy protein-filled recipes as well as much more info on The Bradley Method and my adventures in childbirth education!

The interview helps to explain a little bit about what we do at Perfect Flavor.

http://www.wvtf.org/news_and_notes/index.php

I will often post ice cream and cheese specific recipes, articles, fantastic little businesses selling incredible products, and most importantly, we will discuss the anatomy of a healthy ice cream or cheese.

I will also interview plenty of cheesemakers, (sadly we were the only real ice cream maker in Virginia and possibly the country), post links for great do-it-at-home cookbooks, and offer information concerning where to find cultures, molds, equipment, etc. for home cheesemaking and ice cream making.

Stay tuned…