Blessed are the cheesemakers.

Monty Python, Life of Brian

Picture a summer evening. You've just bought some homegrown tomatoes and fresh basil at your local farmer's market. In your pantry is balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, and a bottle of red wine. You open up your refrigerator to find a wedge of store-bought cheese. Wouldn't it be better to have a few slices of fresh homemade mozzarella cheese to complete your salad? The following recipe¹ is a foolproof way to make your own mozzarella. British units of measurement are noted in parentheses.

Ingredients

The Cheese

• 3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces) whipping cream
• 1 3/4 gallon + 1 cup nonfat milk (29 cups or 6.63 litres total)
• 1/4 rennet tablet or 1 teaspoon liquid rennet²
• 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) cool water
• 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) freshly opened buttermilk

The Brine

• Ratio of 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) salt to 1 quart water. Mix in corrosive-resistant bowl.

Making the Curd

Note: All instruments used during this step need to be sterilized before each use either by immersing or pouring boiling water over them. This includes each time a thermometer or spoon is used. If you don't, bacteria will make the cheese taste funky.

Combine cream and milk in a four gallon pot. Mix these together using only a metal spoon on low heat. The milk has to reach a temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.22 Celsius). Regularly check on this with a thermometer. This could take an hour, so go pick up that book you've been trying to finish. In the meantime add the rennet to a bowl containing the cool water. Let stand until the rennet is dissolved. When the milk hits 90 degrees add the buttermilk, spooning out any butter clumps. Mix thoroughly. Slowly add rennet mixture and stir until it is completely and evenly distributed throughout the milk.
The milk will begin to clot. Check the thermometer often, making sure the the temperature stays at 90 degrees. After 30-45 minutes it will be completely clotted. It's time to release the whey. Cut a crosshatch pattern into the curds using a sharp knife and stir slowly.

Removing the Whey

Note: From here on out, it's not necessary to sterilize your equipment.

You're now about to seperate the curds and whey. Wouldn't Little Miss Muffet be jealous? In your kitchen sink line a big colander with a few layers of clean cheesecloth. Dump the curds into it. The whey should drain away. Then place the colander, cheese and all, in an airtight container in your refrigerator. Every day, remove it, drain the whey, and change the cheesecloth. This should be done for three to four days. Then it will be ready for molding. How can you tell?

• Cut off a small piece of the mozzarella. Let it sit in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes. If it stretches under it's own weight when you pull it out by one end, it's ready. If it tears, let it continue chilling in the refrigerator for a few more days. Make sure you repeat the daily draining and cleaning process. If it still continues to tear, you've got cottage cheese. It's not a loss, go get yourself some sliced peaches or salt, pepper, and scallions.

Molding the Cheese

Divide cheese into four workable sections. Remove any dried portions and cut one section into 1/4 inch slices. Put these slices in a bowl and cover them with very hot water. Push the slices together with a spoon and begin to lift the mass out of the bowl by one end. The cheese should stretch and start to form a rope. Keep pulling and don't let this rope fold back on itself. Now grab one end of the cheese rope and begin to create a ball in your hands by rolling it under itself. You can make several mozzarella balls out of each section by pinching off the cheese as you go. Place each completed ball in the brine solution. This will give the mozzarella balls some flavor. The longer you leave them in, the saltier they will be. The four sections of cheese will make 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of mozzarella.

Final Note: Any curds or cheese you don't use can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to five days. But beware, the cheese will not taste as fresh.