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Home Cheese Making in Austin, Texas

This is my journal of learning to make cheese at home. The recipes described here are cheeses that I’ve tried and links to their sources.

I would never have even thought to start making cheese had it not been for my friend, Debra Smotrilla. She brought me some of her Panir and told me how to make it. Then we both signed up for a cheese making class at Homestead Heritage in Elmont, Texas. We were the only ones in class that did not own cows or goats - first problem, where to get the farm fresh milk?

First Cheese

First Ever Cheese - Panir: The first cheese I ever made was Panir. Heat the milk to just boiling and add lemon juice to coagulate the curds. Simple. Fun. Panir is kind of like hard tofu in texture and it absorbs the flavors of the other ingredients if used during cooking. A great meal extender and it doesn’t melt. Freezes well, too. Try it in scrambled eggs.

Caution What I learned - use a heavy bottom pan to heat the milk to prevent scorching. Uh yeah, remember about Panir absorbing the flavor of cooked foods - scorched is not a good flavor. To me it seems to taste better prepared with lemon juice instead of vinegar.