Thursday, April 17, 2008

Of feasts and cheese and sealing wax

I've delved into cheesemaking and absolutely loving it! There is something extremely fascinating about watching sweet fresh milk turn into thick gelatinous curds and then eventually into a solid mouth-watering cheese. My trials with mozzerella have been very successful and met with great response both at project night and fighter practice (and despite what people think fighters won't eat just anything put in front of them!) So I'm feel quite confident in serving it at the feast. Oh the feast. "What feast," you say? Why the feast for the event once known as Daggers and Hemlock Two, which is now being known as "Meridies 30 year celebration." Things are a bit vague at the moment, but it looks like I'll be cooking for somewhere between 150 and 200 people. I've decided to go with my idea of a late period Italian feast with more courses served from the credenza than from the kitchen. Great idea considering this event is in August/September (Labor day weekend) in Florida and from a small kitchen. Keeping the amount of dishes that need to be kept hot down to a minimum will be an absolute necessity.

Now back to cheese (which is always much more fun to talk about than the negotiations of feast - the trials of a feast, yes; the negotiations, not so much). I'm beginning my first hard cheese today. We will see how it goes. I don't have any concerns in my ability to follow a recipe and make cheese. It's cooking 101. My concern is finding a cat free place in the house :) I've got to do a bit more research into what other people have done to assure that drying cheese (prior to wax coating) isn't covered with cat fur. Cato is thinking a fan box. I was thinking a green house, but concerned about keeping it cool enough. I have plenty of room in my bedroom for several various ideas.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh, the cat fur issue is why you were thinking greenhouse! I suppose you don't have a spare room you could keep cats out of - that's what I do with cat-sensitive things, including guests.

Mel. said...

Right, there is no cat-free zone in our house except Emily's room, but it is a hamster zone so that won't do either. I'm thinking back in my hobby area as that is the place where they tend to go the least. I had a brilliant idea of getting some of those picnic tents that you set over food. I think that may very well work. I've got some small cooling racks and I think those over a cookie sheet covered by a picnic tent might do the trick. Now to go clear off space on my shelves in the hobby area.