What an Event it was! We had so much Fun!

A big thank you to everyone who joined us for our Cheese Making Workshop. Marly, the owner of Omnom Cheese, led 20 of us through the night and introduced us to the world of home-made cheese.

And it was pretty hands-on as we got to stretch the curds to make delicious mozarella, bocconcini (which is small Mozarella) and burrata (mozarella filled with cream and curd).

What do you need to make your own cheese? These are the most important ingredients and tools:

  • Unhomogenised Milk: You need milk that is as close to its natural state as possible. Homogenised milk works for yoghurt, but not for cheese as the fat globules have been destroyed in the process. With unhomogenised milk you can see the cream separating on the top, so shake or stir well before use.
  • Chlorine-Free / Filtered Water: Chlorine messes with the cheese making process, so you want to use water that has been filtered or just boil your tap water for a bit and let cool.
  • Citric Acid: Makes the milk curdle which is what you want for the curds to form
  • Rennet: An enzyme traditionally taken from a calf’s stomach lining, but there are now vegetarian / synthetic options available. It coagulates milk in order to form a thick curd.
  • A Thermometer: Hitting the right temperature is key. Too hot kills the enzymes in the rennet, to cold hinders the cheese making process.
stretching the curd
Stretching the Curd

The fun starts when you have a curd ready to go as you’ll start working the curd by stretching and folding it until you have the perfect texture to pop off your delicious balls of mozarella. You have to work with 75-80 degree hot water though which means you have to protect your hands and wear gloves.

One thing that is disappointing about making cheese though is that 2 litres of milk will only yield about 300-400g of cheese. πŸ˜‰ The byproduct is whey, a protein rich liquid that can be used as an addition to stock, soups, for baking or to make even more cheese, i.e. ricotta or Scandinavian geitost.

Mozarella
The End Result

If you’re keen to learn more about home cheese making and want to get some of the ingredients or tools, check out Marly’s website: omnomcheese.com or take one of her frequent classes.

And a big shout out to Isabel van Megan, our Event Manager, for organizing this fun event and to Libby Bubb for organizing the delicious sparkling wine from Tamburlaine Organic Wines!

EVENT DETAILS

When: Wednesday, June 12, 7 – 9 pm

Where: CHANGE OF LOCATION – Queenscliff Surf & Life Saving Club, corner of North Steyne and Collingwood Street, Manly – just before Queenscliff Bridge and Lagoon

How to get there: 10-15 minute walk from Manly along the beach, buses 136 or 139 from the wharf, bicycle, car (there is ample parking nearby)

Tickets: via Humanitix

Members: $80, Non-Members: $100 – worth every cent!

Join us for a fun evening of cheese making and bubbles! πŸ™‚

We are sold out!

During this cheese making class, you will learn how to handcraft your own Italian cheeses, namely fresh hand-stretched Italian Bocconcini and Burrata. You will see the transformation from milk into cheese within a couple of hours, all while enjoying sparkling wine and lots of laughter. You will be stretching your own balls of bocconcini and burrata and will walk away confident in your ability to make artisan cheese at home using common kitchen equipment.

This class is a great gift for your loved ones, friends or just to spoil yourself! πŸ™‚

You will take home the cheese you make, so please bring a large enough container with you.

The class will be run by Marly from Omnom Cheese Making:

“Hi my name is Marly and I’m the Sydney-based human behind Omnom Cheese Making. I graduated University witha Bachelor of Science, majored in Human Nutrition, which, with a love of food has brought me to where I am today. My cheese making hunger started in 2011 as a food science student, on a student budget, with a haloumi addiction.
My style of cheese making is aimed at the urban food-lover and busy city dweller. The recipes are quick, don’t require huge amounts of hands-on labour and are specially tailored to suit an apartment-style kitchen with regular kitchen equipment. My aim is to inspire you, and to have you feeling 100% confident in your own ability to make cheese when you walk out of any of my classes or use one of my DIY cheese making kits.”

Secure your tickets via Humanitix – The first not-for-profit ticketing platform which directs 100% of profits from booking fees to education projects that help disadvantaged children. So well in line with our values! πŸ™‚