Chèvre is the French word for goat so it is used to describe any cheese made from goat's milk. Next to paneer it is one of the easiest cheeses to make. Chèvre cheeses come in a variety of sizes and shapes including cones, cylinders, discs, and hearts. It takes the shape of whatever mold you put it in.
It can be mild or tangy. Most of that depends on the quality and taste of the goat milk is to start. We keep a good check on our goat's milk and people have often said they cannot tell the difference between it and cow's milk. If you taste your milk plain and it tastes "goaty", your cheese is going to also. Some people like that. We do not. I use a dry culture from the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company.
Chèvre
1gallon goat's milk (not ultra high pasteurized*)1 packet dry chevre culture
Heat a gallon of goat's milk to 86 degrees
*The proteins in ultra high pasteurized milk have lost their ability to set into curds.
** By mistake I let it set for 24 hrs before draining in the fridge. I found it made more curds that were more moist and less tangy the the original version. It is the same amount of time spent at room temperature but the difference is whether it is in the whey or not. Please ask me questions if you have any.
