Ferment
• When making cheese for the first time, you may use fromage
blanc or petit suisse cheese from the store as ferment.
• Afterwards, you can simply set aside 2 generous tablespoons
of the cheese you have made or a cup of whey to use for the
next batch.
For best results, keep your ferment refrigerated and store for no
longer than eight days. This 'regeneration' process should also
be followed no more than five times, after which the ferment
weakens in effectiveness, affecting the quality of the resulting
cheese.
• Another option is to use a special ferment for fromage blanc
available in lyophilized form at pharmacies. This ferment may
be used to start the first batch instead of fromage blanc or petit
suisse cheese or rennet. Use one 2 g packet per batch.
Note: The flavour and consistency of the first batch may be diffe-
rent from subsequent batches started through 'regeneration'.
Rennet
Rennet is sold in dropper bottles at the pharmacy.
Cheesecloth
Cheesecloth is also available at pharmacies. In its place, you may
also use sterile gauze compresses or even a damp cloth (prefera-
bly of synthetic material to keep the curds from adhering to it).
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