CRESCIENZA or STRACHINO
Crescienza or Stracchino, this splendid cow’s cheese to be eaten fresh that we find almost daily on Italian tables.
Crescenza is a soft cheese belonging to the Stracchini family, typical cheeses of the northern part of Italy. Its history is quite ancient, in fact it is said to have been born around the XIII century. Like the Stracchino to which it belongs, Crescenza was originally prepared with the milk of “stracche” cows, i.e. tired after the transhumance that took place from the mountains to the valleys towards the beginning of autumn.
INGREDIENTS:
MILK 1
• 6 L. Cow’s milk
• 180g. 35% cream
MILK 2
• 4 L. Cow’s milk
• 2 L. Buffalo milk
• 1.5g. Calcium chloride
• 90g. Whole yogurt or 1 g. Mesophilic starter type B.
• 0.20 ml. liquid calf rennet
• For salting 0.5% salt
PREPARATIONS:
Milk 1
Let’s start with cow’s milk, 6 litres, which, if you buy it at the supermarket, must be whole 3.8%, organic, grass feed (if you use only cow’s milk, add 3% cream at 35%).
Milk 2
I use 4 liters of cow’s milk and 2 liters of buffalo milk. I use buffalo milk instead of cream, due to its fat content ( 8-9%).
If you want to use 2 liters in total, divide all ingredients by 3.
We add 2 g. of calcium chloridefor each liter of milk ( total 12 grams) ①, and, at this point, bring the temperature to 36°C – 100°F and add the starter. I use Mesophile dry ferment ②, but whey starter is also good and whole natural yogurt, even Greek yogurt.
Put the starter in the milk and mix vigorously for 1 minute ③, stop the motion, put the lid back on the pot and wait 15 minutes.
If we use a type B mesophilic starter in the order of 1 g. per 6 litres.
If we use a whey starter in the order of 5%, 300 ml per 6 litres (50ml. per L.).
If we use whole yogurt, add 1.5% to the quantity of milk (90g. for 6 liters of milk).
After this short period, we add the rennet ⑤.
If you use liquid calf rennet, it will be in the order of 0.20 ml per 6 liters of milk (we add it with a syringe, or dissolve the rennet in cold water).
If we use a microbial rennet ④, we will have to dissolve the rennet in cold water, in the order of 0.15ml per 6 liters of milk, in 10ml. of cold water.
Once the rennet has been added, mix the milk for 20/30 seconds, stop the motion and wait about 1 hour (the surface will have to thicken, like jelly) ⑥.
Put the lid back on our pot ⑦, always keeping the temperature at 30/35°C.
If you don’t have an oven with the “proof” function to keep the temperature at 30 degrees, wrap, covering the pan with a towel ⑧.
It is possible to use 2.5 ml. of microbial rennet. The solidification time will naturally be shorter, approximately 1 hour. I prefer to use less rennet and wait more time to avoid the risk of having a bitter aftertaste.
After this elapsed time, we make the first and only cut, with a long and smooth blade (without teeth or knurls) into cubes of about 5*5cm – 2”*2”. The cut must be done calmly and delicately so as not to crush the curd too much.
Put the lid back on our pot and wait another 1 hour, always keeping the temperature at 30/35°C.
After this time ⑩, very calmly, we pour our curd into the molds, in which we will have inserted a cheese cloth ⑪, to prevent the curd from escaping, being very careful not to break it too much ⑫, and not to press it ⑬. This represents a very important phase on which the success of the stracchino cheese will greatly depend.
At this point the cheese stewing phase begins, which must be done at temperatures close to 28/30°C – degrees with very high humidity.
To maintain humidity, I covered the cheese mold with a plastic bag, and placed the molds in the oven at 30°C – 86°F – 82/82°F ⑭.
It must last three hours and during this time we will do 4 revolts:
one to 30 minutes
one second at 60 minutes
a third at 120 minutes
a quarter to 180 minutes.
(1) 30 minutes, (2) 1 hour, (3) 2 hours, (4) 3 hours.
At the end of stewing, remove the cheese cloth ⑮ and put the cheese back in the mold, sprinkling 0.5% of salt on its weight over the upper side ⑯, cover well with kitchen film or a bag ⑰ (to keep humidity high) and put in the fridge at about 10/12°C – 50/54°F.
Place a plate under the mold because the cheese will continue to lose liquid.
After 8/10 hours, or the following morning, remove the crescienza from the basket and after salting the other side with 0.5% fine salt, put it back in the fridge for another 8/10 hours.
After 8/10 hours, gently remove the stracchino from the cheese mould ⑱, wrap it delicately in a sheet of parchment paper ⑲ and put it back in the fridge at around 10/12°C – 50/54°F, inside a plastic bag ⑳, or in a container.
I use a refrigerator for drinks as it has a variable temperature.
We leave it this way for at least 48/72 hours, turning it every 24 hours.
Once the time has elapsed, the stracchino should appear to the eye as a creamy and soft cheese.
The Crescienza should be consumed within 7 days.
