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Juustoleipa, white cheddar or curds? This is a cheesy story (with video)
Click here to see a video tour of Cozy Cow Dairy.
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Les Hardesty shows how the cheese curds begins to dry and is almost ready to be pressed through a mill to form the hard blocks of cheese.
JIM RYDBOM / jrydbom@greeleytribune.com
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Theresa Myers, (Bio) tmyers@greeleytribune.com
April 16, 2008
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Les Hardesty first made cheese in his home kitchen. With a kit he purchased, Hardesty, who worked at a dairy at the time, would come home from work and begin to mix the milk and rennet, an enzyme that helps milk solidify.
His kids loved the fresh cheese curds, the squeaky solids that are the precursor to hard cheddar cheese. The only way he could get the children to go to bed was to promise to wake them up later, so they could taste the curds.
In fact, it is these fresh cheese curds -- popular in the Midwest, especially Wisconsin and Minnesota -- that are the crux of Hardesty's cheese business.
"We had a guy in here last week who drove all the way from Colorado Springs just to buy curds," Hardesty said.
Les Hardesty, owner of the Cozy Cow Dairy, shows a round block of white cheddar that has been aging in his cooler.
JIM RYDBOM / jrydbom@greeleytribune.com
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Hardesty and his wife, Sherrill, own the Cozy Cow Dairy, just north of U.S. 34 on Weld County Road 17.
The couple purchased the small dairy 3 1/2 years ago. They wanted to create an educational dairy, where school groups and others could tour the facility and learn just where their milk, cheese and ice cream come from. They milk 40 cows at Cozy Cow and sell the milk, homemade cheese and ice cream at a retail outlet on the property.
"We wanted people to come here and see what we are all about," Les Hardesty said. "It's nice to see the cow being milked, the cheese being made -- see the whole process."
Hardesty wanted to expand his kitchen cheesemaking operation, so he purchased the needed equipment, and now makes 400-500 pounds of cheese a week, most of which ends up on the shelves in the form of curds. It takes 10 pounds of milk to make 1 pound of cheese.
To hone his skill, Hardesty has attended master cheesemaking classes in Wisconsin and Utah. He employs a man to help him make the cheese, which is about a 14-hour process.
In addition to the curds, Hardesty makes a white cheddar cheese and juustoleipa, a Finnish cheese that is baked, allowing the outside to caramelize. It is great cubed and warmed slightly, Hardesty said.
Aging is what gives the cheddar cheese it's sharp taste. The longer it is aged, the stronger the taste. A mild cheddar will age from 3-6 months. A sharp cheddar will age between 9 months and a year.
Hardesty does make a few batches of yellow cheddar, which gets it's color from a plant dye. He also occasionally experiments with other varieties. He has a Mexican cheese in the cooler now that he is anxious to try. He's also contemplating a gouda, or maybe even another variety.
Hardesty doesn't have plans to expand his cheese making, or any other aspect of his dairy, right now. He has been approached by a grocery store interested in buying his cheese wholesale, but he's not sure it's in the cards. Business is good at Cozy Cow, and Hardesty is happy.
"People like to support the local guy," he said. "They like to know where their food is coming from."
RECIPES
Queso Fundido
2 medium roasted poblano chiles
4 ounces Mexican Chorizo sausage, casing removed
1 medium white onion, sliced
Salt to taste
12 fresh corn tortillas
8 ounces shredded Chihuahua or other Mexican melting cheese, such as quesadilla or asadero
Cut poblanos into 1/4-inch-wide strips, about 2 inches long. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium skillet cook the chorizo over medium heat, stirring to break up any clumps, until about half cooked, approximately 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is richly golden and the chorizo cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain any excess grease. Stir in the poblano strips, taste and season with salt if needed. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch shallow baking dish or pie plate.
Lightly dampen a clean kitchen towel. Check the tortillas to make sure none are stuck together. Wrap them in the towel, then foil, sealing the edges tightly. Place in the oven for seven minutes. After the time is up, stir the cheese into the warm chorizo mixture. Set in the oven alongside the tortillas and bake until the cheese is just melted but has not separated, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately with warm tortillas.
THREE CHEESE PASTA
Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups milk, warmed
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
12 ounces egg noodles, cooked al dente and drained
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup diced Swiss cheese
1 cup diced mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
For white sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and stir in flour. Add salt and pepper and heat from 1 minute. Stir in the milk. Continue to stir until mixture boils. Remove from heat; set aside.
Coat 3-quart baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter and 1/2 cup bread crumbs. In a medium bowl, toss warm noodles with 2 tablespoons butter. Add cheese and toss again. Layer 1/2 noodles in a baking dish and cover with 1/2 white sauce. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.
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