David Rotsztain Cheese Workshop

* Curds and whey *
This hands-​on cheesemaking workshop was a blast.
David Rotsztain is a full-​time farmer and cheesemaker from Mayne Island. He offers cheesemaking workshops every few months, and they fill up as soon as he announces them.
As part of the workshop he gave us his cheese handbook, which has all sorts of useful tips and instructions for making a variety of cheeses. He covers everything from soft fresh cheeses to rennet cheeses to heat cheeses.
In class we made:
1) Poutine cheese curds. It was wonderful to learn how these are made from scratch, and to experience the fresh squeak by the end of the 3 hour workshop! We made them with a fresh goat’s milk for a little added twist.
2) Fresh non-​pressed paneer. This was surprisingly easy to make, and had a very light taste.
3) Chipotle and garlic pressed paneer. We took some of the non-​pressed paneer and mixed it with chipotle peppers and fresh garlic, then put it into a homemade cheesepress (who knew you could use two yogurt containers like that with just a little modification of poking some holes in one?) and let it press out the moisture to form a nicely shaped ready to be sliced pressed paneer.
We also learned how with a few extra steps from the basic procedures we learned we could easily make a blue cheese, brie, chevre, ricotta, etc.
At the end of the workshop we sampled everything we had made, along with a few special cheeses he brought along from small cheesemakers out on Salt Spring Island. A lovely way to wrap up the lessons!
David even gave us some kefir grains to get a good culture started at home. Nice touch!
David is filled with useful tips and amusing stories about his cheesmaking experiences. He made the 3 hours zoom by, and we left with new skills and a new appreciation for the art of cheesemaking.
What a wonderful 3 hour experience!