The obvious first step to cheese making is to get milk. Lucile did this the hard core way, by milking 40 plus goats in the morning and evening. But, if this isn't an option for you, go to the grocery store and buy some milk. I have only worked with goat milk, but I tasted cheese made with this same process from cow milk (although tasty, I preferred the goat). Remember, one heaping liter of milk makes one ounce of cheese. Now you know why they say don't cry over s...

1. Put all milk in a large bowl with rennet (should be able to purchase at any specialty grocery store). Leave overnight at 20C. In 24 hours, check the bowl. You want the layering to be whey (clear-ish in appearance), curd (thick-ish in consistency), then another thin layer of whey on top.

2. If your layers are whey, curd, whey, scoop the curd into molds, leaving space for whey to come out (there's a reason why the molds have holes in them). Try to break the curd from the bowl as little as possible. If possible, try to catch and combine this whey, like putting the molds on a semi-slanted counter with a bowl on the lowest slanted side. If your bowl wasn't layered whey, curd whey, you can still make cheese, although Lucile warns me this is not the...

3. In 24 hours, the cheese should be hardening. Flip it and put it back in the mold and generously salt. If you want a form free spreadable cheese, (or if you just want to eat your creation quicker!) take the cheeses out of their molds, combine, mix, and strain (noodle strainer works) and add salt, minced garlic, thyme, chives, herbs de Provence, etc. (check out the next blog post on how to wrap these little guys as gifts!)

4. In 24 hours, flip the cheese and place back in its mold, now salting the other side. Place it in a cooler environment, such as 7 degrees Celcius, to harden even more.