Description of Cotswold cheese, manufacturing features. Energy value and nutrients prevailing in the composition. Effects on the body, recipes.
The Cotswold is a hard cheese made in the UK from 2 types of cow's milk - after pasteurization and without it. The variety is analogous to Double Gloucester - double Gloucester cheese, but with additions - dried chives and common chives. The aroma is pronounced, creamy, with a tinge of rotten straw; taste - sweetish-oily, with a hint of piquancy and pungency; texture - dense, elastic, hard, crumbling when cut; color - yellow, with dark inclusions of flavoring additives. The shape of the heads is a tall cylinder, weighing from 1.7 to 5 kg. A natural inedible crust forms on the surface, covered with a grayish fluffy bloom. To avoid the formation of mold, use a wax or latex coating.
How is Cotswold cheese made?
To get a full-weight head of this grade (1.7 kg), you need to take at least 14 liters of raw materials. If milk is planned to be pasteurized, it is heated to the required temperature - 62 ° C - during the manufacturing process, and only then cooled to 32 ° C. With excessive heating, the starter cultures curl up, and the desired taste cannot be obtained.
The Cotswold cheese is made both at home and in an industrial setting. Features of self-preparation: cooking flavors (dried vegetable slices are supplied to dairy factories), cutting cheese grains with a knife, not a "harp", covering the forms not with gauze, but with a special cheese cloth, ripening is carried out in a chamber, and not in a cellar or specially equipped basement.
The chopped dried vegetables are boiled in a little water, and then the liquid is separated and left to dry. The broth is not drained, it is needed to enhance the taste of the final product.
How the Cotswold cheese is made:
- In a water bath, milk with onion broth is brought to 32 ° C and dry thermophilic starter is poured onto the surface. Do not mix immediately. It should be set aside for 2-5 minutes to be absorbed on its own. Shake everything from top to bottom and let it brew for 40-45 minutes.
- Next, pour in the previously diluted annatto dye - a few drops, since with an overabundance the color of the cheese will turn out to be carrot, but you need to get an even, uniform yellow. After a minute, liquid rennet is poured in and left until the kale is formed. If the temperature is kept constant, a positive clean fracture test can be obtained after 45 minutes. In the case when the curd curd is not too dense, leave for another 15 minutes at 32 ° C.
- The size of the cheese grains is 0.5x0.5 cm. First, vertical cuts are made, then horizontal cuts. Slowly stirring, warm up to 40 ° C at a rate of 1 ° C / 1 minute, for half an hour. The curd mass is allowed to sink to the bottom.
- At this time, cover the colander with gauze folded in several layers, transfer the intermediate raw materials and leave until the whey is completely separated. Mix with prepared boiled onions and salt.
- The forms are also covered with gauze, carefully straighten all the folds, shift the cheese mass, wrap it up and set the oppression for 15 minutes (for each kg of weight - 2.5 kg).
- On the already formed head, the fabric is changed to dry, everything is put back into the mold, the weight of the load is doubled and left for a day, turning it over 4 times.
- To dry, the heads are left on the table at room temperature, the readiness is checked empirically, by touch. The passive process takes 2-5 days, depending on the size of the head.
- Natural wax without dyes is melted in a water bath and gently applied to the cheese in 2 or 3 layers using a soft brush. Leave the coating to harden for several hours, and then transfer it to a aging chamber with a temperature of 12 ° C and a humidity of 80-85%. Maturation - from 1 to 3 months, turn over the first week 2 times a day, and from the second - 1 time in 1-2 days. The duration of maturation is 2-4 months.
If wax is not applied to the crust, the heads must not only be turned over, but also washed with a weak 15% brine. This is to avoid excessive mold growth. The appearance of an unevenly spaced white bloom is allowed. In the case of the formation of a characteristic cannon, indicating the activity of extraneous fungal cultures, a small amount of vinegar is added to the brine during washing.
Composition and calorie content of Cotswold cheese
During the manufacture, products from a number of GMOs are not introduced. A self-respecting manufacturer will not allow the use of artificial additives that imitate the taste of the onion mixture.
The calorie content of Cotswold cheese is 405 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Proteins - 24.6 g;
- Fat - 34 g;
- Carbohydrates - up to 1 g.
Fat content of Cotswold cheese on dry matter - 50-55%
The vitamin composition is rich. In addition to the substances characteristic of this type of product - tocopherol, retinol, folic and pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, cobalamin and riboflavin, ascorbic acid and beta-carotene should be noted. The latter nutrients are included in the Cotswold cheese from various types of onions.
The prevailing minerals are calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, selenium, zinc and iodine.
The benefits of Cotswold cheese
This variety can be incorporated into a weight loss diet by adding flavors that play the role of dietary fiber. They accelerate the speed of peristalsis, help cleanse the body. With active training, the already formed fat layer begins to break down, and new "reserves" are not formed.
Benefits of Cotswold Cheese:
- Due to the high content of calcium, it increases the strength of bones and teeth, slows down the degenerative age-related changes, and accelerates the healing of fractures.
- Stimulates the secretion of enzymes necessary for the digestion of food and digestive juices. Increases the production of bile.
- It has anti-inflammatory properties, has a beneficial effect on epithelial tissues, and increases skin turgor.
- Supports visual function.
- Accelerates nerve-impulse conduction.
- Improves overall immunity.
Cotswold cheese has a pronounced satiating effect, helps to normalize nutrition and avoid snacks if you follow a healthy lifestyle. With this product, you can quickly recover from iron deficiency anemia, tuberculosis, colds that have exhausted the body.
When using cheese made from pasteurized milk, there is no restriction for the introduction into the diet of women during pregnancy and lactation, the elderly or children from a very young age. The recommended daily portion is no more than 60 g for adolescents, the elderly and women, up to 80 g for healthy men.
