Roccaverano Recipe
Produced in the Langhe region of Italy this DOP cheese is aged by the legendary family of Guffanti to perfection, when the cheese takes on a soft moist cakey texture that sticks to your palate with a tangy creamy finish.
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Ingredients
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Cheese Base
Optional finishing / aging additions
Method
Cheese Base
- 1
Warm milk and inoculate
Pour 4 cups of fresh whole goat's milk into a heavy pot. Slowly heat milk to 86°F (30°C) over low heat, stirring gently to avoid scorching. Remove from heat. Sprinkle 1 tsp mesophilic starter culture evenly across the surface and let rehydrate 2 minutes, then whisk gently for 1 minute to distribute.
- 2
- 3
Add rennet and set
Stir 1 tsp diluted rennet into a small amount of cool, non-chlorinated water, then add to the milk and stir gently for 20–30 seconds in an up-and-down motion. Stop stirring and let milk sit undisturbed at 86°F (30°C) for 45–60 minutes, until a clean break forms (curd separates cleanly from whey when cut).
- 4
Cut curds and drain
Using a long knife or curd cutter, cut the curd into approximately 1/2–3/4 inch cubes. Let curds rest undisturbed for 5 minutes, then gently stir for 10 minutes to release whey and slightly firm the curds. Line your mold or basket with moistened fine cheesecloth, ladle curds into the mold, allowing whey to drain. Fold cloth over the top.
- 5
Press and salt
Place a light weight (1–2 lb) on the molded cheese to encourage expulsion of additional whey for 1–2 hours at room temperature, flipping the cheese every 30–45 minutes to ensure even drainage and shape. After the cheese has formed a cohesive shape and still retains some moisture (cakey, soft), unwrap and sprinkle 1 tablespoon non-iodized cheese salt evenly over all surfaces; gently rub the salt into the paste.
- 6
Drying phase
Place the cheese on a non-reactive rack or in a clean container at 50–60°F (10–15°C) with good air circulation to dry for 24–48 hours, turning the cheese every 8–12 hours so it dries evenly and the rind begins to form. Use a spray bottle with cooled boiled water to lightly mist the cheese if it dries too quickly; you want a thin, slightly tacky rind.
Optional finishing / aging
- 7
Short aging for Roccaverano-style texture
Move the dried cheese to an aging container that can hold 85–95% humidity at 50–55°F (10–13°C). If you don't have a humidity-controlled cooler, use a small container with a damp sponge (in a sealed box) to gently raise humidity and open it once daily. Age the cheese for 10–21 days, turning it daily or every other day. During this time, the cheese will develop a moist, cakey interior and a thin, slightly moist rind. Taste periodically; the texture should become soft and slightly sticky at the surface with a tangy, creamy finish.
- 8
Short-term storage and serving
Once the cheese reaches desired texture (soft, moist, tangy), store it in the refrigerator wrapped in wax paper or loose parchment inside a container to prevent drying while allowing some airflow. Bring to room temperature (30–60 minutes) before serving to maximize creaminess and flavor.