La Tur Recipe
cow, goat, and sheep · soft · Alta Longa
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Ingredients
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Milk & Starter
Coagulation & Salting
Equipment & Finishing (ingredients measured as materials)
Method
Milk & Starter
- 1
- 2
Add cultures & calcium chloride
When milk reaches 32°C, sprinkle the mesophilic starter culture evenly across the surface and let it rehydrate for 2 minutes, then stir gently for 1 minute to incorporate. Add the Alta Longa/adjunct culture and stir again. If using pasteurized milk, dilute 0.5 tsp calcium chloride in 25 ml cool non-chlorinated water and stir into the milk to improve coagulation.
- 3
Ripen
Allow the inoculated milk to ripen undisturbed for 30–45 minutes at 30–32°C. During ripening you should notice a faint thickening and slight sweet/tangy aroma developing.
Coagulation & Salting
- 4
Add rennet & set
Dilute 0.8 tsp rennet in 25 ml cool non-chlorinated water. Stir the rennet solution into the milk with a gentle up-and-down motion for about 1 minute, then stop stirring and allow milk to set undisturbed. Maintain the temperature at 30–32°C. Expect a clean break in 45–60 minutes (soft, custard-like curd).
- 5
Cut curd
When a clean break is achieved, cut the curd into approximately 1.5–2.5 cm (about 3/4–1 inch) cubes using a long knife. Let curds rest for 5 minutes to settle.
- 6
Gentle stirring & matting
Over the next 20–30 minutes, slowly stir the curds gently every 5 minutes to help them knit without releasing excessive whey. Keep the curd temperature steady at 30–32°C. The curds should soften and begin to mat together but remain relatively moist—La Tur is a soft, high-moisture cheese.
- 7
Transfer to mold
Scoop the curds into a lightly perforated round mold (8–10 cm diameter for small wheels) lined with cheese cloth or directly into the mold for a rustic surface. Allow the curds to drain naturally for 2–4 hours at room temperature; turn the cheese once after 1 hour to encourage even drainage and shape. Do not press heavily—this is a soft cheese and should retain much moisture.
- 8
Salt
After the cheese has consolidated (still soft but holding shape), remove from the mold and sprinkle non-iodized fine salt evenly over the surface and rub lightly. Use about 45 g total salt for a batch yielding roughly 1–1.2 kg of cheese (adjust proportionally). Alternatively, prepare an 8% brine (80 g salt per liter water) and submerge the formed cheese for 1–3 hours depending on desired salt level, turning once.
Aging & Finishing
- 9
Initial rest
Place the salted cheese on a draining rack or in a breathable container and allow it to rest at 10–12°C and 85–95% relative humidity for 24–48 hours. This allows surface moisture to equalize and mild surface flora to establish.
- 10
Short aging (Alta Longa style)
Move the cheese to a cool aging space at 8–10°C and 85–90% RH. Turn the cheese daily for the first week to encourage even drying and rind development. La Tur is typically very short-aged: age for 7–14 days for a delicate, lactic, creamy interior with a thin, slightly tacky rind. For a creamier, almost spreadable texture, allow 14–21 days under the same conditions.
- 11
Storage & serving
Store finished cheeses wrapped in breathable paper (cheese paper or waxed paper) in the refrigerator at 4–6°C and consume within 2–3 weeks for best freshness. Bring to room temperature 30–60 minutes before serving to best appreciate the soft triple-milk flavors.
