Soft, Hard, and Stretchy: The Culture of Southern European Cheeses with Peter Dixon

Peter Dixon taught a two day workshop focusing on the cheese styles of Southern Europe (Spain, Italy, Albania and beyond). He demonstrated making three different cheeses — one stretchy pasta filata type, one aged hard style, one young semi-soft style — and the techniques for making all three types. In addition, Peter will discuss and demonstrate how to create and propagate natural cheese cultures for use in these and other cheese recipes.

The workshop took place on FRIDAY and SATURDAY, November 13-14 at Pineland Farms Creamery in New Gloucester, Maine. The hours are 8am to 4pm each day.

Here are some pictures of the two-day workshop:

Hooped cheeses ready to drain

Cheeses after draining overnight

Cheeses in brine with salted tops.

Peter reviewing the cheeses some of the students brought for his feedback.

Good times over the cheese vat.

Cutting the pasta filata curd cake

Heating up the pasta filata curds

Stretching the pasta filata curd

Forming the caciocavallo out of the heated curds

The end of the second day of the workshop; everyone had a chance to shape a “horse cheese” in their own way