♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ In this episode of The Farmer and The Foodie, say cheese!

Cheese making is an art and a science.

We're at Wildcat Mountain Farmstead Cheese.

A dairy farm in East Bernstadt, Kentucky.

where Clara and Ronnie Patton are putting us to work.

Making delicious artisanal cheese.

While Maggie heads out to meet Ronnie.

And cozy up to the cows.

I'm headed inside to help Clara.

Start today's batch of fresh Swiss.

I'm Maggie Keith and I'm the farmer.

And I'm Lindsey McCclave and I'm the foodie.

And this is...

The Farmer & The Foodie.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Funding for this program is made possible in part by the KET.

Endowment for Kentucky Productions.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Clara, thank you so much for having us out here today.

Your property is so beautiful.

We got to see the cows, they welcomed us as we came up.

And now there's this beautiful vat of their milk.

Right here to greet me.

So thank you for having me in your special space.

We're glad for you to be here, Lindsey.

This morning we pasteurized the milk.

And it is already cooled down.

Today we're making Swiss cheese.

I have added the culture.

Culture is bacteria that will impart flavors to the cheeses.

And use different cultures according to whichever type.

Of cheese that you're making.

So now that the culture has already been added.

Now we're ready to add a little bit of calcium chloride.

And the rennet.

The rennet is going to cause the milk to coagulate.

And so it would go from being a liquid to being like a solid.

Almost like yogurt or a gelatin-type thing.

Calcium chloride helps to stabilize the calcium.

In the milk.

Sometimes pasteurization may weaken those bonds a little bit.

So that's just added back as a stabilizer.

And it helps to improve the yield on the cheese.

What is the temperature right now?

I feel like a light warmth, but is it...?

We stopped it at about 90 degrees.

We cooled it.

With pasteurization we took it up to about.

140 to 145, held that for 30 minutes.

And then we cooled it back down to 90 degrees.

And how much milk is this that we're looking at here?

This is about 654 pounds of milk.

It'll produce about 65 pounds of cheese.

65 pounds of cheese, it's probably about what.

If you were a real cheese lover.

About what you would eat in one year.

laughter So the milk is still a liquid now.

And probably in about 45 minutes It will be a solid.

And then we will do what's called cutting the curd.

Can I help with that?

Definitely.

Okay, okay.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Maggie, thank you for coming today.

We're glad to have you all here.

We're a dairy farm here in southeastern Kentucky.

Probably one of the oldest ones left in the state.

We started in the '30s and my grandfather did and my dad.

When he come back from the Korean War.

He took over and then I got out of school in the '70s.

I started out And now our fourth generation's here.

My son's here working with us too on the farm.

Yeah.

So four generations of farmers here on this land.

All in your family.

What does that feel like?

It just feels like home to us because that's what it is.

I don't know how it would feel to be something else.

So, yeah, this is, I've never known anything else.

You know, I spent my summers riding around.

In my uncle's milk truck.

And on the routes and I gotta be a little bit biased.

It wasn't all about picking up milk and going to the farms.

It was, after we loaded the truck.

And we were headed to the plant,there was this nice.

Little green building.

Building that had the best hamburgers.

A little kid would like.

And then we'd go unload the milk.

And then I go in the cooler at the plant.

And there'd be this mountain of chocolate milk.

That we got at school.

You know, every day we would have in retreat.

So dairy's been part of my life all the time.

So we enjoy it.

Oh, that's beautiful.

So it takes a lot of resilience.

To be a fourth generation family farm.

What has gotten your family.

Through some of those tougher spots?

I think it's just been work ethic and our faith in Christ.

And the work that we've done.

And we mulled this business here over.

I think, three or four years before we decided to do it.

And that's kind of just we don't make any rash decisions.

That's very smart.

Yeah.

It's hard to make rash decisions when you're working with cattle.

And with nature, and that kind of slows you down a bit.

It is.

If we make a mistake in here, normally.

If you're doing something on a farm.

You make a mistake, well, you start over.

And here, we eat our mistakes.

So that's what we've done.

I like that.

So what kind of cattle have you found.

Is best for raising on your farm?

We use a cross.

We use cross of a Jersey-Ayrshire Cross.

Or a Holstein-Jersey cross.

They're a smaller animal than a larger Holstein.

And that just fits our program a lot easier.

And what do you feed your cattle?

Our cattle are pasture based and on hay.

We do feed a minute part of grain in the parlor.

But that is as a carrier for our minerals.

And vitamins that we feed those animals.

Okay.

Three or four year ago.

We quit feeding corn silage or any fermented feed to our cows.

I've seen the results has been the cattle are more healthy.

That when they're fresh eating them.

It doesn't take them that long for the milk to clear up.

I was really concerned of replacing that energy.

And we've been able to replace that energy with good grass.

And what we did.

I think this is a business model of the future.

I just think that if you look today.

The larger corporate entity are.

They kind of mimic what we're doing here.

And then, you know, they're trying to little red.

Barn on the cows and the cows is local and all of this.

But, you know, it's not.

And I thought when we started this.

And I just thought, well, maybe local food movement is over with We'll just ride it up, we'll ride it down to the end.

But no, it continues to grow and it's been an adventure.

What is your role in this business?

My role is this side of the fence.

Basically this other side of the fence over here.

And she's in here making cheese today.

I'm working on the next batch right here right now.

Because this is where it starts, with the grass and the cows.

So can we talk about how rewarding it is to be a farmer.

And what it feels like?

It is rewarding and it's,you feel blessed.

You feel you're honored to have this opportunity.

And sometimes I'll tear up over it because.

You know, it's just we have an option.

And that's another thing about with this cheese plant here.

We have an option for a small farm to do something different.

A lot of them doesn't and that bothers you sometimes.

Yes, it does.

You hit the nail on the head.

But it is rewarding.

I mean, we're glad we did it.

Like in the mornings when you're out with the cattle.

What does that feel like when you look up?

That's the greatest time of your morning.

It's just you're here, you're on your own well.

You work for the cows and so it's really rewarding.

Clara, I mentioned that Maggie and I are here to learn.

But also to work.

So I brought her in and we're ready to cut the cheese curd.

Is that right, you said?

what happens next?

We're ready to cut the curd.

We'd already done the pasteurization.

We've added the culture, the rennet was added.

So we're gonna use the harps,a vertical harp.

And then a horizontal harp.

And we will cut the cheese into little bitty squares.

And that's gonna allow the separation of the curds.

The solids that becomes cheese from the whey.

Which is the liquid portion.

I'm glad you brought me in for the hard work.

laughter I've been ready to get my hands dirty.

She's our farm girl.

She knows what to do.

She does hard work.

The is bad.

I equivalate it sometimes to rowing a canoe.

For about an hour and a half.

So you're gonna get your workout today.

Yes, Lets do it.

Shortly.

We will see the curd start to separate from the whey.

Okay.

I meant for you to pass that off to her.

Oh, sorry.

But that's okay.

Laughter.

And how many times around are we gonna.

I guess, you just watch?

Just once.

Just once.

Okay.

Now I gotta cut the center because the center wasn't cut.

Okay.

Okay, let me pass this off.

And just kind of take the outer circle.

Let me turn a little bit because we're going into a circle.

Gonna do the same thing with this one.

This is vertical.

So we're cutting the cheese into small cubes.

Okay?

Okay.

Pass that off, just pull it on around there.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ And it has reached that point.

Now, we've got strips that are vertical and horizontal.

We wanted to get it to cube shape.

So we need to come back and go across that way.

Yeah, back and forth on it.

Wow.

Now you're gonna push, yeah.

Next, the cheese will be going through a cook process.

Curds and whey, it's the liquid part of the milk.

The whey is separating from the curd.

Yeah.

The curd is the solid and that's what we will gather together.

In the hoops to make the cheese.

How do you think we're doing on storing the cheese?

I think you're doing fine.

I'm ready to hire you today.

That's fantastic.

We will work for cheese.

Yeah.

And cow hugs.

I definitely will work for cow hugs.

That sounds like a winner right there.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Okay.

So, Clara, this is already changed quite a bit.

Since Maggie and I were taking our turn with the paddles.

Tell us a little bit about what's happened.

I see, it looks like there's less of the whey in here.

Is that right?

Yes.

We've drained some of the whey.

We first heated this up and did a cook on the curd.

We cooked it to about 114-115°F that makes the curd.

Lose some of the whey.

So it's gotten much firmer.

Much more solid than what it was Earlier it was soft and mushy.

Now it's gonna get quite messy in here.

Okay, we like a good mess.

Yeah, let's do it.

I'm gonna take shovelful, transfer to the hoops.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ It's still warm.

It's still warm.

And it is definitely like has a squishy texture.

Like I can hear.

I feel like the squeakiness we've kind of talked about.

Right, yeah.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ You know, we could be a nice little dairy farm couple here.

In the kitchen than be out in the field.

I love it.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ You're putting them in this hoop and then to watch them.

When you unhoop it that they have all come together.

And you've got this wonderful hoop of cheese, so.

Yeah.

Where did the holes come from?

The holes in Swiss are developed by a certain bacteria.

Which will produce the carbon dioxide.

That gas forms the holes in the paste.

Once these are full and they've kind of settled in a little bit.

We will put them in a press and then press overnight.

And the press gives them that extra oomph.

They need to bind and come together.

Okay, and get out just every last little bit of whey you can.

Yeah.

We did it!

Cutting curd and hooping.

Was such a fun experience.

We really came to appreciate what a labor of love this is.

And now we get to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

And try some of these incredible cheeses.

Clara and Ronnie, thank you all so much.

For your hospitality today.

And for sharing your home.

Your farm and this amazing cheese with us.

This has been such a just wonderful day.

Oh, it's been wonderful.

We're glad that you came.

You've given me the hope for the future of farming.

So thank you.

laughter.

You're welcome.

And I didn't have any lack of hope for cheese.

But you definitely made me that much more excited.

And appreciative for what it means to make.

A truly artisanal cheese.

I mean, that was so hands on and I really wanna try the Swiss Okay, go ahead.

So which one?

Tell me where I should start.

The Swiss is right here.

The little, nice little thin slices of the Swiss.

This particular one was made in January.

So it's about an 8- to 9-month-old Swiss.

It's got a lot of flavor.

It really does.

And such great creaminess.

Oh, my gosh.

And that was made off the hay instead of grass.

Yeah, that was winter milk.

I love knowing that though, that flavor.

It would probably have a little bit more yellow tint to it.

If it was a grass, spring or the fall.

Interesting.

Ronnie, what is your favorite cheese?

My favorite cheese is colby.

I don't know why, that's just the standard colby.

I just love, it's just, I guess.

Because we all grew up on Kraft Singles... Yeah.

And it just reminds me of that.

And what about, these are the curds, right?

Yeah.

Tell me about the difference between these.

These are cheddar curds.

Curds are fresh, they're pulled off.

When we make the cheddar.

They don't go into the hoop.

They're not pressed and aged.

And we do the curds in three flavors.

We do a plain and we have the Italian.

And we have a red pepper flake.

Got that little bit of spice in there.

The curds have a little bit of, when they're fresh, fresh.

A little bit of a sweet type flavor.

And then you also get that buttery creaminess.

A little bit from them.

I gotta try one of these red pepper ones.

This is my first curd experience Oh, yeah.

And red peppers.

Well, I'm gonna do some shopping in your store before I go.

If that's okay, because I need to bring some of this home.

With me and Maggie.

And I love to cook in the kitchen.

So we're gonna take some of these amazing cheeses home.

And create some recipes.

And we just so appreciate your inspiration.

Thank you so much, both of you.

We're glad to have you.

Thank you for coming today.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ What an amazing day on the farm we had.

That was like just such a magical place.

Yeah, I felt fall just in my soul when we got there.

And gosh, Clara is just so full of knowledge.

As is Ronnie, out in the field.

Yes.

And I think one of the biggest things I took away from Clara.

And our time with she.

And Ronnie was like how she kept saying cheese making is art.

And science combined.

And I just loved that and the artisanal qualities.

That she brings to that process.

As well as like the attention to detail.

And the love that Ronnie gives to the cows.

Yeah, their roles of like this side of the fence.

And that side of the fence.

It remind me a lot of you and me like we both have our roles.

But then they come together and work so well.

They do.

It's beautiful, it's beautiful.

And we are gonna celebrate all of that goodness here today.

So cheese souffle, I don't know about you.

But to me souffle was always one of those recipes that was like.

Not gonna do it, it's too tricky, it's too finicky.

And it is definitely all of those things.

But it's actually exceptionally simple.

If it were like a light lunch.

I would have this with like a really nice garden salad.

On the side, some sparkling wine And you can also put a lot of different ingredients inside.

I've made it with leeks, mushrooms.

It's sort of, you know.

A great base technique to add different flavors.

Seasonal ingredients.

But cheese is the name of the game today.

And we have these beautiful cheeses that we're gonna add in.

So we've got one of their Goudas as well as some of their cheddar The cheddar has just really big, lovely punchy flavor, very sharp You know, as you often associate with cheddar.

associate with cheddar.

associat And then the Gouda is smooth.

It's got a great creaminess and they both melt really.

Really nicely.

And first starts with preparing our souffle dish.

So what I like to do is take some butter.

And we just really wanna grease.

The inside of the dish really well.

So I take some butter and then I take a pastry brush.

And so we're gonna make sure we butter the entire inside.

Of the dish.

And this is a lot of butter, so you can take out.

You know, any excess.

No, I'm loving it.

But the key thing I like to do here is to butter the dish.

In upward stroke.

So we're saying go up, dry souffle.

And then I'm going to add just a coating of Parmesan cheese.

To that because, again, it's gonna prevent that sticking.

And if it were a sweet souffle.

I wouldn't, that would be sugar instead.

Okay.

Just a little mound of Parmesan right in the middle.

Again, it's just as an extra coating.

I think breadcrumbs work here too.

So it just kind of creates a barrier on the bowl.

A natural nonstick.

So now we need to make the base of our sauce.

So like a macaroni and cheese, we are gonna make a roux.

And then into a bechamel sauce that we add our cheese to.

We are using milk here.

This is just a local milk.

We're gonna season it.

So I just have a couple of garlic cloves here.

Those are cloves!

I know that's a big clove.

Yeah, and they're crushed.

So they're just going to impart the flavor to the milk.

Traditionally, there's often in these Mornay cheesy sauces.

Just like a pinch of nutmeg.

And I usually add cayenne just to add some heat.

And just more depth of flavor.

And then mustard powder is often in a macaroni.

And cheese base too.

Just a pinch.

Again, we're just sort of layering.

In some of those background notes.

And flavors that sort of give you that.

"Oh, that's extra good, I don't, can't quite say why."

And that's the goal here.

And some freshness.

Okay.

Let's throw some of your, that's thyme from the farm, right?

Yes.

Let's definitely, just.

How much do you think?

Just like three or four sprigs.

And you just can put them directly in there.

And this is an area for seasoning.

So healthy pinch of some kosher salt in there.

And a few cracks of pepper.

And then I'm gonna pop this on the stove.

And just let it warm over low heat.

We don't want it to boil or anything like that.

But we want it to steep for, you know, eight minutes-ish.

something like that.

Just as long as it's nice and warm.

We're gonna also make our roux.

Which is where we bring together our flour.

And our butter and then this will go in there.

And the sauce will be made for the cheese.

And we'll keep souffleing.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ And now while it is warm.

We're gonna put the cheese in and get it all -- I love that.

Me too.

The reveal of the Leaning Tower of Cheese.

I know and I think here too you.

Can see the ratio of cheese to this roux.

So what makes it rise is or puff and be beautiful are all.

Is the air from the whipped egg whites.

I've got four egg yolks.

We're going to stir into here when it cools a little bit.

So I'm gonna move this now that our cheese is in.

It's like so thick.

Ooh.

I know, it's so good.

We're gonna set this aside to let it cool.

And I have five egg whites in here.

So I'm gonna whip those.

And when they begin to get just a little bit foamy.

I start on sort of a lower speed and slowly work my way up.

When they start to foam just a little bit.

I'm gonna add a pinch of cream of tartar.

That helps stabilize them.

And really encourages that airiness to come to be.

I'm gonna get the speed up higher and higher.

And then egg whites.

You want them to be for a souffle a stiff peak.

But you really have to watch it at the end.

Because you don't want them to go so far that they get clumpy.

Once those are ready, we'll put our egg yolks in.

Fold in the egg whites and it'll go in the oven.

Great.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ And then the folding.

So the idea here is not to deflate the egg whites.

Okay.

But I do usually kind of use a technique.

Where I go down in the front.

And I cut through and and then I turn the bowl.

And then I cut back.

Okay.

So it's sort of like this folding, cutting.

And it just that way you're also scraping.

From the bottom of the bowl.

To bring like everything kind of into each other so they're like.

I liked cutting the whey.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Reminds me a lot of this.

I know, you're right.

That's nice.

Think that's a really great comparison.

Get those guys in.

I feel like this is gonna change my egg folding.

I do this for pancakes on weekends.

Yeah, it's kind of the same idea Because you don't wanna overmix a pancake batter.

They're like, leave some clumps.

So this is not unlike that.

I've played around with different cooking temperatures.

I kind of like a little bit of a warmer temperature.

It's like, doesn't give you that burnt cheese flavor.

But it has this like really nice brown cheese crust on the edges.

What we do though, regardless of the temperature you prefer.

I start at 425 and as soon as we put the souffle in the oven.

You drop it to 400.

Okay.

So that change in temperature encourages.

Like a pop kind of from the air pockets within the souffle.

Here is our prepared souffle dish.

And we're just gonna fold all of this in.

Oh, you can smell that Parmesan ring.

Just like popping as the souffle gets in.

I know.

Right.

Many, many people will say when they hear souffle.

"You can't open the door."

I've heard that that might be an old wives' tale.

But I am going to play nice.

We are not going to do anything to mess with the souffle powers.

that'd be.

It's going to bake for anywhere between 30 and 40 minutes.

I usually go more towards the 40 I like my souffle to be more set all through.

So it's kind of, you know, your preference.

If you go a little bit less, it might be a little less high.

And a little bit more like soft in the middle.

But in the meantime, let's build our cheese board.

Right.

Yeah.

So when I'm starting a cheese board.

I love to think of just hitting all the different flavor notes.

And building the board with things that are gonna.

Only complement.

And enhance the different cheeses that we have.

Especially these amazing artisanal cheeses.

From Wildcat Mountain.

So what's a cheese board without a pickle?

I have these Swiss chard stems left over.

So I thought those could be fine And they're the rainbow chards.

So they're already pretty.

And there's great nutrients left in the stems, right?

Yeah, there's tons of nutrients in the stems.

And also it reminds me a little bit of the bite of celery.

Yes.

It has that crunch, which is really nice to find.

And what's better than a crunchy pickle.

If you wanna just chop those up for us.

And put them in that ball jar.

Perfect.

I'm going to, once those are in there.

We're just gonna add our pickle solution on top of it.

And this is just what I call a quick pickle.

So this is an area where you can get really creative if you want.

I've kept it super simple today.

I just have equal parts, apple cider vinegar in here, water.

A little bit of local honey, and some kosher salt.

I just warm it on the stove until the honey.

And the salt dissolves in and then pour the hot.

Or You know, really warm pickling liquid over whatever.

It is you're pickling.

So I will make this and then just let it sit on the counter.

while I finish the rest of my meal.

And it will last in the fridge for about a week.

So I love them just to throw on tacos, on top of eggs.

It's just really nice to have and, again.

A great way to use up anything extra in your veggie drawer.

Now, we're going to make pimento cheese.

Or as my husband's side of the family calls.

It the Pate of the South.

This is the recipe his family's been using.

For a really long time.

I always grate my own cheese.

So if you don't mind here, Maggie, to get going.

We are using their white cheddar Certainly their yellow cheddar would be great here.

I do, and you can play around with the types of cheese.

In your pimento cheese.

I really like the cheddar.

It has that sharpness that I think just really speaks to.

What a pimento cheese is.

And stands up to the other flavors that are in there.

The little bit of sweet pimentos And then we're definitely bringing a kick here.

You have some of your cayenne pepper.

And then the final ingredient.

That I think is really interesting is they grate.

A little tiny bit of fresh onion into it.

Mm.

And when you grate the onion.

This is what I've been using for that purpose.

You can smell it.

It almost like liquefies into it.

So it sort of melts into the cheese.

And you don't, it doesn't taste oniony.

But it really adds that undercurrent of flavor.

So we're just gonna start with the base.

Which is some mayonnaise.

A little bit of room temperature cream cheese.

So now I'm gonna take our onion here.

And just grate it directly onto this fine grater.

So we really don't need much.

Just to add that little something.

And now, for some kick.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Man, that is one mountain of cheese.

Perfect.

And it smells incredible.

You can smell the fescue.

And the blue grass.

You really can and I can like see the texture too here.

Yes.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ This will only get better as it sits.

So certainly it's plenty good to eat right now.

In fact, I think you and I, we should have a little taste.

Cheers.

That cheddar.

I just like it, so cheesy and sharp and cayenne.

I love it.

I just got them.

Oh, but it's so good.

And you know that cayenne can be cut with the cracker.

If we put it with these other other amazing components.

That we're gonna build on this board.

What I like to do when I'm building a cheese board.

Is make the star of the show, here the cheese.

And I set those sort of out at random.

And try to find some balance.

And then I just fill in with all the things.

That are going to complement.

Those different flavors and textures.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ And so as I build this board.

I just kind of start filling in the holes.

And, you know, you can rearrange and do this and do that.

But I do think it's fun, it's abundant.

It makes me want to just mix and match everything together.

Yeah, I think we have our main event.

Dig into this and just have our cheese feast.

What do you say?

I love it.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ And our souffle has risen.

It's ready to come out and enjoy But we're just missing something to drink with this.

And I personally... Well.

Think a little bit of sparkling wine goes a long way.

When it comes to find cheeses and souffle.

So I'd also think we should raise a toast.

To Wildcat Mountain Cheese and Ronnie and Clara.

And all the amazing farmers doing all these wonderful things To preserve our grasses and grow good animals and good food.

Oh, yes.

Cheers to them.

Yeah, cheers.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Doesn't this smell good?

Oh my goodness, it's so perfect.

It really is.

It's so good.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Mm.

Hm.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Funding for this program is made possible in part by.

The KET Endowment for Kentucky Productions.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪