Queso guayanés

Ingredients

Curd

• 5 litreswhole milk
• ¼ tspcalcium chloride in 2 tbsp water, if using shop milk
• ½ tspliquid rennet in 50 ml cool water
• 2 tspsalt

To keep it

• the whey from the cheese, for packing

To serve

• hot cachapas
• arepas
• fresh bread

Directions

1. Warm the milk to 35°C (95°F) and stir in the calcium chloride if the milk is pasteurised.
2. Add the diluted rennet, stir it in with a few slow strokes, still the milk, and leave 40 minutes until it gives a clean break.
3. Cut the curd into 2 cm cubes — large cubes, because this cheese is meant to stay wet and soft, and small cubes drive out too much whey.
4. Rest 10 minutes, then stir very gently for just 10 minutes, keeping the temperature at 35°C (95°F). Handle it lightly throughout; rough stirring shatters the curd and gives a grainy cheese instead of a smooth melting one.
5. Drain off the whey and keep it — you will need it to store the cheese.
6. Salt the curd lightly, mix it through, and pack it into a mould without any weight on top.
7. No pressing. Queso guayanés is defined by how soft and moist it is, and even light pressure turns it into an ordinary white pressed cheese that will not melt into a cachapa the same way.
8. Let it drain under its own weight for 30 minutes, turning once, then turn it out.
9. Put the block into a container and pour the reserved whey over it to cover. This is how it is sold in Bolívar state, and the whey is what keeps it soft and stops the surface drying and cracking.
10. Refrigerate and eat within four days. Slice it thick into a hot cachapa and fold it over so it slumps and melts.

Technique

• Large curd cubes, gentle stirring, no pressing at all.
• Store it under its own whey.
• Four days, no more. It is a fresh cheese and it does not keep.

Substitutions

• Vegetarian microbial rennet.
• Half milk and half cream for a richer block.
• Queso de mano or fresh mozzarella, which behave similarly in a hot cachapa.

Variations

• Queso telita, the pulled version from the same region.
• Melted into arepas, tequeños and hot corn cakes.

History

From Bolivar state on the Orinoco, sold in blocks packed in their own whey; the standard filling of a hot cachapa.

Frequently asked questions

What is Queso guayanés?

Queso guayanés is a cheese & dairy from Venezuela: soft mild white cheese that melts into arepas and cachapas. From Bolivar state on the Orinoco, sold in blocks packed in their own whey; the standard filling of a hot cachapa.

How long does Queso guayanés take to make?

Queso guayanés takes 45 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 700 g. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Queso guayanés?

Yes, within limits. Vegetarian microbial rennet. Half milk and half cream for a richer block. Queso de mano or fresh mozzarella, which behave similarly in a hot cachapa.

What is the most important thing to get right in Queso guayanés?

Rest 10 minutes, then stir very gently for just 10 minutes, keeping the temperature at 35°C (95°F). Handle it lightly throughout; rough stirring shatters the curd and gives a grainy cheese instead of a smooth melting one.