Simple Farmers Cheese Recipe

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This farmers cheese recipe is perfect if you are interested in making cheese without needing a lot of specialized equipment.
This farmers cheese recipe is perfect if you are interested in making cheese without needing a lot of specialized equipment.
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Claudia Lucero uses photographed step-by-step instructions and foolproof recipes to show exactly how to make sixteen fresh cheeses at home in
Claudia Lucero uses photographed step-by-step instructions and foolproof recipes to show exactly how to make sixteen fresh cheeses at home in "One-Hour Cheese."
30 min DURATION
25 min COOK TIME
5 min PREP TIME
About 1/2 pound SERVINGS

Ingredients

  • 1 quart (4 cups) cow’s milk, any type (do not use ultra-pasteurized as the curds won’t form) Note: Lower fat milk yields less cheese.
  • 1/8 cup vinegar (basic white, white wine, or apple cider) OR 1/8 cup lemon or lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt to taste (sea salt, flake salt, or any salt you like)
  • Ground pepper and/or herbs of your choice (dry or fresh will work)

Supplies

  • 2-quart saucepan or stockpot
  • Slotted spoon or small mesh strainer
  • 1-quart bowl

Directions

  • Pour the milk into the saucepan and heat it on medium as you stir. Look for foam around the inside edges of the pot as well as little simmer bubbles coming from the bottom — not a rolling boil, but close.
    2. When you see the bubbles as described, start slowly pouring in the vinegar (you may not need it all) and stir gently to incorporate it until you see the clear separation of curds (white solids) and whey (clearish liquid). The separation you see is called coagulation.
    3. When you see coagulation and the liquid no longer looks like plain milk, turn the heat to low and stir the curds very, very gently as you cook them for 2 more minutes.
    4. Turn off the heat and use the slotted spoon or strainer to scoop the curds into the bowl while leaving behind in the saucepan as much whey as possible. When you have all of the curds, drain any whey that has collected in the bowl.
    5. Add salt and pepper (and herbs, if you like) to taste. Stir them into the curds evenly and… Voilà, YOU MADE CHEESE! To be specific, you made a directly acidified farmers cheese. It will taste great crumbled onto salads, pizza, tacos, and chili or just eaten simply with crusty bread and ripe tomatoes.
    And did you time yourself? Well under an hour. (I told you!) Congratulations — this is just the beginning.

    More From One-Hour Cheese:

    Homemade Ricotta Recipe
    Ricotta Cannoli Filling Recipe
    Reprinted with permission from One-Hour Cheese: Ricotta, Mozzarella, Chèvre, Paneer--Even Burrata by Claudia Lucero and published by Workman Publishing, 2014. Buy this book from our store: One-Hour Cheese.
PRINT RECIPE

In One-Hour Cheese (Workman Publishing, 2014), Claudia Lucero uses a basic approach based on thousands of years of cheesemaking wisdom — heat milk, add coagulant, drain, salt and press — to demonstrate how to make sixteen fresh cheeses at home. Fully illustrated instructions accompany each foolproof recipe to ensure success in your cheesemaking ventures. The following recipe is from the introduction.

You can purchase this book from the MOTHER EARTH NEWS store: One-Hour Cheese.

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