Homemade Cottage Cheese Recipe Recipe Cards Recipe Cards

COTTAGE CHEESE

Steps:

• Pour milk into a small pot; bring to a boil. Add vinegar and remove from heat. Stir mixture slowly until curds form, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Pour mixture into a colander lined with cheesecloth. Allow liquid whey to drain off as curds cool, about 15 minutes. Season curds with salt.

HOMEMADE COTTAGE CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat the milk to 190F.
• You will need a thermometer for other cheeses but you can get by here turning off the heat just before the milk begins to boil.
• Add the vinegar and allow the mixture to cool.
• When cool, pour the mixture, which now consists of curds and whey into a colander and drain off the whey.
• Pour the curds into a bowl and sprinkle on the salt and mix well.
• You may wish to use less salt or more, depending on your taste.
• A little cream could also be added, for a more silky variation.
• Now the best part, enjoy fresh or use in a cooked dish such as a lasagna!

HOMEMADE CHEESE CURDS

Steps:

• Pour milk into a sterilized pot. Place pot into a larger pot filled with a few inches of water. Heat milk, stirring occasionally, to 90 degrees F (32 degrees C). Remove from heat.
• Dissolve calcium chloride in 1/4 cup water; stir into the milk. Sprinkle mesophilic culture over the surface of the milk. Let sit for 1 minute, then stir gently for 1 minute. Cover and let culture ripen for 35 minutes.
• Dilute rennet with 1/4 cup water. Stir rennet into the milk mixture for exactly 1 minute. Cover again and let sit until a knife can cut cleanly through the curd, about 45 minutes. Cut curd into 1/2- to 1-inch cubes directly in the pot. Let sit for 5 minutes.
• Cover curds and heat, stirring every 10 minutes, to 98 degrees F (37 degrees C), about 90 minutes. Squeeze curds together to check if they stick. Drain curds and transfer to a cheesecloth-lined strainer set inside a pot.
• Pour enough whey over the curds to reach about 3 inches at the bottom of the pot. Let drain for about 1 minute. Cover with cheesecloth and the pot lid. Heat the whey below to keep curds between 112 and 115 degrees F (44 and 46 degrees C); let drain for 10 minutes. Curds will stick together to form a slab. Cut slab in half, re-cover, and let drain for 10 minutes.
• Flip curds over and re-wrap. Drain for 10 minutes more, keeping the temperature still between 112 and 115 degrees F (44 and 46 degrees C). Cut the slab into smaller slabs and stack them inside the cloth. Return to the pot and cover. Continue draining, flipping and rearranging the slabs every 15 minutes at the same steady temperature, about 1 hour total.
• Unwrap the slabs and let them rest for a few minutes on a paper towel-lined plate. Cut into cubes and place curds in a zip-top bag. Add 1/2 of the salt; shake to coat. Add remaining salt and repeat.

OMA'S COTTAGE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Melt butter in an 8 inch square pan. Stir in graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Pat over bottom and onto sides of dish. Set aside.
• In a blender, combine cottage cheese, milk, eggs, flour, lemon juice, vanilla, 2/3 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth. Pour into prepared crust.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until filling is firm. Allow to cool completely.