How To Use Farmers Cheese Recipes

HOW TO MAKE FARMER'S CHEESE & 5 WAYS TO USE IT

Steps:

• Place the buttermilk cartons into a large, deep pot. Add hot water up to the part where the sides of cartons start to fold.
• Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer (gently boil, bubble) for 45 minutes.
• Remove pot with buttermilk cartons from the heat and let cool down. Gently remove the cartons from the water and cool completely in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.
• Place a fine-mesh sieve over a pot to catch the whey, if desired. Open the cartons by unfolding the top (or cut with scissors) and slowly empty over the sieve. Let drain for a few minutes. For dryer cheese, drain longer.
• Transfer the farmer's cheese into an air-tight container. Store in a refrigerator for up to two weeks.

PIEROGI WITH FARMERS CHEESE (VARENIKI RECIPE)

Steps:

• Mix sugar, farmers cheese and egg, until it's fully mixed in. Set it aside.
• Whisk eggs together with sour cream, lukewarm water and milk until you get an even texture.
• To the liquid ingredients, add in flour, sugar and salt. Knead the dough by hand or a stand-up mixer until it's no longer sticky.
• Roll out the dough on a well floured surface. Using a cup, stamp out circles. Flour the cup to make it easier to cut circles.
• One by one fill your circles with filling, placing the filling in the center.
• Fold over the edges and tighten them up with your fingers, making sure it's firm enough for your filling not to fall out.
• Bring a pot of water up to boil. Add 10-20 pierogi, cook until they float up to the top. Drain and top with melted unsalted butter. Optionally, serve with sour cream, jam or sugar.Tip: If freezing the pierogi, use a floured cooking sheet or cutting board. Once the pierogi are fully frozen, move them to a ziplock bag.

FARMERS CHEESE WITH GREEK YOGURT (TVOROG)

Steps:

• In a large stainless steel pot, whisk together 1 gallon milk, 35 oz Greek yogurt and 2 Tbsp sour cream. Cover and place in a warm 100˚F oven for 1 hour until luke-warm. (For many ovens, the lowest temp setting is 170˚F, so if that is the case for you, keep an eye on the mixture and take it out of the oven as soon as it's just warm).
• Place the covered pot in a warm room for 24 hours (I put it next to a heating vent on the floor). When it's done, it should become the consistency of sweetened condensed milk and pulls when you lift it up with a spoon. DO NOT STIR.
• Place on the stove and heat again over low heat for 40 minutes or until warm. DO NOT STIR. Heat it slowly, since high temperatures destroy the nutritious protein. Remove from stove and place in a warm room for another 24 hours. It should be consistency of regular yogurt.
• Place on the stove over medium/low heat 40 minutes or until hot. The cheese will separate from the whey. Turn off the heat and let it sit covered for an hour (this helps for the curds to separate as well). DO NOT STIR.
• Place 2 layers of very fine mesh cheesecloth over a large colander set inside a large bowl. Pour cheese mixture over cheesecloth. Keep the leftover liquid - this is called whey - refrigerate it and use instead of water for making the best bread you've ever had!
• Tie a knot with your cheesecloth. To squeeze out excess liquid, place a cutting board either in a baking dish or in the sink. Place tied bag of cheese on top. Set another cutting board on the cheese and place a heavy weight over the top (i.e. a heavy cast iron pot or a large jug of water) and let stand 8-10 hours.
• Unwrap your cheese and it's ready to enjoy! Refrigerate if not using right away. Here are some of our favorite farmers cheese recipes and I have 2 more really really good ones coming soon!

FARMER'S CHEESE

Steps:

• Pour the milk into a pot and heat over medium heat to 175 degrees. Stir as necessary to prevent scorching, and turn the heat down it it begins to stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Turn off the heat and add buttermilk and lemon juice, stirring to incorporate.
• The milk should begin to form curds immediately, but allow it to sit undisturbed for at least 5 minutes. At this point, you should see a clear separation of curds and whey.
• Pour the curds and whey into a cheesecloth lined colander. Allow the curds to drain for 2-3 minutes, until they look like a thick oatmeal. (Drain longer for a dryer finished cheese).
• Stir in salt and herbs (optional, if using) and serve.

HOME MADE FARMER'S CHEESE

Steps:

• Pour the milk into a large pot, and stir in a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the milk from scorching on the bottom of the pot.
• When the milk begins to boil (small bubbles will first appear at the edges), turn off the heat. Stir lemon juice into the milk, and the milk will curdle. You may need to wait 5 or 10 minutes.
• Line a sieve or colander with a cheesecloth, and pour the milk through the cloth to catch the curds. What is left in the cheesecloth is the Farmer's Cheese. The liquid is the whey. Some people keep the whey and drink it, but I throw it away. Gather the cloth around the cheese, and squeeze out as much of the whey as you can. Wrap in plastic, or place in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator.

TWARóG: POLISH FARMER'S CHEESE

Steps:

• Gently warm up the milk on the stove. By "gently", I really mean it! Aim for a slightly warm (not hot!) temperature.
• If you're using raw milk, sometimes a layer of thick cream forms on top - keep it or remove it (I love full-fat everything, so personally I keep it; but if you're avoiding fats - get rid of it). When using raw milk, no sour cream is needed. Just proceed to Step 5.
• When using pasteurized milk from a store, add 8 heaped teaspoons of sour cream (or more!) per 2 quarts (roughly 2 litres) of milk.There is no need to measure the ingredients exactly, it will work either way.
• Blend milk and sour cream together with a fork.
• Pour the milk mixture into a large container, ideally a large cooking pot - that way we won't have to transfer that milk later on.
• Cover the container (that's optional). Some homecooks leave the container uncovered, others cover it with a cheesecloth to keep the insects away. I use a piece of a muslin square and secure it in place with a rubber band.
• Leave the milk in a warm place, for example: on the kitchen counter. Don't stir it, don't poke it - just let it be.
• The fermentation process can take anywhere from a few hours, up to 2 days. That depends on the temperature: if you live in a hot climate, it's likely to be ready within a day. For me, it took a day and a half to curdle.
• Observe the milk, have a taste from time to time. Once it has curdled, the consistency turns jelly-like and the flavour becomes pleasantly sour - it's ready. The longer you wait, the more sour the milk (and therefore eventually: the cheese as well) becomes.
• Carefully move the curdled soured milk into a cooking pot, try not to break the curd too much. If you soured the milk in a cooking pot from the get-go - just keep it there.
• Submerging the knife into the curd, cut it into large cubes, roughly 2 inch in size.
• Start heating the mixture on a 'low' heat. Slowly, gently. If you have a thermometer, aim for the 97-102°F (36-39°C) range in the centre of the pot.
• While heating, gently stir the ingredients from time to time. Start from the edge and then move to the center of the pot. Aim to keep the same temperature for 30 minutes, up to an hour.
• After that time, let the mixture cool completely (2-3 hours are usually enough)
• Place a strainer over a large bowl, to collect the strained whey. Layer it with a cheesecloth (I'm just using clean muslin squares). Pour the curled mixture in.
• Squeeze off the excess whey. Make a knot and hang to drain for 30-40 minutes.
• After draining, you can make it even dryer by pressing it. Just put something heavy (e.g. a jar filled with water) on top of the cheese wrapped in a cloth. The resulting Twaróg will be firmer and more compact.
• Refrigerate until you're ready to use it.

EASY FARMER'S CHEESE RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring the milk to a boil over medium heat. Make sure to stir it occasionally so it doesn't stick or burn to the bottom.
• As soon as the milk begins to boil, turn off the heat. Using a spatula or slotted spoon, stir in the lemon juice and white vinegar. Within 5 minutes, the milk should begin to curdle.
• Line a colander with a cheesecloth and pour the milk through to strain out the curdles.
• Bundle the cloth around the cheese like a coin purse and bring out as much of the whey as you can.
• Place the wrapped cheese on a plate and weigh it down with a heavy pot or pan. Leave it to press overnight.
• Keep the farmer's cheese stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use it in your favorite recipes and baked goods. Enjoy!

FARMER CHEESE

Steps:

• Enjoy the cheese as is or in any of your favorite recipes.

FARMERS CHEESE RECIPE

Steps:

• Day 1
• Pour room temperature milk, butter milk and vinegar into a large pot. Place the pot onto a cooktop stove. Heat combined milk and vinegar on low (3.5 if your stovetop is digital) temperature for 30 minutes or just before boiling. Remove from the stove and let it stand on the counter top overnight.
• Day 2
• Repeat day one instructions. Set aside and let it stand until evening.
• In the evening pour the milk into the cheesecloth.
• Tie the end of the cheesecloth. Place the pot upside down into the sink. Place cheese onto the pot. Place the cheese under the press by placing cutting board onto the cheese and place heavy object onto the cutting board and let it sit overnight.
• I collect whey by pouring into an empty gallon and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. I make many things out of whey: pancaked, muffins, vareniki and pelmeni dough...etc.
• Remove the cheese from under the press.
• Remove the cheese from cheesecloth, place it onto a plate and cover it with plastic food wrap. You can eat the cheese plain or make many delicious recipes too. Next post will be out of this delicious cheese. Enjoy!

FARMER'S CHEESE

Steps:

• Into a pot pour full fat milk, add salt. Attach a candy thermometer on the inside of the pot. Don't have a candy thermometer? Check my notes for solutions on how to make farmer's cheese without it.
• Heat the milk on medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning on the bottom of the pot. If you are using a pot that is notoriously difficult to cook in and it burns food constantly be sure to stir frequently or use a different pot.
• When milk reaches 180F (around 82C) pour vinegar into the milk, Turn of the heat and gently stir milk with a wooden spoon. You should see curds forming pretty much immediately. Once you see curds forming, remove pot from the heat and let mixture sit for 10-15 minutes.
• Place a large fine mesh sieve over a large bowl or a pot. Then pour hot curdled milk through the fine mesh sieve. Let the liquid drain and sieve collect the curds. If your sieve is small you may need to wait a few moments for the liquid to drain before pouring in more curdled milk.
• Discard the drained liquid. Keep the sieve over a bowl. Cover with a plate and let drain further for 5-6 hours. This can be either done on the counter or in the fridge. After cheese had enough time to drain. Scrape out the cheese into a container and refrigerate until ready to use. Cheese stored in the fridge lasts 2 weeks.
• Farmer's Cheese is a popular ingredient in sweet and savory dishes.

FARMER CHEESE

Steps:

• Pour the milk, cream, and salt into a 3-quart (2.8-liter) stainless steel saucepan, place it over medium-low heat, and warm the milk to 190°F (88°C), stirring occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom. This could take up to 15 minutes or so. Watch the temperature carefully because you'll be waiting, waiting, waiting and then all of a sudden towards the very end it will increase dramatically.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon juice, slowly stirring once or twice. Let the pot sit for 5 minutes. Do not stir the mixture during this time. It will separate into very small curds and some watery whey. That's okay. In fact, that's desired.
• Line a sieve with cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl. Pour the curds and whey into the sieve and let it strain at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
• Discard the drained liquid or reserve it for another use. Remove the farmer cheese from the strainer and, if desired, gently press it into a decorative mold (as you see in the stunning photo at the top of this page) or simply mound it on a plate or in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to help the cheese firm slightly. Eat the farmer cheese right away or transfer it to an airtight container and stash it in the fridge for up to 1 week.

FARMER CHEESE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Active time: 45 min. Start to finish: 10 hr. Make crumb crust as directed in separate recipe. Preheat oven to 550°F.
• Purée farmer cheese (or cottage cheese) with sugar in a food processor until completely smooth. Then beat together cheese, sugar, flour, and zests with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs and yolks, 1 at a time, then vanilla, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions.
• Put springform pan with crust in a shallow baking pan. Pour filling into crust (springform pan will be completely full) and bake in baking pan (to catch drips) in middle of oven 12 minutes, or until puffed. Reduce temperature to 200°F and continue baking until cake is mostly firm (center will still be slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour more.
• Run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen and cool completely in springform pan on a rack. Chill cake, loosely covered, at least 6 hours. Remove side of pan and transfer cake to a plate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

HOMEMADE FARMER'S CHEESE RECIPE

Steps:

• Pour the raw milk into the big pot/jar.
• Leave it in a warm place for 48 hours.
• After that time, slowly pour the hot water into the pot/jar, stirring carefully.
• Cool down.
• When the mixture is cold, drain it on the strainer.
• The farmer's cheese will be left on the strainer. The remaining water is called whey (serwatka) and it's really healthy to drink.