Tried my hand at an easy cottage cheese recipe to use up some extra milk. Joe is our resident cottage cheese addict so thought I'd surprise him with a healthier homemade version. Sadly, like everything else in the grocery stores even cottage cheese has fallen victim to the preservatives and hydrogenated oils regime. Not a lot is sacred anymore, even good ol' cottage cheese.
So, start with a gallon of real milk (raw milk) placed in a stainless steel pot and heated to 190 degrees to frothy, but not boiling. Added 1/8 cup of lemon juice and 1/8 cup of apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg's) and stir. Remove from heat and stir for about 1 minute. Let sit for 15-20 minutes until curds form. Prepare cheese cloth across a colander. Pour cheese mix into cheese cloth and allow to drip. The whey can be saved or discarded, but curds should be allowed to drip until there's no more whey. Gather sides of cheese cloth and tie around a long spoon or stick and drip for several hours. Can also be placed into the fridge to do this. Place curds in a container and sprinkle with salt. Keep for a week.
The consistency is a little crumbly, almost like feta cheese. Some like to add 1/2 cup of cream to the finished product for a creamier texture. This can also serve as a ricotta for cooking. Personally, I didn't care for it, but later found out that since I used older milk (that also happened to be tainted with green onion flavor from the cows spring pasture feast) resulted in a less than desirable end product. I shall try again with fresher milk and see if it makes a difference. Those I know who have used this recipe love it. So, must have been a mistake on my end OR the cows peculiar dietary preferences. Still, it was very simple and a great way to by-pass the conventional with all the "extra" unhealthy ingredients.
No comments:
Post a Comment