Making your own cottage cheese is as easy as warming up milk! This simple recipe is a great way to use up milk that has soured.
Cottage cheese is delightful on its own, season lightly with salt and pepper. Alternatively, it can be used a wide range of recipes, such as lasagne, manicotti, crepes, pancakes, and more.
The following recipe utilizes soured milk. That is to say, milk that “went bad” while in the fridge. Heating sour milk to 195ºF and holding it at that temperature for 10 minutes should kill any potential bacteria.
However, if you’d prefer to use fresh milk, you can clabber it (sour it) yourself by adding four tablespoons of white vinegar and letting it set.
How to Make Your Own Cottage Cheese
You’ll Need:
2 quarts very sour milk
1 tsp. salt
1 junket rennet tablet or 4-5 drops of Liquid Rennet
1/8 C. Heavy cream or half & half
Heat the sour milk slowly until it reaches 195ºF on a digital thermometer. Remove from heat and cool to 100ºF, then and add 1 junket rennet tablet that has been crushed. Stir well for 2 minutes until the rennet is completely dissolved.
Cover and let set 4 hours.
After 4 hours, the mixture will be soft set (much like yogurt) & quite jiggly. Using a knife or spatula cut the mixture diagonally 5 or 6 times, then do the same in the opposite direction.
Sprinkle in the salt then set the pan over extremely low heat and cook, stirring very gently, to allow the curds to separate from the whey. This process takes just a couple minutes- do not overcook or the curds will be TOUGH & chewy.
Drain thoroughly in a cloth bag or cheesecloth-lined strainer over a clean bowl (to reserve the whey).
Fold the cloth over the drained curds and place in the fridge for 1 hour to continue straining, stirring gently every 20 minutes or so.
Finally, Spoon the cottage cheese from the cloth into a bowl and stir in the cream or half and half.
Taste, add additional salt if necessary. Season with white pepper just prior to serving.
© Can Stock Photo Inc. / robynmac
