- 2 litres of full cream milk
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 tsp of cheese salt or salt to taste
- Stainless steel pot large enough for your two litres of milk
- Dairy thermometer
- Stainless steel perforated spoon
- Stainless steel ladle
- Tight weave cheese making cloth
- Large stainless steel or enamel colander
- String
- Somewhere to hang your cheese - an overhead cupboard door handle is ideal
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Place your two litres of milk in the stainless steel pot and heat milk by direct heat to 80˚C. Remove from heat.
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Add the white vinegar and stir well. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes. There will be a clear separation of the curds and whey. If this separation has not occurred add a little more vinegar.
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Line a large colander with your tight weave cheese making cloth. Carefully ladle your curds and whey into the lined colander and drain for a few minutes. Tie the corners of the cheese making cloth together and hang, using the string, to drain for a further six hours or until the whey stops dripping.
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Remove the cheese from the cloth and place in a bowl. Salt to taste.
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Place in a container, and refrigerate until ready to use.
You can use skim milk, but you will not get as much cheese.
The salt is important not only for flavour, but it acts to preserve the cheese.
The cheese will last up to two weeks in the refrigerator. I make this cheese for my weed pies and ravioli ignuedi recipes.
I shorten the hanging time to an hour and it gives the perfect cheese for these recipes – not too wet!
This is similar to lemon cheese but has a milder flavour.
This style of cheese is used in Mexican cooking and also for making béchamel style sauces and pairs beautifully with tomato based dishes.
I like to crumble the cheese through salads and over smoked salmon tarts.
It makes a wonderful dip when combined with some crushed garlic, finely chopped fresh herbs and a little lemon juice ...
Source: Home Cheese Making in Australia, V Pearson (2015) p42.