For all those who have decided to create their own small domestic dairy, fresh spreadable cheese is an excellent starting point. To produce it, in fact, you need few ingredients and very little effort. It's so simple you'll wonder why you've never done this before! To begin your homemade cheese adventure, follow these steps.
Ingrediants
Spreadable Cheese
- 950 ml of Lean cream
- 1 package of Mesophilic Ferments
- Salt as needed
Buttermilk-based spreadable cheese
- 950 ml of whole milk
- 1, 5 l of whipping cream (with at least 35% fat)
- 60 ml of Buttermilk
- 2-3 drops of veal rennet
- 1 tablespoon of salt
Yogurt-based spreadable cheese
950 ml of Yogurt (whole or low-fat)
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Spreadable Cheese
Step 1. Bring the cream to room temperature
Leave it out of the refrigerator for a couple of hours and pour it into a bowl.
Step 2. Add the mesophilic cultures and mix well
Cover the bowl with a towel or cling film and let it sit at room temperature for about 12 hours.
- A layer of curd will form with a consistency similar to that of yogurt.
- Ambient temperature means around 22 ° C. If the house were colder, the process could slow down a bit.
Step 3. Drain the curd by pouring the mixture into a colander covered with a muslin cloth
Once done, take the sides of the cloth, tie it as if to form a bag and, with the help of a string, hang it all on the handle of the sideboard, leaving a basin to collect the serum.
If your cupboard doesn't have a suitable handle, try tying the bag around a wooden spoon. Then, place the spoon horizontally on a pitcher or basin
Step 4. Leave to drain for 12 hours as well
The longer the drain time, the harder the cheese will be. There is no right or wrong timing. Try and find the texture you like best.
- For a soft cheese that is ideal for spreading, a short drainage is what you need. If, on the other hand, you want a cream cheese to use in various recipes, even baked ones, let the curd drain for a longer period.
- As soon as the cheese is ready, you can also let it harden by letting it rest in the refrigerator.
Step 5. Add salt and other ingredients
As soon as the drainage phase is complete, remove the cheese from the cloth and pour it into a bowl. Add a teaspoon of salt if you like. You can also add other ingredients to give the cheese a particular flavor. Here are some ideas:
- Onions and chives.
- Roasted nuts and honey.
- Cinnamon and brown sugar.
- Homemade jams and preserves: strawberries, apricots, etc.
- Rosemary and garlic.
- Bacon or sliced ham.
Step 6. Store the cheese
Use a sealed plastic container and place it in the refrigerator. You can keep it for up to two weeks.
Method 2 of 3: Buttermilk-based Spreadable Cheese
Step 1. Heat the milk and cream in a pot made of inert material, such as stainless steel
Heat over low heat until it reaches a temperature of 21 ° C.
- Do not boil the mixture.
- To measure the temperature, use a kitchen thermometer.
Step 2. Add the buttermilk and veal rennet
Pour in the buttermilk first, mix well with the milk and cream, then add the rennet.
Step 3. Let it sit overnight at room temperature
Cover the pot and the next morning the mixture will be firm.
Step 4. Sprinkle some salt on the surface of the mixture
Step 5. Break the curds using a whisk
Step 6. Drain the mixture
Cover a colander with a muslin cloth and place it in a bowl large enough to hold the serum. Pour the mixture into the colander and let it drain for about 30 minutes.
Step 7. Discard the serum
Take the corners of the cloth and tie them with a rubber band as if to form a bag. Discard the serum left in the bowl.
Step 8. Put everything in the refrigerator
Return the cloth with the cheese to the colander and the colander to the bowl. Let the curds continue to drain in the refrigerator overnight.
Step 9. The cheese will be ready the next morning
Use it now or store it in a plastic container for up to two weeks.
Method 3 of 3: Yogurt-Based Spreadable Cheese
Step 1. Cover a colander with a muslin cloth and place it in a bowl large enough to hold it
Step 2. Pour the yogurt into the colander
Take the corners of the cloth and tie them with a rubber band as if to form a bag.
Step 3. Let it drain in the refrigerator for about 5 hours or longer if you want the cheese to have a harder texture
Step 4. Store the cheese in the refrigerator in a resealable container
Or, even better, use an old cream cheese package!
Advice
- You can speed up the drainage if you change the muslin cloth or just mix the mixture.
- Muslin has a thicker texture than cheesecloth, which is best for draining soft cheeses. You can find it in specialized centers or in fabric shops.
- Muslin is totally reusable. Rinse the cloth and boil it in water and soda. Rinse it again in cold water and let it dry thoroughly before using it again.
- You can buy muslin, ferments, and other ingredients in specialty stores. Type in a search engine “shops specialized in articles for the preparation of cheese” to find the shop closest to you.
- The milk must be as fresh as possible.
- If you want to flavor the cheese, remember that the flavors get stronger as the ingredients remain in the cheese. Do not overdo it.
- Here are some herbs that are perfect for cream cheese: parsley, chives, basil, thyme, dill, oregano and sage.
- You can reuse the whey by adding it to the bread recipe (within 24 hours of the curd draining). It will make it delicious.
Warnings
- Be careful of cooking temperatures. A sudden rush would ruin the cheese.
- When making cheese, cleanliness is a key element. All tools must be clean. Choose materials that you can sterilize, such as glass, stainless steel, or food-grade plastic. To sterilize the pot, fill it with 5 centimeters of water and boil it for 10 minutes. Any tool that comes into contact with milk should be rinsed in cold water and washed in hot water. This will prevent the accumulation of residues and bacteria.
