The simplest cheese there is, and it needs no rennet: the milk is heated and curdled with acid. The temperature is critical. It has to reach 85 degrees but must not boil. In boiled milk the protein coagulates too far and the cheese turns rubbery.
Ingredients
For the cheese
Method
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Heat the milk
Heat the milk to 85 degrees in a heavy based pan. There should be steam at the edges but no boiling.
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Add the acid
Take it off the heat and stir in the lemon juice and vinegar.
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Leave it
Stop stirring and leave it for 10 minutes. The milk will curdle and separate into curds and clear whey.
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Strain
Pour into a muslin lined sieve and let it drain for 30 minutes.
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Salt it
Turn the curds into a bowl and mix with the salt.
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Press it
Wrap in the muslin, put a weight on top and leave in the fridge for 2 hours.
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Slice it
Turn it out and slice. It keeps for 5 days in the fridge.
Tips
- Do not boil the milk; 85 degrees is enough, and cheese from boiled milk turns rubbery.
- Do not use UHT milk; the high heat treatment damages the protein and the milk will not curdle.
- Do not pour away the whey, as you can use it in place of water in bread dough.
Nutrition
Values are per serving and approximate.