Making fresh cheese

After several experiments with making fresh cheese I am hooked.

I like to use the cheese in salads, artichoke dip, anywhere you might use a soft cheese really.

Over the fire

My first several exposures to making fresh cheese were done in pipkins over coals. Pour cool milk in a cool pipken, the gently bring it over heat until it reaches 190 degrees. Keep a close watch as it gets close to temperature as it is prone to shooting past and boiling over, which makes a mess and the cheese becomes rubbery.

Add your curdling agent of choice. I like lemon juice, but have tried with success apple cider vinegar as well as sour cream. Add enough to get a "clean break" with curds floating in the whey.

Strain the curds in a clean lint-free towel over a bowl to collect the whey. Then refrigerate the cheese after scraping it into a container, and the bottled up the whey. Feel free to amend the cheese with what suits your fancy. I am still experimenting and am usually happy with just a pinch of salt. I am still looking for more good ways of using the whey.

Or in the kitchen

Now, I usually make cheese in my kitchen in a stainless steel pot over gas heat. But the process is the same.
Here is another approach to draining that I tried later and rather like.
Put a vegetable basket steamer in another steamer over an empty pot (to collect the whey).

Cover the arrangement with a clean lint-free tea towel.

Pour in the curds. Then twist up the towel while folding in the vegetable strainer. Let drain.

The flavor of the curdling agent comes through as an undertone, so that is why I like to use lemon juice.