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Good morning crew!
This month I want to talk about cheeses and… how it’s so incredibly easy to prepare the fresh ones at home!
Skeptics? I was too! Then, just for fun, I bought a cheese bowl for microwave.
Like the best love stories, one thing led to another, and I made then a few more experiments in the old way.
The cheese bowl above is not essential, but I recommend it anyway because it’s a very nice and practical object to use, and also the perfect gift for the cooking enthusiasts.
These cheeses are perfect for a drink with friends before dinner, or to enrich summer salads.
In addition, you are done the ricotta for cheesecake? These cheeses will replace it extremely well!
You can also season them with herbs from your terrace and, if you followed my advices, they should be ready for use!
What you need is:
– a small pot
– a strainer tightly woven, of about 15 cm in diameter
– a plastic or glass container
– for the most daring, a cooking thermometer
The ingredients:
– fresh or long-life milk, preferably whole, from cow, goat, or what you want (below I will explain the version with milk plant)
– lemon, white or apple vinegar, yoghurt
– fine salt
– spices or fresh herbs to taste
That’s right, that’s all!
The result will change depending on the type of acidifying you add to the milk: using yoghurt you will get a creamier cheese, with vinegar will get a more grainy and dry texture, while with lemon your cheese will be soft and moist.
To realize your cheese, you can use either the microwave or the stove.
– Pour 1 liter of your favorite milk in a large enough cup suitable for microwave or in a saucepan for the stove.
– If you use yoghurt as acidifying, instead, use 750 ml of milk and add just 3 jars of 125 grams of yoghurt and stir.
– Turn on the microwave at full power for 14 minutes or heat the milk to almost a boil (92° C if you get a cooking thermometer).
– If you have used the yoghurt, when elapsed time, the milk should already be coagulated (i.e. divided into white mass and yellowish serum). Otherwise, proceed with the cooking for another couple of minutes. Then pass over to the phase of rest.
– If you have not used the yoghurt, add to the boiling milk the juice of an half lemon or 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Stir quickly.
– Let the mixture to stand half an hour and add salt to taste (a teaspoon will do) or other spices.
– Strain the mixture through a sieve pressing lightly on a pot or other container, retaining the liquid spreads, which is called buttermilk.
– Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours, leaving the cheese on the strainer, to make it lose more buttermilk possible.
– Pour onto a plate and enjoy your creation! :)
This fresh cheese can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Why do I told you to keep buttermilk?
Buttermilk contains many lactic acid bacteria (especially if you used yogurt), it can stay in the refrigerator for a couple of days, but it is suitable to be frozen in a bag and reused later. At the next cheese, adding it to the milk before heating means you will never add either lemon or vinegar, or just a little. You can use it up to 3 times before losing its bacterial content.
Also buttermilk is good to prepare cakes such as Red Velvet Cake or marinate the meat: it will be very tender!
Do you love the cheese-maker job?
Then I suggest you buy rennet in pharmacy. It has a ridiculous cost and it will be enough 4-5 drops per liter of milk with the addition of buttermilk, instead of other acidifying. You can gat also specific drainer to give your cheese a … professional form.
Plus, there are many books about homemade cheese!
Are you lactose intolerant or vegan?
Just replace the animal milk with soy milk not added nor sweetened and acidify with the same amount of lemon juice or vinegar described in the preparation above.
What to say? Enjoy your meal!
Do you have 5 more minutes? Check out these posts:
Farm together aromatic plants!
Two spectacular recipes for your birthday
Dinner for two
