Cottage Cheese
Why I Love This Recipe
Ingredients You'll Need
1 Gallon Fresh Milk
4 oz. Mesophilic Starter Culture
1/4 tablet rennet
Cheese cloth
Directions
Mix 1 gallon fresh milk with 4 oz. of mesophilic starter.
Mix 1/4 tab Rennet into two tablespoons of COOL water. Mix this into the milk thoroughly using a whisk and stirring for at least 5 minutes.
Cover and set aside to ripen for about 20 hours at room temp (70 F / 21 C).
The milk should be a firm curd within 20 hours, however the full 20 hours is needed to develop the correct flavor.
After 20 hours, cut the curd into 1/2 inch cubes.
Allow the curds to firm up for 15 minutes.
Over the next 30 minutes slowly raise the temperature of the curds to 110 F (43.5 C).
Cook for an additional 45 minutes at 110 F (43.5 C).
Stir the curds often to prevent them from matting.
The curds should have greatly shrunken and sunk to the bottom of the pot.
Line a colander with a cheesecloth and drain the curds.
Allow the curds to drain for 5 minutes.
Lift the curd filled cheese cloth from the colander and repeatedly dunk into a bowl of ICE COLD water for at least three minutes.
Drain the curds and place in a bowl.
Season the curds with a teaspoon of salt, herbs, etc. Use more or less to taste.
Place the cheese into a sealable container into a refrigerator. A few tablespoons of cream may be added if desired.
