Fresh cheese

Don't understand why it took me so many year to attempt to make fresh cheese, using rennet to set it.

It is so easy to make, the freshly set curd is silky smooth like Tofufa.  After pressing the curd, the fresh cheese has a lovely cream yellow hue, sign of dairy cow fed on grass diet. Texture is thick with a rich flavor, unlike any shop products I have tasted before.

I used raw organic whole milk for the full flavor.

 

whey

fresh cheese salad

one day old fresh cheese

cheese curd to be pressed

coagulated milk cut into cubes

rennet set milk

1. Pour 2 litres of milk into a wide pan, warm in a water bath to around 35˚C, mix in 1/2 a cup of natural yogurt, keep in the water bath (or oven set at that temperature, for proofing bread dough) for 3 hours. This step is optional, just to give it extra microbial benefits.

2. Dilute 4 drops of rennet into 1/4 cup of boiled cold water, use a whisk to mix the cream layer back into milk. While whisking, add rennet and mix well with milk.

3. Rest for 30 minutes without touching it. Milk will coagulate, like tofu, can enjoy as such, most silky tender texture.

4. Use a long palette knife, cut curds into equal 2cm cubes, liquid whey starts to ooze out, rest in 35˚C oven/water bath, stirring every now and then very gently to let more whey to come out, for half an hour.

5. Line a large bowl with cloth, ladle curd into the bowl, tie the corners of the cloth to form a bag and hang on a rod on the bowl, tighten the cloth regularly, and/or put a weight on top to press whey out.

The cheese is ready to eat the next day, goes well on fresh bread with chutney and salad.The whey can be drunk or use in soup/cooking.