Nice and cheesy does it

I’ve had a couple of cracks at this now, and I’m getting better at it. It is a basic fresh cheese that can be used for several different purposes.
I’ve already shared my queso blanco recipe.

The central thing is separating the curds and whey of good quality, full-fat milk: cow, goat, sheep - or a mixture. I like 50:50 cow and goat. For the method, see below.

Once you have separated the curds and whey, there are many options. But here is three: cottage cheese, paneer, and my marinated spreadable cheese.

Cottage cheese

Simply separate, strain through cheese cloth, rinse with cold water, strain again, and stir through a teaspoon of salt. The idea with the extra strain is you remove the bitterness of the remaining whey. A similar style cheese is called chhena in India - but is more crumbly than creamy.

Paneer

This is a common ingredient in Indian food. I use it when I make ghost saagwala. Here, you strain, then add a tablespoon of salt and a tablespoon of cumin. Once you have mixed through, press the mixture into a rectangular pattern inside the cheese cloth and weigh it down with a couple of plates. This removes most of the moisture, enabling you to cut the cheese into cubes once set. Setting can take a couple hours, or overnight in the fridge - depending on how firm you want your paneer to be.

What makes it such a nice curry ingredient is that it does not melt and go gooey, and its mild flavour complements the big curry sauces - whichever you choose.

Now - the one I like most…

Bachelor Bruce’s marinated, fresh cheese…

You will need

Cooking thermometer
Half a metre of cheese cloth, folded twice
3–4 litre sauce pan
Strainer

Ingredients

1 litre cows milk
1 litre goats milk
.25 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
.25 cup finely chopped herbs (shallots, marjoram, thyme - dill is also good.
Some ground cumin and pepper

Method

Pour the milk into the saucepan. Set the cooktop to about 50%, stirring occasionally to keep the milk from sticking to the bottom. Bring the milk to about 80º C. This is key - less than 80º you get less yield, but if you let it boil - anything over 90º - you get the wrong flavour.

Once the milk has hit 80º, remove the pan from the heat and add the vinegar. Stir. The curds and whey will begin to separate. About five minutes should do, then let it rest for another 10 before giving it one last stir.

Now strain the mixture through a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a mixing bowl. Don’t waste the whey - it is great just to drink chilled, or as a base for a summer smoothie. At the very least, it is good for the garden. No waste!

Transfer the whey back into the saucepan, then place the strained cured in the mixing bowl. Add the chopped herbs, ground spices, salt and olive oil - and gently mix through.

Return this mixture to the cheesecloth, bundle with string and hang for 2 hours in a cool place (my shower is a cool place, for instance. Very cool).

Place the cheese in a bowl - you might want to garnish with some extra herbs and oil - and you are done.
Very spreadable, very snackable - totally yummable!