Homemade Cheese

I like soft foods. It will serve me well if I have no teeth one day. I like to make my own soft foods whenever possible, the skills will be useful if I’m living off the grid somewhere and I’m toothless.

Or if I’m just living off the grid.

Or just living toothless.

I made homemade cheese the other day and served it to myself by the spoonful. You should too. Here’s how to do it:

It is 3 (three) ingredient cooking. I love that part about it. Whole milk, lemon juice, salt. You’ll also need some cheesecloth and some twine. That’s it. Oh, and a soft spot for soft food.

Pour the milk into a saucepan.

Sprinkle in the salt.

Meanwhile, squeeze lemon juice from 1 lemon into a bowl, minus any seeds. I don’t like seeds in my cheese.

Bring the milk to a simmer, making sure to stir so you don’t scald the milk. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice, stir, and let it sit for 5 minutes and let the magic happen.

Meanwhile, cut some cheesecloth the size of a fine mesh strainer.

Run it under the sink.

Give it a squeeze to remove any excess water.

Set it over a bowl.

Cut a piece of twine about 18 inches long.

By now, your curds will have separated from your whey. Just like Little Miss Muffet. You can call me Little Miss Muffet from now on. Thank you.

Pour it into the mesh.

Let it drain.

Gather it together.

Wrap your twine in a knot around the ends, leaving enough length on one end to hang it from somewhere.

Like so… string hangs down as the ball of cheese dangles and drips over a bowl.

Here is what my set up looks like.

After an hour or so, you have your ball of soft cheese and you can flavor it however you’d like because it has a neutral flavor.  I chose dill and garlic, cause that’s the kind of mood I was in. You could choose something sweet if you want… crushed cherries…cumin… whatever your heart desires. Its simplicity serves as a base for experimenting with flavorings at the end, or you can experiment with various milk types—sheep, goat, cow and beyond.

Garlic paste and chopped dill…

Give it a mix… and…

Voilà!

Now feed it to yourself by the spoonful.

Happy Friday from Little Miss Muffet!

Print Recipe

“Homemade Cheese”

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Servings: 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 quart whole milk
• 1 pinch salt
• Juice of ½ lemon strained (Depending on the milk, you made need to add more lemon juice. You'll know to add more if large curds don't form.)
• Pepper to taste
• Fresh herbs garlic, spices (optional)

Instructions

• Combine the milk and salt in a saucepan and heat until the sides begin to bubble. Stir frequently so the milk doesn’t scorch.
• Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes so the curds form.
• Place damp cheesecloth into a fine mesh strainer and set it over a large bowl.
• Pour the curds and whey into the cheesecloth and strainer and let the whey drain into the bowl.
• Gather the four corners of the cheesecloth and tie them at the top with a length of kitchen twine. Hang the bundle of cheese over the bowl and let drip slowly for an hour or so until room temperature and firm. The less whey in the cheese, the longer it will keep.
• Reserve the whey to use in baked goods.
• Un-tie the cheesecloth, put the cheese into a bowl, and mix in salt and pepper. Add chopped fresh herbs, minced garlic, spices, or hot sauce for a variation. It will keep for about 1 week in the refrigerator.