Ingredients
The following ingredients have 4 Servings
- 2 liters milk
- 6 tablespoons white vinegar ((fresh lemon juice may also be used))
- 6 tablespoons heavy cream
Instruction
- On the stovetop, bring the milk to 180°F (82°C) over medium heat while whisking occasionally. Use a candy thermometer to ensure that you are getting the right temperature.
- Once it reaches 180°F (82°C), take the milk off of the heat and stir in the vinegar right away. You should begin to see the yellowish whey separating from the curds immediately.
- Allow the curds and whey to cool at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes.
- Line a colander with a double-layer of cheesecloth. Put the colander in the sink or a large bowl. Pour the curds and whey into the lined colander. Let drain for 5 minutes. The curds will stay in the cloth while the whey will drain away. (The whey can be discarded or saved to be used in another recipe.)
- Gather up the edges of the cheesecloth so that the curds are collected into a tight ball. With clean hands, squeeze the ball gently over the sink to release more whey. If you are concerned about a vinegar taste remaining, you can run the ball under gently running water and squeeze again, if desired.
- Unwrap the cheesecloth. You can use the cheese before you as a ricotta substitute in your recipes. If you want cottage cheese instead, continue on...
- Put the cheese ball in a bowl and gently break up the curds with a fork. Stir in the heavy cream. You will find that the curds readily absorb the cream, so the finished cottage cheese does not contain much liquid.
- If you used 2% milk, this recipe makes approximately three cups of loosely packed cottage cheese. Refrigerate and enjoy!
