it's getting cheesy

cheese making. littlerockbites attended the root café cheese making class and learned that making fresh white cheese is damn easy. it's made with 3 ingredients; raw milk, an acid (vinegar, citrus) and salt. make it taste way better by adding any of the following: herbs, olives, sundried tomatoes, garlic, coarse cracked pepper, the options are endless. you will need cheese cloth. all other equipment, you already own. this recipe does not use rennet which is a good thing in my book. now, the question is, where does one purchase raw milk? here’s where you friend the farmers at the market. they know.

here’s the root café recipe for queso blanco:

The typical yield is about 1.5 pounds cheese per gallon of milk. This cheese may be eaten as is, with salt, mixed with herbs or spices, diluted with milk or cream for dips or if its dry enough can be breaded and friend or stir-fried.

Warm a gallon of raw milk in a heavy bottom stock pot to 180℉, stirring frequently over indirect heat, and maintain this temperature for five minutes.

Slowly add vinegar (or other acidic liquid) while stirring slowly. It will usually take ¼ cup of vinegar. Occasionally more vinegar is required to get the complete separation of the curd & whey; this will not change the final flavor.

Pour the curd & whey mixture into a cheesecloth-lined colander. Season to taste.

Tie the cloth bag into a bag and hang to drain for 3-4 hours at room temperature or until the dripping stops.

Remove the knitted curd ball from the cloth, season, transfer into a container and refrigerate or eat it. it doesn't get better with age.

*Recipe borrowed from Global Village curriculum at the Heifer Ranch, 2006.