1 qt milk (goat or cow works too)
4 tbsp. vinegar
2 tsp. salt
-Put the milk on a large pot and heat over medium high heat to 180 fahrenheit (simmering but not quite boiling), stirring constantly to prevent scalding. Switch to a spoon and stir in the vinegar. When you’ve stirred enough to fully mix the vinegar, add the salt and turn off the heat .
-Let stand for 15 minutes, or until curds have separated and whey is almost clear. Place two layers of cheesecloth in a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl, and ladle in the curds. —Gently lift the ends of the cheese cloth and the lump of curds. Tie it to your faucet, or two a spoon hanging over a bowl. Let hang for 1 hour, unwrap and turn out into a bowl.
You knew this was coming. After butter and yogurt, here is Anthrochef’s first of many future cheese recipes.
It’s also the simplest, easiest, and quickest way to practice this ancient phenomena of separating moisture from milk fat. Half an hour of work and an hour of waiting time and you can have homemade goat cheese. This is not Chevre. This is a mild and crumbly cheese, comparable to Indian Paneer, making it very versatile in application but not with a lot of personality of its own. Salt is very important to not end up with a bland product.
The only ingredients are milk, vinegar, and salt. And look! I found some fresh, unpasteurized goat’s milk!
The good news though is that for this kind of cheese, you actually don’t need a non-homogenized milk like we will for future cheeses. Because we’re going to be cooking this milk at a high temperature ourselves, it won’t matter if it’s been pasteurized or not.
Over a medium high heat, get it to 180 degrees fahrenheit (or just about to but not quite boiling) and add your vinegar, stirring in then turning off the heat and letting it stand for 15 minutes.
The curds will separate and you will be left with a nearly clear liquid whey. Add the salt, and go ahead and stir it anxiously a couple times while you let it stand.
Get your double layered cheesecloth (or a kitchen towel) in a mesh strainer over a bowl, then ladle in the curds. Gently grab the corners and lift up, tying it off to drain.
After an hour, it will be ready. Cut it up, crumble it, use it however you want, sweet or savory. And that’s all there is to fastest, easiest, and freshest possible cheese.
ANTHROCHEF 