RECIPE: Homemade Cheese

Over a year ago now, I spent a while on the internet looking up different recipes and theories on how to make a simple, homemade cheese. Eventually, I settled on this recipe, and it hasn't yet failed me. I've made this cheese about 10 or so times now, and it yields consistent results every time. I have no doubt you could vary this recipe and come up with an equally good outcome, but this has worked very reliably for me so far.


Homemade Cheese
1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
2L Unhomogenised milk
One length of cheesecloth

First of all, sterilise the cheesecloth by boiling it in water for a few minutes.


Then, put the milk into a large saucepan and slowly bring to a boil. Just as it starts to bubble, remove from heat, give the milk a stir and add the lemon juice. It should immediately start to curdle. Let it stand for 10 minutes, then pour into a colander lined with cheesecloth. Hang the cheesecloth up somewhere out of the sun, and, once it's cooled, give it a good squeeze. Leave hanging for a couple of hours, or until it's achieved the desired level of firmness. Will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.


NOTES:

I've tried using white vinegar in place of the lemon juice, and while it curdles the milk just as well, I find the vinegar flavour not as tasty as the subtle hint of lemon you get when using the lemon juice.You can find cheesecloth in some supermarkets, or from shops that sell material like Spotlight. Otherwise, feel free to use a pillowcase. I have, and it works great. Pretty much any material that's made from cotton and has a wide (but not too wide) weave is fine.The longer you leave the curds to stand after separating it, the more it will take on the flavour of whatever you used to do the separating. So if you want a stronger lemon flavour or a stronger vinegar flavour, let it stand for half an hour.The first time I made this, I didn't squeeze the curd at all, and ended up with a very soft, almost cottage cheese-like, consistency. This works well as a dip or for spreading on crackers when you add a handful of chopped chives (or other herb) and season with salt and pepper.Most of the time, I've given the hanging curd several good, hard squeezes to get as much liquid out of the cheese as possible. This leaves me a nice solid ball of cheese that fries up like haloumi and is great as part of a fried breakfast, for adding to couscous and lasagne, or even Indian curries (I understand paneer is pretty much the same as this cheese).Cheese slices fried in sesame oil and seasoned with salt. Yum!