Make your own Soft Cheese

This is something I have thought about doing at home for a long time but always thought it was too complicated and you needed experience and skill to make cheese yourself, as well as special equipment and ingredients like rennet. But my citric acid research said it can be used to curdle milk and split them into curds and whey to make a soft cheese.

I always stock an ample supply of citric acid for my cordial making so it was too good an opportunity to pass up. All you need is milk, citric acid and water. If you have no citric acid then you can use lemon juice.

My mind has been working overtime ever since about all the fresh herbs and other ingredients I could mix into the cheese to suit my own tastes. You can either use full fat milk or semi skimmed for a lower fat version and as I have it I will use the semi skimmed.

Soft cheese

1 litre of milk

120mls of warm water

1/2 tsp of citric acid

Bring the milk up to the boil, whilst you are waiting, dissolve the citric acid in the water.

When the milk is at boiling point, pour in the citric solution stirring it in.

Turn the heat to low and keep stirring until the milk completely curdles and seperates into curds and whey.

Take off the heat and strain through a muslin, cheese cloth or if you have neither of these I have used a clean pillow case before into a jug.

Place under running water for 1 minute and squeeze the excess water off.

Suspend the cloth over the jug for 15 mind and strain off the rest of the whey.

Then mix with your favourite herbs and either eat or store in a container in the fridge.

This is very easy to make but you still have to keep your eye on the milk boiling. When you add the citric acid solution you think that it hasn't split, and there isnt many curds but when you strain off the whey you will get about 4oz of curds and about 700ml of whey. If you mix herbs or other ingredients of your choice, remember to season well and you can either eat straight away or place it the fridge to firm a little more.

The whey will keep in the fridge or you can freeze it and can be used to make bread, cakes, pancakes, a energy smoothie.

If you would like to learn more about my exploits foraging for free wild food and the recipes I have cooked with my herbs and grow your own then please have a look at some of my other posts :)

Boiling Milk and Citric Acid Solution

                                               

Finished Soft Cheese

Mixed Herb Soft Cheese