Cottage Cheese
Servings: 3 cups
Ingredients
Cottage Cheese Curds
- 3 liters milk (fresh, not UHT shelf-stable) semi-skim (demi-écrémé), or whole (entier) is best
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice, fresh
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
Dressing
- 1/2-3/4 tsp salt to taste
- 1/2 cup milk or cream You may use more or less based on your preferences
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a pressure cooker (using the yogurt pasteurize/boil setting) or on the stovetop, whisking occasionally, until it reaches 183–185°F (84–85°C) on a food thermometer.
- Whisk in the lemon juice and vinegar. If the milk begins to curdle within a few minutes—you’ll see the yellow whey separating from the curds—turn off the heat and let it sit for 30 minutes to fully curdle. (If it doesn’t seem to be curdling much within a few minutes, continue heating for a few more minutes, then remove from heat and let it rest.)
- Using a fine-mesh strainer, drain the curds. You can also line a regular strainer with cheesecloth. (The whey can be reserved and used in place of buttermilk in other recipes.)
- If desired, briefly rinse the curds with water. When using a lemon juice–vinegar combination as the curdling acid, I prefer not to rinse, as it helps retain a bit of the tangy whey flavor.
- Dress the curds with salt to taste and your choice of milk or cream, then chill. The flavor will continue to develop as the dressing is absorbed.The cottage cheese will keep for 5–7 days in the refrigerator.