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how to make simple cheese

i've recently been on a dairy product making bender - mainly yogurt making but over the holidays i heard that you can make a ricotta-like cheese from milk and vinegar! i think i just really like using cheesecloth and having the smell of milk on my hands.

the cheese turned out really well - we used some on pizza the other night and it even browned up nice and golden! it's not true cheese or even true ricotta, as it doesn't use a culture or rennet and true ricotta is made from curds formed with whey (apparently). but it is quite tasty and quite fun to do.

because this was just an experiment i only used a liter of milk - i used the coles organic full-cream long life variety (it is just under $2 per liter). this yielded about 300 grams of cheese.

after the cheese is made you can mix in herbs and salt or honey/sugar, depending on what you want to use the cheese for. i ended up adding a bit of salt.

1 liter of organic full-cream milk
1/8 cup of white vinegar

and a large square of muslin, cheese cloth, or thin cotton. wash this with a bit of bleach or vinegar before using.

• heat the milk until it is steaming (to the point just before it starts to boil). turn off the heat but leave the pot on the element.

• add the vinegar in a slow stream and gently stir. the milk will begin to curdle and separate. cover with a tea towel and allow it to settle and cool for about 2 hours

• dampen the muslin cloth and put it in a sieve, then pour in the milk and allow the liquid to drain through

• tie up the muslin to allow the liquid to drain away from the curds and into the bowl. save the resulting liquid in the fridge (i think it is butter milk as opposed to whey in this case but i'm not sure) and use it in baking instead of milk or for soaking beans and grains to add extra flavor

• once most of the liquid had drained, untied the elastic and just fold over the edges of the muslin to give the curds a nice shape. use a plate and a heavy jar to press the rest of the liquid from the cheese

• leave the weight in place for a couple of hours, and then peel back the muslin and voila! a lovely looking soft cheese, mild and ready to be used however you see fit. the most yummy thing we tried was spreading it on toast with tomato, salt and pepper.

there is something so satisfying about making things from scratch, isn't there? you generally save money and use less packaged goods, therefore creating less waste. an added bonus is knowing exactly what went into the food you and your family are consuming. not to mention the idea that you are developing a variety of skills that make you more reliant on your own abilities and less on just being another consumer.

the other day i read a great little post from one of my favourite Queensland blogs, Down to Earth, on this very topic. how life affirming and inspiring to relearn lost skills and have the ability to be self-sustaining! i often feel that crafting and creating things with your own hands is so enjoyable because of the satisfaction derived in knowing that you were able to make something out of nothing. don't we all love that feeling?