Categories: Toppings
Ingredients
- 1 gallon of whole milk, can use pasteurized or raw but don't use ultrapasteurized
- 1/2 cup of lime juice (about four limes) or 1/4 cup of white vinegar
- Salt to taste
Directions
-
Heat the milk in a non-aluminum pot on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until it looks like it’s just about to boil (but don’t let it boil!). If you’re using a thermometer, the temperature should be 185 degrees.
-
Add the lime juice. The curds will separate from the whey and the mixture will look grainy, kind of like you’ve just thrown a bunch of corn meal into a pot of skim milk. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
-
Pour the pot’s contents into a cheesecloth-lined colander and let it drain for a couple of minutes. (If you want to save the whey so you can use it to make ricotta, feed your plants or add a bit of protein to your morning oatmeal, place the colander over a pot.)
-
Sprinkle the curds with salt (you can go saltier than you normally would as a lot of the salt will drain from the cheese as it dries). Now is the time to add any herbs, spices and/or chopped chiles.
-
Gather the curds in the center, tie the cheesecloth’s ends and hang the cloth on the faucet so it can drain for a few hours. I like to drain it for at least four hours, overnight if I’m patient.
-
Untie the cheesecloth, and look at that gorgeous white ball. You’ve made about 16 ounces of
-
cheese! It keeps in the refrigerator for as long as the milk would have kept, so please check your expiration date.