Elevate your culinary experience with the rich, velvety texture of homemade cream cheese. Ideal for adding a gourmet touch to sandwiches, salads, or pasta, crafting your own fresh cheese is not only rewarding but also remarkably straightforward. With just milk, yogurt, and lemon juice, you can whip up a scrumptious queso fresco that will leave your friends in awe. Whether you’re a cheese lover wary of delving into cheese-making or seeking to wow at your next event, this effortless 3-ingredient recipe is your gateway to homemade delicacies.
Why You Should Try Homemade Cream Cheese
Packed with Protein: Perfect for those aiming to increase their protein consumption, fresh cheese is a fitness enthusiast’s dream, assisting in cell regeneration and antibody formation.
Calcium-Rich: Fortify your bones and teeth with each luscious bite.
Friendly for Weight-Loss: Indulge your taste buds without remorse, courtesy of its nutrient-dense, low-calorie composition.
Highly Adaptable: From morning meals to evening dinners, fresh cheese is the ideal accompaniment to a plethora of dishes.
Uncomplicated and Natural: Crafting cream cheese at home is not only simple but guarantees a wholesome, additive-free product.
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
1 liter of sheep’s milk (or a blend of coconut and almond milk for a vegan alternative)
1 organic unsweetened natural yogurt (or probiotic capsules for a vegan alternative)
Juice of half an organic lemon
Utensils:
1 meter of cotton wool gauze (available at pharmacies)
1 jar
1 mold
Steps to Make Cheese
- Warm the Milk: Heat the milk in a saucepan over low heat for 15 minutes, ensuring it doesn’t boil.
- Lemon Juice: Extract the juice from half a lemon.
- Mix: Take the milk off the heat, stir in the yogurt and lemon juice, and let it rest for 3 hours.
- Filter: Use the cotton gauze to strain your mixture, separating the curds from the whey.
- Cool and Press: Put the curds in a container, and refrigerate for 30 minutes with a weight on top.
- Season and Shape: Add salt, transfer into a mold, and refrigerate for an additional 8 hours.
- Voila, you’ve just crafted your own cream cheese! This cheese not only adds a homemade flair to your dishes but also embodies the pleasure and simplicity of creating healthy food at home. Relish your creation on toast, as part of a creamy pasta sauce, or in any way your heart fancies. Enjoy your cheese-making journey!