Homemade Cheese Without Milk
Description
It works for holidays and for everyday meals. Homemade cheese made without milk turns out tasty, healthy, and nutritious. You can make it ahead of time and serve it for breakfast or afternoon tea. You can even freeze it as a semi-finished product for making cheese sauces. The main thing is to evaporate the liquid for a long time so the cheese does not turn out like processed cheese. Serve the appetizer at the table.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare the specified ingredients. Use farm-fresh cottage cheese, as store-bought cottage cheese will break down into whey and a grainy mass when cooked.
- 2
Step 2
Melt the butter in a double boiler by placing the bowl with the product on a container of boiling water. Make sure there is plenty of water; the cheese will need to be simmered down for at least 1 hour.
- 3
Step 3
Add cottage cheese of any fat content to a container. It is preferable to use a drier product so that it contains less liquid to evaporate.
- 4
Step 4
Crack the chicken eggs into a deep container and whisk them for 2–3 minutes. You can use more eggs—the cheese will be denser, but with a richer egg flavor.
- 5
Step 5
Pour the beaten chicken eggs into the cottage cheese mixture, add salt, sprinkle in the baking soda, and mix. Place over a water bath.
- 6
Step 6
After 10-15 minutes, the cottage cheese will fully melt; don't forget to stir the entire mixture, as it forms a skin on top. Gently simmer the cottage cheese mixture in a double boiler for about 1-1.5 hours, stirring occasionally. The mixture should reduce to one-third of its volume.
- 7
Step 7
You will see that the mixture has become thicker and reduced in volume. Turn off the heat. At this point, you can add various ingredients: a mix of dried Provençal herbs, seasoning, mushroom pâté, and so on. Remember that if you do not cook the mixture long enough, you will end up with ordinary processed cheese.
- 8
Step 8
Puree the curd mixture with an immersion blender until smooth.
- 9
Step 9
Line a container or bowl with plastic wrap, pour the cheese mixture into it, and cover the top with plastic wrap.
- 10
Step 10
Place the container in the refrigerator and chill for 4–6 hours until thickened. The cheese will be cut into chunks, not slices, because it does not contain agar-agar, gelatin, or other thickeners.
- 11
Step 11
Cut or break the homemade cheese into several pieces and serve at the table on slices of bread with fresh vegetables and tea.