Cream Cheese That Actually Tastes Good
The beauty of this recipe is that you can whip your cream cheese as thick or fluffy as you want. I'll never go back to store bought again. This recipe goes great with bagels, but I've also made some awesome cheese cake with it.
Yield
1 lbTime
About 1 hr total (45 min active)Ingredients
Instructions
Heat milk, stirring constantly in a large pot over medium-low flame until the temperature reads 190° F (88°C) If you don’t have a thermometer this can be done by heating until the milk smells like warm tapioca pudding and begins to boil.
Once your milk has reached the denaturing temperature, (190°F/88°C) turn off your heat, continue stirring and slowly add your distilled white vinegar or lemon juice.
When curds begin to appear and whey looks bright yellow or green with little clouding, stop adding your acid.
Give the mixture a final stir and allow the curds to rest on the stove for 5 minutes.
While resting, set up your straining area by placing a colander inside a bowl large enough to contain your excess whey. Place your cheese cloth inside the colander with ends draping over the sides.
After the 5 minute rest, pour your whey and curds into your prepared cheese cloth.
Allow the curds to strain for 30-60 minutes at room temperature.
After all the liquid has strained out, sprinkle salt on the remaining curds and give it a quick stir to incorporate. Taste. If you need more salt, add gradually, stirring in between until you reach a flavor you’re happy with.
Once you’ve reached a flavor you’re happy with, gather the ends of the cheese cloth into your hand making a ball of cloth covered cheese, give the curds a quick squeeze to get out as much whey as possible.
Dump your curds into a container for emersion blending or use a food processor or blender.
Blitz until you have a creamy, pillowy texture. Tasting often.
Once you’ve reached the desired consistency either serve right away or keep in a container in your fridge for up to 7 days.