The Catalan TableIngredients
Servings
4
Measurement units
Ingredients
- 1 litremilk kefir (24 h at 20 ºC, when the whey starts to separate)
Optional brine (20%)
- 500 mlwater
- 100 grsfine salt
Nutritional Information
Per 100 g
Calories
43 kcal
Protein
3.8 g
Fat
1 g
Carbohydrates
4.8 g
Calculated from reviewed ingredient weights and pinned USDA FoodData Central records.
Step-by-step Guide
Kefir Creamy Cheese
- Start with a milk kefir that has rested for 24 hours at a constant temperature of 20ºC, at which point you will observe the whey beginning to separate from the curds.
- Strain the kefir using a fine sieve. Thoroughly rinse the grains and the jar with fresh, clean water, and refresh the milk as usual to keep the culture active.
- To make cheese from the kefir, you will need a fine sieve, an absolutely clean kitchen cloth, and an additional container to collect the whey as it drains.
- Place the sieve over a bowl, cover it with a clean cloth, and gently pour the kefir in. Ensure that the cloth completely covers the bottom of the sieve to facilitate proper filtration.
- Allow the kefir, still very liquid, to slowly drain through the sieve. This process may take several hours, depending on the liquid content of the kefir.
- When we observe that the kefir has thickened and we notice that the curd separates from the cloth when we move it slightly, tie the corners of the cloth to form a bundle. Tie the bundle with a string and hang it so that the whey continues to drip into the container. One option is to hang the bundle from the handle of a kitchen cabinet.
- After letting it drain for about 24 hours, place the bundle in the fridge. Now the creamy kefir cheese is ready to be consumed.
If We Want a Thicker Cheese
- If we want to make a slightly thicker cheese, after a few hours of draining, transfer the cloth with the cheese to a mold with holes or a smaller colander. Place a 1 kg weight on top to apply pressure. Leave the setup in the fridge for 24 hours, ensuring a container is placed underneath to collect any whey that continues to drain.
If we want a slightly aged cheese
- During the draining process, periodically twist the bundle to extract as much whey as possible, ensuring that the bundle remains compressed after pressing. Allow the cheese to drain for a total of 4 hours.
- Prepare a 20% brine bath using a ratio of 500 ml of water to 100 grams of fine salt. Ensure that the salt is completely dissolved in the water before proceeding.
- Submerge the cheese package in the brine for 1 hour. It's important not to remove the cheese from the cloth during this process to prevent it from falling apart.
- After an hour, remove the package from the brine. Carefully unwrap the cloth and remove the cheese. Handle with care to avoid breaking the cheese during this phase.
- Squeeze the cloth to eliminate as much water as possible. Then, wrap the cheese again with the well-drained cloth.
- Place the cheese wrapped with the cloth inside a colander, put a 1 kg weight on top, and store the entire set in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Make sure to place a container underneath to collect the whey that will drip out.
Recommendations & Tricks
- One litre of kefir yields about 250 g spreadable cheese.
- For a thicker cheese: after a few hours of draining, a holed mould or small sieve with 1 kg on top, 24 h in the fridge.
Original recipe
View or download the original PDF document.