Learning how to make cream cheese is one of those
things that makes you feel like a regular homesteading super- star… But I have to warn
you before you proceed, otherwise it just wouldn’t be fair: Homemade cream
cheese is one of those things that beckons you to eat it in large spoonfuls. You’ve
now been warned. Yeah, yeah… Smearing it on homemade bagels is nice
too, but there’s just something about eating it plain…
Since I have an abundance of cream (for the first
time in a long, long time), I decided it was time to try playing around
with making my own cream cheese. And, let me just say that it couldn’t be
easier!
First, some clarifications is necessary here before I
begin …
1: there seems to be about a million different
methods if you want to learn how to make cream cheese… This is the method
I prefer, and it’s pretty darn simple.
2: Many, MANY “cream cheese” recipes are
actually yogurt cheese or fromage blanc recipes. I’ve made a lot of yogurt
cheese as well, and it’s great– but not the same as real cream cheese. The
flavor and texture are very much different.
3: I used my fresh, raw cream for this recipe.
However, since you are adding a culture to it, you could use store-bought,
pasteurized cream if you had to. Or even half & half would work. Just try
to use the highest quality cream that you can find.
How to
Make Cream Cheese
2 cups cream*
2 cups whole milk*
1 package cream cheese starter culture OR 1/8 teaspoon
of Mesophilic starter culture
Fine cheesecloth
Sea salt to taste
*Try to select raw dairy or regular pasteurized
dairy. AND avoid ultra-heat treated (UHT) milk or cream, as it will yield
inconsistent results.
Now then:
· Make sure you are using a glass container to
hold your cream/milk. Gently stir in the starter culture.
· Loosely cover (not airtight!) and set it on your
counter top to culture for 8 to 12 hours. (It may take more or less time,
depending on the temperature of your kitchen.)
· You’ll know its done when it has set up and
somewhat resembles yogurt. (It might not be a perfectly even
consistency, but that’s ok.)
· Dump the thickened cream into the cheesecloth
and allow the whey to drip out for at least 12 hours (the longer it drips, the
firmer your finished cheese will be).
· (Instead of draining the cream at this stage,
you could also turn it into cultured butter. Decisions… decisions…)
· You might have to get a little creative with
your drip set-up. I don’t have any knobs on my cabinet doors, so I tie the ends
of my improvised cheesecloth around a wooden spoon and allow it to drip into a
pitcher.
· My not-so-fancy dripping set-up once it has
reached the desired consistency, scrape it out of the cheesecloth and lightly
salt it to taste. The salt is optional, but it will help it keep slightly
longer. Store in an airtight container in your fridge– it will get firmer as it
chills.
·
I usually get 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cream cheese
out of 1 quart of cream/milk. Yields will vary slightly.
Kitchen
Notes:
I’ve seen several recipes that use cultured buttermilk instead of the mesophilic culture to make cream
cheese. I haven’t personally tried it, but it would probably work just as well.
Add 1/8 to 1/4 cup of buttermilk to your quart of cream to try this method.
You can use all cream in this recipe for a richer
result, or all milk for a less-rich cream cheese. The choice is yours.
You can spice up your cream cheese with all sorts of
different flavors! Mix in cinnamon, fruit preserves, or even some chives and
onion powder for a unique treat.
To make yogurt cheese: Follow this exact same method,
substituting the quart of cultured cream with a quart of yogurt instead.
Here are a bunch of ways to use the leftover whey. Getting
fresh whey is one of the perks of learning how to make cream cheese– don’t
waste it!
If you ahh, accidentally forget about your
cream cheese and leave it culturing or dripping for longer than stated above,
don’t sweat it. It won’t hurt it and the worse that will happen is that it will
just be slightly tangier.
Let me just say that homemade cream cheese is
infinitely better than the store bought stuff. You’ll want to scoop it out
of the container and eat it plain… Or smear it on some bread… Or homemade
bagels… Or make a cheesecake… Or….
How to Make Cream Cheese
Serves: 1½ to 2 cups of cream cheese
Ingredients
2 cups cream
2 cups milk
1 package cream cheese starter culture OR (1/8
teaspoon) Mesophilic starter culture
Fine cheesecloth or a tea towel
Sea salt to taste (optional)
Instructions
Use a glass container to hold your cream/milk and
gently stir in the starter culture
Loosely cover (not airtight!)
Leave on counter top 8 to 12 hours to culture, time
varies depending on temperature
It's ready when it somewhat resembles yogurt
Dump thickened cream into cheesecloth and allow whey
to drip out at least 12 hours (the longer it drips, the firmer your cheese will
be)
Scrape out of cheesecloth and lightly salt to taste
(salt is optional, but it lasts longer)
Store in an airtight container in fridge
Note: It gets
firmer as it starts to cool down and chills
As always, stay safe, and be happy!
- Bird
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