Chef John's Homemade Cheese

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 quart whole milk
• 1 cup cultured buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice, or as needed
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Recipe

Preparation Time: 15 mins Ready Time: 8 hrs 30 mins


• heat milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, stirring regularly, to 175 degrees f (79 degrees c). pour buttermilk and lemon juice into milk and remove from heat. stir gently with a wooden spoon; the curds and whey will begin to separate. if mixture does not curdle, add another teaspoon of lemon juice. let milk mixture sit for 10 minutes.
• place a colander over a stockpot and line the colander with 4 layers of cheesecloth. ladle cheese curds into prepared colander. let drain for 5 minutes.
• gather the cheesecloth and tie at the top with twine or string. tie cheesecloth bag to a wooden spoon and hang it over the stockpot. let drain for 30 minutes.
• cut off tied top of cheesecloth. unwrap the drained cheese and turn out into a bowl. mix salt into cheese with a wooden spoon. transfer cheese to a ramekin, cover ramekin with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.