Queso Fresco with Holy Basil
Straining out the last bit of whey
Heating the cheese and adding holy basil
The finished cheese
I did everything I was supposed to do in order to make yogurt…
except heat the milk to 180 degrees before adding the starter and incubating.
Right after adding yogurt starter
My makeshift yogurt incubator.
I left my two jars of inoculated milk in my makeshift yogurt incubator overnight, as you’re supposed to do. In the morning, I was so excited to check the jars, expecting to find that the yogurt had solidified and was ready to be put in the refrigerator.
But it had not solidified, it had separated. The cheese curd had very clearly separated from the whey and it had a light cheesy smell. It didn’t smell bad. It smelled good, but it did not smell like yogurt. It smelled clearly like cheese.
I asked a good friend who is an expert in this process what to do and he said to separate the whey from the curd, then gently heat the curd in a double boiler to help it release the last bit of whey. He said that during the heating process I could add salt and any herbs I wanted to flavor my cheese, then take it off the heat and press it into a mold.
my weighted press system
cheese curd separated from the whey
The exact steps of what I did after finding out I was no longer making yogurt:
Poured the entire contents of my failed yogurt through a sieve into a clean jar
Fashioned a weighted press out of a clean ceramic bowl and a glass measuring cup and placed it on top of the straining cheese curd for about 20 minutes
Put the strained and pressed cheese curd in a double boiler for about 10 minutes, stirring every couple minutes.
Added fresh holy basil, finely, but roughly chopped, and about a teaspoon of salt to start. I added more later.
Removed my herbal cheese curd from the double boiler and put it back in the sieve to strain out the newly emerged whey (the heat helps the curds release any last liquid).
Then put my freshly made herbal cheese in a clean jar and into the fridge.
I enjoyed this cheese on bread and in tamales. <3
Heating the cheese in a double boiler
mixing with more salt to taste
Enjoying my holy basil cheese on bread with honey
Pressing out any last bit of whey
all done!
Fresh bread, raw honey, cheese, and angelic root tea (in the French press)