Curds & Whey - for Canadian Poutine
"I have been wanting to make poutine since discovering a recipe for this very Canadian of dishes on 'Zaar. Alas, there are no cheese factories near me and so really fresh curds, as called for, are not available. This set me to hunting down a recipe for curds and I came across this one on the internet. It has also solved a life-long mystery for me... at last I know what Miss Muffet was eating!"
- Ready In:
- 40mins
- Ingredients:
- 4
- Yields:
-
3-4 cups
ingredients
- 12 cups fresh water (3 quarts)
- 6 cups instant dry milk powder
- 1 - 1 1⁄2 cup white vinegar
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
directions
- Heat the water in a very large pot over low heat.
- Stir in the dry milk powder as the water heats.
- Heat it gently until it is very hot but not boiling.
- Stir in about a cup of vinegar.
- Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes - don't skip this part because the mixture has to sit for the milk to have a chance to curdle.
- After 10 minutes there should be a big clump of white cheese curd in the middle of a pool of clear amber liquid.
- If the liquid is still milky, then you need to add more vinegar to finish curdling the milk.
- Add a couple of spoonfuls of vinegar at a time and stir gently so that more of the milk will curdle and clump up.
- Continue until all of the milk is curdled into curds, and the liquid (the whey) is clear.
- Line a strainer or collander with a lightly damp thin cotton cloth.
- Carefully pour the big pot of curds and whey into the strainer and let all of the whey strain off.
- Run a little cold water over the curds to cool them down, and to rinse out all of the whey.
- Squeeze the curds with your fingers to break them up, and rinse them thoroughly.
- Gather up the cloth around the curds and squeeze to remove as much of the moisture as you can - the curds should be quite dry.
- Transfer the cheese curds to a bowl or container and stir in the salt.
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Reviews
-
At best, this recipe yields a fresh cheese like ricotta or paneer. I have made this many times, and it's very nice as a spread or (depending on how much you drain it) added into other dishes.<br/>But what we serve on poutine is CHEDDAR curds, which are indeed curdled, but they are then cultured and "coddled" at a warm temperature to develop the characteristic "squeaky" texture of cheddar curds. <br/>We can't get kosher poutine here, so I've been known to use chopped-up mozzarella cheese strings. I know it's not the real thing, but it's far closer than what you're going to get using this recipe.
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Definitely not even close to cheese curds! I would only suggest doing this if there is no other possible way on earth you could get cheese curds. But please on behave all Canadians and Poutine lovers alike, do not base your opinion of poutine, using these curds. It is just not the same! But if it is all you have, this is really neat and quick!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Bokenpop aka Mad
Milford, Delaware
I was born and raised in South Africa but now live in Delaware USA. Since I can remember I have been cooking! My first real cooking experience was when I was 7. I came home from school one afternoon and felt like French toast. My elder brother was home with his friends and did not want to make it for me, so I got a pan out, put it on the stove, turned the stove on to high. After that I could not remember what to do, but I knew that French toast involved bread so I put the bread in the hot pan without grease and poured milk over it! Oy vey... My brother's friend asked me what I was trying to make and I told him. He laughed and told me I was making it wrong but he also taught me how to make French toast the right way. I came home every day after that and made French toast. I felt so confident with the little bit of knowledge I had acquired that I soon started experimenting with other things. Nothing was going to stop me! The first full meal I ever made for my family was boiled rice and oven roasted chicken pieces with a steamed vegetable medley. I was 8 years old and my mom was in hospital. My dad was struggling to hold down an intensely busy job, keep the family going and be with my mom, so I thought I would help him. I don't think he believed that I had done it on my own. I remember telling him that I read in a cookery book how to make a roast chicken but I did not know what "a" rosemary was so I just put the chicken in the dish without it. Decades later with a myriad tried and tested recipes behind me - flops and failures included - I know my way around any food item and kitchen utensil, much to my family's delight!
