Post by Christine on Aug 14, 2008 19:40:30 GMT -5
Hi All:
Abby (BoundaryCurrent) sent me the following email via PM. Thought I'd post it here for any interested parties. She was a sweetheart for going to Murray's, buying the book, and posting the recipe. She suggested that the book was worth the money.
Thanks again, Abby.
Kip
********************
Hello,
I went by Murray's this morning and luckily it wasn't busy at all. I asked the man behind the counter about cream cheese, told him that you have a cow and want the recipe. He said, cream cheese isn't really cheese, it's just the beginning of other cheeses, or something weird like that. Then he said that you should use the recipe from the New England Dairy website. He also said that Murray's sells a book with recipes. I'm sorry, that's just the answer I got. Maybe he was trying to keep their recipe a secret. So I purchased "Making Artisan Cheese: 50 fine cheese that you can make in your own kitchen," by Tim Smith. Here is the recipe for cream cheese from that book:
Ingredients:
4 cups (950 ml) non-ultra pasteurized half and half
1 cup (235 ml) non-ultra-pasteurized whipping cream
2 tablespoons (28 ml) buttermilk
Salt
Herbs (optional)
Procedure:
Heat the creams to 90 Fahrenheit (32 Celsius), then stir in the buttermilk and pour the mixture into a sanitized mixing bowl, preferably glass or any nonreactive metal. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Wrap a few kitchen towels around the bowl, making certain that they fit snugly. Place the bowl in a warm area, and let it sit for twenty-four hours.
After twenty-four hours, the cream mixture should have the consistency of yogurt and should not move when the bowl is leaned on its side. If it still has some movement, the cultures need more time to develop, so let it sit for another six to twelve hours. Once you have a firm mixture, pour it into your cheese cloth-lined colander with a catch bowl underneath. Allow it to drain for fifteen minutes, then fold the cheese cloth over the cheese. Place the colander in a deep bowl for continued draining. Cover it with plastic, and place in the refrigerator for as long as twelve to fourteen hours.
Remove the curd from the cheese cloth, and salt to taste. Add herbs if desired. Reshape the curds into balls and wrap them in fresh cheese cloth; put the balls back into the refrigerator in the colander. Make sure that you have a drip bowl under the colander to catch any additional whey. Cover the colander with plastic wrap, and let it sit for thirty-six to forty-eight hours, depending on the firmness of cheese you desire.
Place finished cheese in a sealed plastic container in the refrigerator. Stored this way, the cream cheese should last for up to two weeks.
Yield: 1 pound (450 g)
Abby
Abby (BoundaryCurrent) sent me the following email via PM. Thought I'd post it here for any interested parties. She was a sweetheart for going to Murray's, buying the book, and posting the recipe. She suggested that the book was worth the money.
Thanks again, Abby.
Kip
********************
Hello,
I went by Murray's this morning and luckily it wasn't busy at all. I asked the man behind the counter about cream cheese, told him that you have a cow and want the recipe. He said, cream cheese isn't really cheese, it's just the beginning of other cheeses, or something weird like that. Then he said that you should use the recipe from the New England Dairy website. He also said that Murray's sells a book with recipes. I'm sorry, that's just the answer I got. Maybe he was trying to keep their recipe a secret. So I purchased "Making Artisan Cheese: 50 fine cheese that you can make in your own kitchen," by Tim Smith. Here is the recipe for cream cheese from that book:
Ingredients:
4 cups (950 ml) non-ultra pasteurized half and half
1 cup (235 ml) non-ultra-pasteurized whipping cream
2 tablespoons (28 ml) buttermilk
Salt
Herbs (optional)
Procedure:
Heat the creams to 90 Fahrenheit (32 Celsius), then stir in the buttermilk and pour the mixture into a sanitized mixing bowl, preferably glass or any nonreactive metal. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Wrap a few kitchen towels around the bowl, making certain that they fit snugly. Place the bowl in a warm area, and let it sit for twenty-four hours.
After twenty-four hours, the cream mixture should have the consistency of yogurt and should not move when the bowl is leaned on its side. If it still has some movement, the cultures need more time to develop, so let it sit for another six to twelve hours. Once you have a firm mixture, pour it into your cheese cloth-lined colander with a catch bowl underneath. Allow it to drain for fifteen minutes, then fold the cheese cloth over the cheese. Place the colander in a deep bowl for continued draining. Cover it with plastic, and place in the refrigerator for as long as twelve to fourteen hours.
Remove the curd from the cheese cloth, and salt to taste. Add herbs if desired. Reshape the curds into balls and wrap them in fresh cheese cloth; put the balls back into the refrigerator in the colander. Make sure that you have a drip bowl under the colander to catch any additional whey. Cover the colander with plastic wrap, and let it sit for thirty-six to forty-eight hours, depending on the firmness of cheese you desire.
Place finished cheese in a sealed plastic container in the refrigerator. Stored this way, the cream cheese should last for up to two weeks.
Yield: 1 pound (450 g)
Abby
