Now we've got cream cheese! After my last attempt, I was still determined to make a successful batch of cream cheese. This time I used a recipe that was far more simple and it used half-and-half instead of heavy cream (okay, it uses a little cream) as the main ingredient. It required nearly no equipment; time was all I needed. And a bowl. And a warm space. You get the idea...
After heating the half and half, then combining ingredients as necessary, I wrapp
ed the bowl in a bundle of towels and placed it on my heater. I just so happen to have those old-time radiator heaters that provide just the warmth this cheese needs (too bad it's not big enough for the two of us). After about 24 hours, it was ready to drain. The recipe indicated that the cheese be drained in the refrigerator, but per the usual, I forgot about that part and allowed it to drain on my counter for about 12 hours. I reread the recipe at that point and then moved it 
into the colder environment of the fridge for another day and a half. While that sounds like alot of time, I was going for a stiffer consistency and it drained very slowly after the first couple of hours.
When it was time, I removed the cheese from the cloth and noticed that there was clear separation of the fat within the ball of cheese. I had to get that back in there, back together. Now, given my last experience, when I ended up making butter (practically) out of my cream cheese, I was a little reluctant. But I'm dealing with half and half i
n this instance, after all, so get stirrin'! I added salt, but only to enhance the flavor, you couldn't taste it.
And let me tell you. Wow. Creamy, spreadable (not as hard and thick as store bought), delicious. I had so much, I decided to divide the batch and add herbs to my schmear. But one can not live on cream cheese alone (but I did live on cream cheese and crackers for a couple of days); luckily I have a live-in baker. Homemade everything bagels, yeeayah! It just doesn't get much better than this.
Cream Cheese
adapted from Making Artisan Cheese by Tim Smith
4 cups half and half (non-ultrapasteurized)
1 cup heavy cream (non-ultrapasteurized)
2 tablespoons buttermilk
Salt
Herbs (optional)
1 microwave safe bowl (no plastic or melamine)
1 instant read thermometer (you can find this in any cooking store, some markets, and online)
1 colander
1 bowl (to go under the colander) 2 sq ft (more or less) fine cheesecloth or butter muslin
1. Combine the half and half and cream in a sanitized, microwave safe bowl. Heat the milk to 90°F (on 100% power this only takes a few short minutes, check after 2 minutes and then every 30-60 seconds thereafter).
2. Stir the buttermilk into the heated cream mixture and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Wrap some kitchen towels snugly around the bowl, this will insulate the bowl and help the cream maintain its temperature. Keep the bowl in a warm place and allow it to sit undisturbed for 24 hours.
3. After 24 hours, check the cream mixture for proper coagulation. Gently lean the bowl on its side; if it does not move, you are ready to move on. If there is still some movement, the cultures need more time to develop; allow the cheese to sit and check it again in 6 to 12 hours. Once you have a firm mixture, move on to the next step.
4. Line a colander placed over a catch bowl with cheesecloth. Spoon half of the curd into the cheesecloth and add a sprinkle of salt (roughly ½ tsp) over the surface. Then add the remaining curds to the cheesecloth and another sprinkle of salt.
5. Tie the corners of cheesecloth together in a knot and hang the bag of curds* to drain for 2 hours. Next, transfer the bag back into the colander to finish draining in the refrigerator for 36-48 hours longer, depending on the consistency you are looking for. To finish, add seasonings as desired (or none at all) and enjoy! Keep in a sealed container in the fridge up to two weeks (if you can get it to last that long).
*For tips on draining, read the recipe at the end of this post.
After heating the half and half, then combining ingredients as necessary, I wrapp
ed the bowl in a bundle of towels and placed it on my heater. I just so happen to have those old-time radiator heaters that provide just the warmth this cheese needs (too bad it's not big enough for the two of us). After about 24 hours, it was ready to drain. The recipe indicated that the cheese be drained in the refrigerator, but per the usual, I forgot about that part and allowed it to drain on my counter for about 12 hours. I reread the recipe at that point and then moved it 
into the colder environment of the fridge for another day and a half. While that sounds like alot of time, I was going for a stiffer consistency and it drained very slowly after the first couple of hours.When it was time, I removed the cheese from the cloth and noticed that there was clear separation of the fat within the ball of cheese. I had to get that back in there, back together. Now, given my last experience, when I ended up making butter (practically) out of my cream cheese, I was a little reluctant. But I'm dealing with half and half i
n this instance, after all, so get stirrin'! I added salt, but only to enhance the flavor, you couldn't taste it.And let me tell you. Wow. Creamy, spreadable (not as hard and thick as store bought), delicious. I had so much, I decided to divide the batch and add herbs to my schmear. But one can not live on cream cheese alone (but I did live on cream cheese and crackers for a couple of days); luckily I have a live-in baker. Homemade everything bagels, yeeayah! It just doesn't get much better than this.
Cream Cheese
adapted from Making Artisan Cheese by Tim Smith
4 cups half and half (non-ultrapasteurized)
1 cup heavy cream (non-ultrapasteurized)
2 tablespoons buttermilk
Salt
Herbs (optional)
1 microwave safe bowl (no plastic or melamine)
1 instant read thermometer (you can find this in any cooking store, some markets, and online)
1 colander
1 bowl (to go under the colander) 2 sq ft (more or less) fine cheesecloth or butter muslin
1. Combine the half and half and cream in a sanitized, microwave safe bowl. Heat the milk to 90°F (on 100% power this only takes a few short minutes, check after 2 minutes and then every 30-60 seconds thereafter).
2. Stir the buttermilk into the heated cream mixture and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Wrap some kitchen towels snugly around the bowl, this will insulate the bowl and help the cream maintain its temperature. Keep the bowl in a warm place and allow it to sit undisturbed for 24 hours.
3. After 24 hours, check the cream mixture for proper coagulation. Gently lean the bowl on its side; if it does not move, you are ready to move on. If there is still some movement, the cultures need more time to develop; allow the cheese to sit and check it again in 6 to 12 hours. Once you have a firm mixture, move on to the next step.
4. Line a colander placed over a catch bowl with cheesecloth. Spoon half of the curd into the cheesecloth and add a sprinkle of salt (roughly ½ tsp) over the surface. Then add the remaining curds to the cheesecloth and another sprinkle of salt.
5. Tie the corners of cheesecloth together in a knot and hang the bag of curds* to drain for 2 hours. Next, transfer the bag back into the colander to finish draining in the refrigerator for 36-48 hours longer, depending on the consistency you are looking for. To finish, add seasonings as desired (or none at all) and enjoy! Keep in a sealed container in the fridge up to two weeks (if you can get it to last that long).
*For tips on draining, read the recipe at the end of this post.
4 comments:
Cream of the crop. Gotta love it. ;-)
Wow, I can't believe you made your own cream cheese! I'm going to have to try it. I just had lunch but your bagels made me hungry. I'm glad I found your blog, I like the clean layout and beautiful pictures.
WOW...this is seriously inspiring stuff. I got here from Great Cooks...& am I glad I did. Is this the same cream cheese that goes into cheesecakes too? Sorry if that's a silly question!
Not silly! To answer, yes, but this particular cheese was pretty soft. I think if you were going to make anything cheesecake-like, I would recommend weighting the curds down (pressing) during the draining process for a drier cream cheese. This is something I hope to experiment with again (making cream cheese and then making something with that cream cheese), so I'll keep you posted!
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