Reprinted from The Blood Type Diet Website (www.dadamo.com)

Small Curd Cottage Cheese
Contributed by: ABJoeAdded: Aug 16, 2008 at 02:57 AM


Description:

This cheese can be made in 16 to 36 hours.

Ingredients:
  • 1 gallon skim or whole milk
  • ¼ cup yogurt or ½ cup cultured buttermilk
How to make it:
  1. Pour milk into a very clean, large stainless steel or enameled pot.
  2. Set pot on a rack inside a larger pot.
  3. Fill outside pot with hot water.
  4. Warm on stove over low heat until milk reached 85°F.
  5. Stir yogurt or buttermilk into milk with a wire whisk.
  6. Cover with a towel.
  7. Incubate milk, without disturbing it, at a temperature of 72 to 85°F until milk becomes firm and yogurt-like.

    Note: When curd pulls away from side of pot, it is ready to “set” by heating. You will see a clear liquid around edges of pot. This will take 12 to 36 hours. Temperature may vary during this time, but milk may not be jiggled. It is now time to separate the whey, a clear liquid, from curds, which are white and made of coagulated proteins.
  8. With a long, thin, stainless steel knife, cut curds into ¼ inch squares.
  9. Next, hold knife at a 45-degree angle and slice diagonally through the lines already cut.

    Note:These cuts allow the whey to seep out of the curds and will aid even heating.
  10. Place fresh hot water in the outside pot and place pot containing curds in it.
  11. Over low heat, raise temperature of curds to 90°F (check temperature near outside of pot).
  12. At no time allow water in outside pot to exceed 170°F.
  13. Slowly stir curds from outside edges into center and bring curd from bottom to top, using a rubber spatula or large metal spoon.

    Note: Curds are still soft at this point and easily broken. Continue to raise the temperature to 120°F, stirring gently every 10 minutes.
  14. Time to raise the curds from room temperature to 120°F should be regulated to take about 45 minutes.
  15. Hold curds at 120°F until they feel firm, 10 to 20 minutes more.

    Note: When curds feel slightly springy but still a long way from being rubbery, they are ready to drain. Whey will be clear with a golden tinge.
  16. Rinse a cheesecloth and line a colander with it.
  17. Gently ladle curds into colander.
  18. Pour whey through curds.
  19. Rinse gently with cool water.
  20. If water drains too slowly, shift curds about in cheesecloth.
  21. Rinse again to finish cooling the curds.
  22. Tie ends of cheesecloth together and hang to drain for another 30 minutes.
  23. Refrigerate. Yield 4 cups.