Cajun and Creole Recipes

William Bohannon's Creole Cream Cheese

Creole cream cheese is a form of farmer cheese that is traditional in the New Orleans area.

William Bohannon's Creole Cream Cheese

Yield: 12 ounces

Ingredients

  • 1/2 gallon skim milk
  • 1 tablet rennet
  • 1/2 cup whole buttermilk
  • 1 1/4 cups nonfat dry milk
  • Pinch of cream of tartar

Instructions

  1. In a large microwave dish heat the milk to 170 degrees F (75 degrees C) and hold for 20 minutes, using the "Hold" function and the microwave probe attachment. Immediately stir in the other ingredients to blend. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 24 hours at room temperature.
  2. Drain and discard liquid from the cheese clabber.
  3. Line a colander with 2 layers of cheese cloth and turn cheese into colander. Place colander over bowl for more draining. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 36 hours.
  4. Place finished cheese into bowl, and use as desired.

Notes

This cream cheese has become increasingly difficult to find. It is made from skim milk, buttermilk and rennet, has a mild, slightly tart, slightly sweet taste, and is often mixed with cream, sugar and fruit and served as a dessert. It is often used to make Creole cream cheese ice cream. In homes it was traditionally eaten for breakfast and served with cream, fruit, or sugar; it can also be served on toast with butter, salt and pepper.

Keeps 2 weeks covered in the fridge.

The cheese only took 3 hours to make.

After the Rennet tablet (crushed well) was sprinkled in the slightly cooled milk mixture, it clabbered right away (about 1 1/2 hours). I drained it in the colander then put it in the cheese cloth and wrung it dry carefully. The cheese needed several wringings with rest in between for sufficient drainage. The finished cheese resembles Feta crumble cheese but the flavor is like mild mascarpone. I put it in the food processor on high speed until it was very smooth and creamy like mascarpone. I freshened the taste with a few drops of lemon juice (store bought mascarpone contains citric acid).

The cheese was not quite a smooth as the commercially whipped kind but the flavor was very good. This recipe is the closest thing to mascarpone that one can make at home with ease. A little tinkering with the proportions should yield a very good clone.

Attribution

Posted by philocrates at Recipe Goldmine 5/15/02 6:37:04 pm.

Photo credit: (c) Can Stock Photo ildi



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