Make your own cheese!

I ran across this in Hallmark Magazine of all places and thought it would be fun to try.  And I was right!  It is kind of like a science project watching the curds separate from the whey.  The cheese is basically the same as a cottage or ricotta in terms of texture but with seasonings and pressing the cheese into a mold (i.e. bowl) it can be made into a cheese spread.  I did a little on-line research and this is about the only form of cheese you can make without having to have special ingredients such as rennet.  I also learned that this type of cheese does not melt and found suggestions that it can be formed into cubes and fried.  The recipe indicates traditional flavorings for a garlic herb cheese.  If you wanted to have this as a ricotta for cooking or to eat as a cottage cheese then keep it loose and barely season with salt.  Now I have something else to add to my list of truly homemade items as I intend to make the ricotta as well as the pasta from scratch next time I bake a lasagna!  As for other seasonings - I haven't run across any ideas but I think some variations can be created from this to recreate various cheese spreads (sun dried tomatoes, or lemon zest and thyme comes to mind).

Garlic Herb Cheese
Ingredients:

3 Garlic Cloves – thinly sliced
1 qt Milk - nothing less than 2%
1 cup Heavy Cream - can sub light cream if use whole milk
3-5 Tbsp Vinegar
½ tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Pepper
2 Tbsp Chives – snipped
2 Tbsp Parsley – minced

Directions:

Thread garlic onto toothpicks or skewers leaving space between slices. In medium saucepan heat milk, cream, and garlic over medium-low heat until steam is rising and edges show bubbles but do not allow to boil (15 min). Remove from heat and gently stir in 3 Tbsp vinegar and let sit for 15 min (remove garlic). Pull curds to the side, if whey is still cloudy add up to 2 Tbsp more vinegar, allow to settle again. Line strainer with cheesecloth and pour mixture to separate curds from whey (toss whey). Refrigerate curds in strainer over bowl for four hours. Place drained curds into bowl with salt, pepper, chives, and parsley and mix well. Rinse cheesecloth and wrap around the cheese mixture, press firmly to shape (inside a bowl). Refrigerate covered until ready to serve. Can use light cream or 2% instead of whole milk but do not sub both as some fat is needed.