Kwark

Kwark, or fresh cheese, is one of the many dairy products that our country is rich. Mixed with fresh fruit, it is a light dessert, and spread on bread it can be used as a calorie-poor substitute for butter or margarine. But where kwark is probably at its best, is in a luscious kwarktaart, or fresh cheese cake. More on that next week, let's start with making kwark first!

Kwark is more about patience than skill. Make sure you avoid any buttermilk that contains any kind of gums, cornstarches or any other ingredient that is not natural to cows: it suspends the whey in the liquid and does not allow for proper drainage.


Kwark
6 cups of whole milk
2 cups buttermilk (avoid buttermilks with gums, cornstarch etc)

Pour both milks in a heavy pan and slowly bring up to 100F. Cover the pan and let it sit at room temperature overnight. The next day, the whey should have separated from the milk solids. Pour everything into a tea towel, knot the four ends together and suspend the package from the kitchen cabinet’s door knob. Place a bowl underneath to catch the whey. Suspend for a good three hours or until the whey has stopped draining.

Scrape the kwark out of the towel and fluff up with a fork. If it’s too dry, add a tablespoon or two of milk. If it’s still too wet, continue to drain for a little bit longer. You are looking for a thicker yoghurt consistency.

Makes two cups of kwark.

4 comments:

  1. Cultured dairy products are so interesting, they seem to span the whole gamut from no fat to full (almost all) fat, cross political/cultural borders, and use a wide variety of cultures to accomplish the task! I've had Quark (low fat) from a local German deli and found it like a cross between crème fraiche and fromage blanc. Thanks for sharing a guide to prepare it at home!

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  2. My milk doesnt shift... what am i doing wrong?

    help! ik wil zelf kwark maken maar mijn melk "shift" niet... Ik heb melk (langhoudbare) verwarmd tot 40 graden, er zelfgemaakte karnemelk (melk+citroen geschud) bij gedaan, >24 uur laten rusten op de verwarming en er gebeurd helemaal niets... (het is nog compleet gemengd en vloeibaar, het ruikt wel naar yoghurt en er zat een soort van velletje op de melk) WAT DOE IK VERKEERD?

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    Replies
    1. Langhoudbare melk is over het algemeen gesteriliseerde melk: hier bevinden zich geen goede bacterien meer in om kwark te maken. Om kwark, yoghurt en hangop te maken heeft u verse melk nodig, het liefst volle melk. Succes!

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  3. Is it possible to make kwark with goats' milk?

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