Paneer Cheese

I have discovered the most amazingly easy way to make a fabulous fresh cheese. My friend Pam mentioned that she had learned how to make Paneer cheese and loved it, and so being the curious person I am, I had to go find a recipe and try it. I had so much fun and the result was delicious. So here is the recipe.

Paneer Cheese
8 cups of Whole Milk (½ gallon) (I used Skim and it worked fine)
1 tsp. Salt
3 tablespoons Lemon Juice (½ medium sized lemon squeezed)

In a large pan bring milk, salt, and cumin just to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. Let stand 15 minutes.

Line a large strainer or colander with several layers of 100-percent cotton cheesecloth. Strain mixture; discard liquid. Gently squeeze the cheesecloth to remove as much liquid from the curds as possible. Wrap cloth around curds. Place wrapped curds in a large strainer or colander and put a weighted bowl on top to help press out any additional liquid. Let stand, covered, in a refrigerator for at least 15 hours.

Remove curds. Discard liquid. Form curds into a flat rectangle or press into a large bowl to shape. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, until well chilled. Store in refrigerator, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 weeks.  

I actually rinsed the outside of the curds wrapped in the cheesecloth with a little cool water to help me be able to squeeze them. I don’t know if I just squeezed really hard or what, but my cheese set up enough to eat in about 3 hours, and had a wonderful fresh mozzerella kind of texture. The flavor is a very subtle lemon scented.

I ended up making an spicy oil with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, ¼ tsp hot chile powder, and ¼ tsp garlic salt to drizzle over the little cheese round I eventually ended up with and the result was amazing.

Anyway, I got very excited and I think I will try my hand at some other cheese making. I did some research on line and found that cheese making kits are as close as your next Austin Farmers’ Market. Marc Kuehl of Brazos Valley Cheese (raw cow’s milk- made in Waco, Texas) has available to the public a cheese-making kit with rennet, booklet, cheese cloth, etc for making several pounds of cheese. He is at the markets both Wednesday at the Triangle and downtown on Saturdays. www.austinfarmersmarket.org for details. The milk you can get from Remember When Dairy on Saturdays at the downtown market.

Brazos Valley Cheeses - Homestead Heritage Farm. 608 Dry Creek Rd., Waco, TX 76705. Marc Kuelth - Marc is a quality cheese maker from near Waco, and graces the market with more than 30 different types of gourmet cow's milk cheeses through the season (you'll have to choose between more than a dozen each week). From brie to mozzarella, from cheddar to parmesan, he's got your taste buds satisfied. 512-284-0196, marc.kuelth@juno.com.

In addition to the fun you have making it, the cost of milk is a third of what you would for the cheese itself.