It's that time again...cheese making time! Afterall, cheese is one of
the my main food groups.
Natashya (my cheese-making partner-in-crime) and I decided we were going to try our hands at Cream Cheese this time around. One thing to be careful of when making cream cheese...well, if you've started with some other fresh cheeses...is timing. The
Queso Blanco and
Mozzarella (which were the last 2 I made...along with the goat cheese which never was) were different in that they were larger batches; more milk & higher temperature=more time. This process used about half the amount of liquid and half the desired temperature...so be sure to keep a close eye on the milk while heating it. I, on the other hand jumped on the computer while my milk was heating and went higher than the desired temperature (if only I could have hit the other cheese head-on like this without constant temping). So, this was a bit of an adventure for me...trying to right my initial wrong...but in the end, I was very pleased...I'm sure I cheesed.
...and feeling squeezed, I promptly sneezed and then got teased. Sorry. Dr. Seuss/Happy Gilmore moment.
Homemade Cream Cheese
from The Home Creamery by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley
6 c. (1 1/2 qts.) whole milk
4 c. (2 pints) heavy cream
try not to use ultra-pasteurized
1 c. plain cultured yogurt
those live cultures are essential...good bacteria!
1 rennet tablet
I used 1 tsp. liquid rennet (this is the conversion between the two)
1/4 c. cool water (55 to 60 degrees F)
salt
I used Sel Gris-Velvet*
Combine milk, cream and yogurt in a large pot and stir well. Warm to 100 degrees F
(this is where I initially messed up and heated to 180...so, pay attention) over low heat. Check temperature with a thermometer. Remove pan from heat.
Dissolve rennet tablet
(or liquid rennet...hmmm...wasn't sure if I still needed the water since I had liquid form...but I used it) in the water in a small bowl. Add to warmed milk mixture, and stir thoroughly for 3 minutes. Cover and let stand for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until curds are firm and break away fro sides of the pan. The temperature should drop no lower than 85 degrees F
(which wasn't a problem for me since I was already way up there). If it does drop below 85, slowly reheat to correct temperature.
Cut curd into 2" cubes
okay seriously, I had nothing to cut. I don't know if it was due to initially heating it too high or using liquid rennet and water or something completely unrelated. Let stand 15 minutes undisturbed
ooooo-kay. Line colander with a double layer of butter muslin
(something I still haven't found. I took a tip from Natashya and lined with a clean, used-only-for -this-purpose, white cotton cloth.) Pour, ladle or spoon
(I had no choice but to pour) the mixture into the lined strainer. Fold the excess cloth over the curds and set the colander in a large bowl Cover the bowl and refrigerate to drain 8 hours or overnight.
This is what I had the next day...an extremely wet mass. 
Okay, I don't think my cotton cloth allowed it to drain very well; the weave must have been too tight. So, at this point, the recipe says to...
Transfer the drained cheese to a clean bowl, season to taste with salt, and stir well. The cheese is now ready to be used in flavored cheese spreads or for cooking.
Unless you're me...so, if you're me, you would go ahead and transfer your wet mass to a bowl and season with some delicious Sel Gris-Velvet Sea Salt and then re-line your colander with cheese cloth this time...bigger holes for the whey to drain. Then put it back in fridge overnight...or 2 nights if you're really busy that day in between.
Much thicker. Still Creamy, but YUM!
Now, use as you would any cream cheese...
although it is way creamier and the flavor is so insanely out of this world delicious! I had just been to the Mexican Bakery that morning to get some fresh from the oven bolillo's...I shmeared the homemade creamier-than-creamy cream cheese on the soft, warm bread and proceeded to moan my way through breakfast. Store cheese in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 2 weeks.
And then I used some of the homemade cream cheese to make some of these....
Oh yeah, you've probably seen them around. A little blog by a semi-well-known blogger featured them a while back. More about that in the next post to come...tease....mmmm hmmmmm.
*Sel Gris-Velvet is very, very similar to the Korean Bamboo Smoked Sea Salt that many of you have asked about, but is unfortunately unavailable (to me...that I know of) anymore. Sel Gris- Velvet is a whole mineral sea salt that gets its beautiful grey color from the clay that lines theh solar evaporation ponds used to produce the salt. They have full flavor without being "too salty." The high mineral content makes it naturally lower in sodium than other sea salts. It's velvety texture results from being stone ground to almost the consistency of baking flour. Order it HERE!
If you head over the
Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, you'll see what happened when Natashya hit the kitchen to make her cream cheese.
Or simply place on prepared baking sheet.
Eat 'em hot or at room temp....as a snack...or made as a component of a whole meal like this... A friend of ours made a huge batch of tamales. I adore tamales, especially when you heat them on a comal until the outsides are golden and crisp and the innards are all warm and toothsome!!
Simply plate them up with some salsa and a dollop of crema, sour cream or even homemade cream cheese (like I did...to bring them together with the jalapeños...which I used as a sort of garnish) and add a few stuffed, wrapped jalapeños and you've got an amazing, soul warming, mouth watering meal! 
Today is National Garlic Day! Garlic is one of my favorite things. I said it. I love garlic. I even ate it before I was married. A lot of it. Guess I only wanted to attract the kind of guy who likes garlic, himself. Mission accomplished...tee hee. And you how most people hate walking around with the smell of garlic on their hands? I actually like that. Weirdo, huh? It's even better if you've chopped up some lime &/or some ginger along with the garlic....ah, it's like perfume to me. I wanted to all smart and give you a big tutorial on the many uses and benefits of garlic; then I realized how much I have to get done today and I didn't prepare in advance, so I'm just going to show you some fun garlic-lovers cookbooks and share a new soup recipe I came up with this morning. 
Golden Garlic Soup w/ Fideos
While onions are cooking, peel your garlic.
For some reason, it always seems like a certain food or place or idea will rear its head and stick around for a bit. Most recently it has been brownies...not that I'm complaining. Brownies are definitely one of my favorite sweet things, and since they've been frequenting my "space" lately, I knew it was time to mix some up and get baking! Coincidentaly (!), I received a new test recipe from Cook's Country this past weekend and guess what...it was a brownie recipe. So, I'm going to make Raspberry Cream Cheese brownies for the first time. Instead of the cream cheese and raspberry being on top of the brownies, it is sandwiched in the middle, keeping the cream cheese all creamy and moist (it can get dried out on the top). I used Polaner All Fruit Seedless Raspberry Spread, which isn't very red...so these do not have that obvious, visual red raspberry look, but you can sure taste it! There is some jam mixed into the actual brownie batter to carry that berry flavor through each bite. They were very rich and sinful.
RASPBERRY CREAM CHEESE BROWNIES
recipe from Cook's Country (test recipe)
Yield: ~2 dozen brownies
Raspberry Cream Cheese Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
¼ cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
¾ teaspoon vanilla
Batter:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
½ cup raspberry jam
1¼ cups sugar
3 large eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla
1. PREPARE FILLING Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 8-inch square baking pan with foil, allowing excess to hang over pan edges. Grease foil. Process cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla in food processor until smooth.
2. MIX BATTER Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl. Microwave butter and chocolate in large bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in ¼ cup jam; let cool slightly. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla to chocolate mixture, stirring until combined. Whisk in flour mixture until incorporated
3. LAYER FILLING Microwave remaining jam until warm, about 30 seconds; stir until smooth. Scrape half of batter into prepared pan. Dollop filling over batter, then spread into even layer. Dollop warm jam over filling and, using point of knife, swirl jam through filling. Spread remaining batter evenly over filling.
4. BAKE BROWNIES Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few wet crumbs attached, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack for at least 2 hours. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan and cut into 1½-inch squares. Serve. (Brownies can be refrigerated in airtight container for 2 days.)
