Homemade Cream Cheese

Directions

• Line a colander with a large cheesecloth and position over the sink. Be sure that your cheesecloth hangs quite a bit over the edges of the colander.
• Rinse a large pot with cold water. Add the dairy and salt to the pot and heat over a medium flame to approximately 165°-170° F.
• Stir in the lemon juice and continue to heat for another minute or two. Curds will begin to form and float to the top and the dairy will begin to simmer, with a gentle foam forming on top as more soft, cloudy curds continue to form.
• Once you see the curds, turn off heat and let the pan sit for another minute before removing from the burner.
• Then let sit for another 2 minutes before slowly and gently pouring the contents of the pan into the cheesecloth. Gather edges of the cheesecloth and suspend over kitchen faucet or just let drain in the cheesecloth lined colander. You can give the wrapped cheesecloth a gentle squeeze to release some of the whey.
• Let it drain for 1-4 hours, based on desired consistency.
• Gently open cheesecloth and turn cheese into an airtight container. If it still seems a little loose, that’s ok, it will thicken in the fridge as it chills.
• Let cool in the fridge for at least 2-4 hours before serving. Store in fridge for about a week or in freezer for up to 2 months.
• Note: freezing will change the texture, making it less spreadable, but good for baking.