Homemade Cheese Curds Recipes

CHEESE CURDS RECIPE (BASIC)

Steps:

• Cheese Curds, tasty little bits of fresh cheese perfect for a quick snack Cheese curds are the fresh curds of cheese, often cheddar. Their flavor is mild with about the same firmness as cheese, but has a springy or rubbery texture. Fresh curds squeak against the teeth when bitten into, which some would say is their defining characteristic. The American variety are usually yellow or orange in color, like most American cheddar cheese. Other varieties, such as the Qubcois and the New York varieties, are roughly the same color as white cheddar cheese. After twelve hours, even under refrigeration, they have lost much of their "fresh" characteristics, particularly the "squeak". Room temperature, rather than refrigeration, may preserve the flavor and the "squeak". You can freeze cheese curds for up to 4 months, be aware you will loose the squeak and freshness when eaten after freezing. Cheese Curds are sometimes breaded and deep fried especially in Wisconsin. Cheese curds are a main ingredient in Poutine, a Quebec dish in which cheese curds are served layered on top of french fries, and melting under steaming hot gravy. Heat Milk Start out by bringing 2 Gallons of milk up to a temperature of 96¡F. Once the milk is at 96F, set a timer for 90 minutes (so you can measure the critical process from ripening through scald; this is the critical part and needs to run by the clock) and proceed with the recipe . Optional If you want more color in the curds add 1/4-1/2 tsp of annato cheese coloring at this point Add Calcium Chloride & Culture Next 1/2 tsp of Calcium Chloride is measured out and added to the milk along with a pack of (C201 Thermophilic Culture). The milk is then kept at 96¡F to culture (ripen) the milk for 30 minutes. Coagulate with Rennet Next measure out 1/2 tsp of single strength Liquid Rennet and add this to 1/4 cup of cool water, add and stir the milk gently for about 30 seconds. In about 6-10 minutes the milk will begin to gel and in 18-25 minutes a firm set should take place. This can be tested by inserting a knife and lifting with the broad surface to split the curd as seen above. In a few seconds the cut will fill with clear whey, if it is cloudy wait a few more minutes. Cut the Curds Next cut the curd surface into 3/4inch cubes. Wait 3 minutes then begin to stir. Keeping the temperature at 96¡F and as you stir the curds will become smaller. Cook the Curds You can now begin heating the curds slowly to 116¡F over 30 minutes. They will continue to shrink as more whey is released. About now your timer should be going off. Continue to cook the curds for 30-60 minutes depending on how dry you like them. Drain the Curds Once the curds are cooked, transfer them to a cloth lined colander to drain. The cloth is then gathered by its corners and hung for 15-20 minutes. Then the cloth is twisted tight to press the curds together. Pressing A small plate, placed ontop of the curds, provides an excellent flat surface for pressing. Press with a weight of 1 Gallon of water (app. 8 lbs) and let set 1-3 hours. In about 1-3 hours, youÕll have a nice consolidated mass of curds. Salting & Finishing This curd mass can now be broken into bite size pieces and tossed with a bit of salt. It is now ready for eating. I store the curds in a zip lock bag in the fridge. NOTE: If you have a pH meter, the end of step 5 should be pH6.4 and step 7 pH5.3.

HOMEMADE CHEESE CURDS

Steps:

• Pour milk into a sterilized pot. Place pot into a larger pot filled with a few inches of water. Heat milk, stirring occasionally, to 90 degrees F (32 degrees C). Remove from heat.
• Dissolve calcium chloride in 1/4 cup water; stir into the milk. Sprinkle mesophilic culture over the surface of the milk. Let sit for 1 minute, then stir gently for 1 minute. Cover and let culture ripen for 35 minutes.
• Dilute rennet with 1/4 cup water. Stir rennet into the milk mixture for exactly 1 minute. Cover again and let sit until a knife can cut cleanly through the curd, about 45 minutes. Cut curd into 1/2- to 1-inch cubes directly in the pot. Let sit for 5 minutes.
• Cover curds and heat, stirring every 10 minutes, to 98 degrees F (37 degrees C), about 90 minutes. Squeeze curds together to check if they stick. Drain curds and transfer to a cheesecloth-lined strainer set inside a pot.
• Pour enough whey over the curds to reach about 3 inches at the bottom of the pot. Let drain for about 1 minute. Cover with cheesecloth and the pot lid. Heat the whey below to keep curds between 112 and 115 degrees F (44 and 46 degrees C); let drain for 10 minutes. Curds will stick together to form a slab. Cut slab in half, re-cover, and let drain for 10 minutes.
• Flip curds over and re-wrap. Drain for 10 minutes more, keeping the temperature still between 112 and 115 degrees F (44 and 46 degrees C). Cut the slab into smaller slabs and stack them inside the cloth. Return to the pot and cover. Continue draining, flipping and rearranging the slabs every 15 minutes at the same steady temperature, about 1 hour total.
• Unwrap the slabs and let them rest for a few minutes on a paper towel-lined plate. Cut into cubes and place curds in a zip-top bag. Add 1/2 of the salt; shake to coat. Add remaining salt and repeat.

FRIED CHEESE CURDS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the club soda and mix until smooth. Add the cheese curds to the batter and coat thoroughly.
• Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reads 360 degrees F. Fry the cheese curds for about 1 minute, turning halfway through. Drain on paper towels. Serve the fried cheese curds with marinara or your favorite dipping sauce.

BEER BATTERED CHEESE CURDS WITH HOMEMADE RANCH

Steps:

• Fill a Dutch oven with about 1 inch oil and heat to 375 degrees F over medium-high heat. Have a paper towel-lined plate or brown paper bag ready for draining the curds. Meanwhile, toss the cheese curds with 1/4 cup flour in a bowl. Whisk the remaining 3/4 cup flour together with the beer, milk, egg and 1/4 teaspoon salt in another bowl.
• When the oil is hot, take a handful of the curds, shake off the excess flour, and add them to the batter. Let the excess batter drip off, then add the curds to the oil. Fry until puffed and golden, about 1 minute, then transfer to the paper bag with a strainer or slotted spoon. Repeat with the remaining cheese curds.
• Serve immediately with the Ranch dressing.
• Whisk the mayo and buttermilk together with the scallions, parsley, vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, a rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of pepper in a bowl. Transfer to a small serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

REAL WISCONSIN FRIED CHEESE CURDS

Steps:

• Heat corn oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Whisk together milk, flour, beer, salt, and eggs to form a smooth, rather thin batter. Place cheese curds, about 6 or 8 at a time, into the batter, stir to coat, and remove with wire strainer. Shake the curds a time or two to remove excess batter. Deep fry the curds until golden brown, 1 or 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels; serve hot.

BAKED WISCONSIN CHEESE CURDS

Steps:

• In three trays set up a breading station, the first with flour (seasoned with salt and pepper), the second with eggs and milk (well beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper), and the third with bread crumbs (I use 1 box Progresso Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs).
• Working with a dry hand and a wet hand, move the curds through the three stations, flour first, egg wash second, bread crumbs third, back to egg wash and finally through the bread crumbs. This will double bread the cheese. The goal is to completely cover the cheese with the breading, and it does get messy.
• Place breaded cheese on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.
• After all cheese is breaded, place the cookie sheet in the freezer until the curds set up. I like to freeze for a minimum of four hours. After they have set up you can store in a freezer storage bag.
• When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Spray each cheese curd with cooking spray and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
• Cook for 15-20 minutes until brown and maybe one or two start to leak.
• Serve with marinara sauce.