Queso Fresco Cheese Making Recipe
General
Queso Fresco is Spanish for "fresh cheese" and is very popular in Hispanic areas of Mexico and USA. It is a very simple yet flavourful moist cheese to make as it doesn't require a specialty culture, a press, or aging.
Ingredients - Metric
Makes ~0.75 kg of Queso Fresco:
- 4 liters fresh cow's milk.
- 2 liters cultured buttermilk.
- 73 ml white vinegar.
- Rennet, your choice of type, amount as per your experience or package directions, diluted in ~150 ml cool water.
- 10-20 gram salt, (less if using skim or 1% milk, more if using whole milk).
Ingredients - American
Makes ~1.5 pounds of Queso Fresco:
- 1 US gallon fresh cow's milk.
- 2 quarts cultured buttermilk.
- 5 tablespoons/2.5 fluid ounces white vinegar.
- Rennet, your choice of type, amount as per your experience or package directions, diluted in ~1/2 cup cool water.
- 2-4 teaspoons salt, (less if using skim or 1% milk, more if using whole milk).
Directions
- Place stockpot on smallest ring of stove and pour in milk & buttermilk.
- While stirring, trickle in vinegar.
- Warm using lowest setting to ensure don't burn (or use double boiler) to 32 °C/90 °F.
- Thoroughly stir in diluted rennet for about 2 minutes, cover and set aside for curd to form.
- After 30 minutes check if curd is firm and have clean break, if not, cover and set aside and check in another 15 minutes, repeat as required.
- Cut curd into 1/2 inch/1 cm "diamonds", set aside for ~5 minutes.
- Warm curds to expel whey by slowly warming to 46°C/115°F without stirring. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Ladle or pour mix through cheesecloth lined colander and allow whey to drain for 5-10 minutes (depending on weave of cheesecloth).
- Pick up corners of cheesecloth and twist curds into ball, then twist the cheesecloth gently to squeeze out additional whey.
- Place curd in bowl, break into small pieces, mix in salt, set aside for 5 minutes.
- Pack salted curds in food grade mold of your choice to shape and then place in fridge overnight.
- Remove cheese from mold, consume immediately or place in air-tight food grade container in fridge.
- As Queso Fresco is a simple moist cheese, it has a short shelf life, consume within 1 week.
Options
Tricks & Traps
- If result after evening in fridge is too moist, next time squeeze tighter-longer to remove more whey, if too dry, squeeze less.
- If making large batch, can conserve drained whey and use for whey based cheese making like Ricotta, otherwise place colander in sink to discard whey down drain.
