Gina's queso fresco

[Gina]

I made this cheese for the first time and am pleased with the results. It's not the most intensely flavored cheese in the world, but for something just freshly made, it's quite nice with no 'off' flavors. I followed (sort of) the recipe from the new book from the Leener people - The Complete Idiots Guide to Cheese Making (I usually wont buy books with 'idiot's' or 'dummies' in the title, but I needed just a bit more to qualify for free shipping. I'm just a beginner, but IMO the book is too basic - this forum has better information.)

The batch was 7 quarts (4 grocery whole milk, 3 reconstitued dry nonfat). I added some saffron and a pinch of mild lipase. I'm interested to see if the taste changes the next few days.

[Brie]

Interesting test, Gina--let us know how it turns out. If it tastes good to you, that is really all that matters. One of the great things about queso fresco is that it actually fries quite well, without melting. I would try yours atop some risotto--with the saffron flavor it would be wonderful!

[Gina]

It's 'aged' a couple days now and still tastes very good. Unfortunately the saffron flavor isnt very strong - it's old stuff, but I have lots of it so I'll try adding it again, only more next time. I do have some that's fresher, but was going to use that when I know more what I'm doing. 

I hadnt thought of using this cheese in conjunction with rice, but that makes good sense. I did make some quesadillas with homemade corn tortillas and some fire-roasted chiles (frozen) from last summer - very good combination. The cheese gets soft but does not get runny. These I will make again! 

[DeejayDebi]

Saffron needs to soak for a bit to rehydrate and add lots of flavor. I would let it sit in the milk for an hour before preceeding to get the most flavor from it.