Accidental Cream Cheese

[chupaqueso]

So I started out making a 4 gallon batch of Monterey jack the other night and something went horribly wrong.  I checked for a clean break and everything looked normal.  So I cut the curd and let it rest.  When I checked it again something was severely wrong.  I think I put the rennet in water far too early and it wasn't strong enough to coagulate all of the milk.

Pouring it through the cheese cloth it didn't look anything like what my previous cheese had looked like and I figured it was a total failure.  So I hung it and let it set for a day until I could get back to it and check things out.  In the spirit of experimenting (which I consider all of my cheese making efforts) I checked it the next day. 

Much to my surprise when I opened the cheese cloth what I had smelled, looked and tasted like cream cheese.  Actually it kind of tastes like a combination of creme cheese and mascarpone.  Long story short my Monterey jack was a failure but my creme cheese was a success.

[Cheese Head]

Well good news! Yep if you just give milk and lactic acid lots of time you get Light Cream Cheese, also called Neufchatel in US.

One problem most including I have is the dehydrated curds on the sides of the bag inhibite the whey in the middel of the bag from leaking out, so every ~6 hours I have to get a spatula and scrape the drier cheese off the walls. Another issue I've had is using a cloth bag with too tight a weave which inhibits whey drainage, both resulting in too liquidy a cream cheese. Have fun!

[MrsKK]

Hey, at least you don't have to throw it out!

So, what are you going to make with it?

[chupaqueso]

Hey, at least you don't have to throw it out!

So, what are you going to make with it?

So far I've just been having it on Bagels.  But there is a LOT of it and I'm running out of bagels.  I was thinking of doing grilled chicken with a cream cheese and basil/pine nut sauce over penne.  Or make a cheesecake or something.  Its about 8-10 cups of cream cheese so it will go bad before I could possibly eat it all.

John, I experienced every single issue you mentioned almost exactly.  After mixing it all together the end result tasted quite good. 

I'm just sharing my experience that there are things that can be learned from failure, and in some instances even a failure can be a success.

[KosherBaker]

chupaqueso thanks for sharing your experience and welcome to the forum. I'm wondering if it is possible to freeze Neufchatel to use at a later time. Maybe someone who has tried it can chime in and if not maybe you can freeze a small amount just to see if it changes the texture.
If you decided not to I though I'd toss a few more recipes out there.
1. Lasagna
2. Rustic Tart - My Grandma's recipe. Mix your Neufchatel with some Feta and green onions. Salt and black pepper to taste. Spread over pizza dough and fold the side like a standard rustic tart.
3. Canolli

I guess that's all I have for now.

[MrsKK]

I have frozen both American Neufchatel and cream cheese and used them later for cooking purposes with great success.  They are cheeses that I prefer to make in large batches, as it isn't any more work than a small batch, but with more results.

Now you've made me hungry for bagels!

[KosherBaker]

Thanks Karen. That's great to know, especially from someone who has done it.

BTW, The baker side of me hopes you are baking your own bagels.

[chupaqueso]

Thanks Karen. That's great to know, especially from someone who has done it.

BTW, The baker side of me hopes you are baking your own bagels.

I'm not that talented.

But I am taking a second stab at my habanero jack right now as I type.  Getting ready for it to go in the molds.  It is turning out as expected.

Still got lots of cream cheese left too...

[MrsKK]

I have made my own bagels, but life is so very hectic right now that I can't even think about baking.  Milking 4 1/2 gallons of milk a day by hand and having to make cheese, butter, creme fraiche, etc. etc. is just about my limit.