Hi,
My wife Vanessa made some cookies the other day that didn't quite turn out right, but she figured turned into crumbs they would be find for a cheesecake crust. I volunteered to supply the cheese. So, I searched the boards for a cheesecake recipe, and found one that uses Quark. I realised, I've never made any of these simple fresh cheeses, where it's just lactic or semi lactic coagulation then drain in a bag.
Quark
1) warm 4 L milk to 31 C
2) add 2 ice cubes of buttermilk (actually, one might have been fine)
3) sit at room temp 24 hours (I went about 25 hours)
4) transfer curds into a cheesecloth lined collandar (there is a huge amount of curd at this stage, basically, all 4 L is now a very wet, but definate, curd - so my buttermilk icecubes are clearly active)
5) after draining for a couple hours, tie cloth into a bag, and hang over a pot in the fridge over night
And, that should be it. I've got so much curd right now that I'm not sure it's going to tie into a bag. Might have to let it drain longer. Will see.
The curds are definately very tart right now. I didn't see any call for salt? Is quark normally left unsalted?
- Jeff
P.S. Oh yah, here's the cheesecake recipe. It is found in a link that was posted by mtncheesemaker(Pam) on Oct 15, 2011: (
http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,330.msg58442.html#msg58442) for her post with the external link. She says in her post she had to bake it longer than indicated in the recipe, so keep an eye on it and use your own judgement.
Comments:
This wonderful and creamy German Cheesecake is very light and each bite melts in your mouth. It is not too sweet. This is a dessert that always gets many wonderful compliments.
Ingredients:
For the Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
A pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla-sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 stick (7 tbsp/3 1/2 oz/100g) butter
For the Filling:
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla-sugar
3/4 stick (7 tbsp/3 1/2 oz/100g) butter, very soft and at room temperature
6 oz. heavy cream
17 oz. (500g) Quark - A light yogurt type cream cheese* (see note below for Quark substitutions, if needed)
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
3 egg whites
Pinch of salt
Instructions:
For the Crust:
Sift the flour, stir in the baking powder, salt, vanilla-sugar, lemon peel and sugar, then rub in the butter and knead to a smooth consistency with the egg. Place dough in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 C). You will need a 9 or 9 1/2-inch springform pan.
Roll out the dough on a well-floured work surface, then form it into a ball again and roll it out a second time. (This dough is the worst behaved of any I have ever had to deal with, but the double rolling helps tame it, and the end result IS worth the hassle). Place dough in bottom of a 9 or 9 1/2-inch springform pan, pressing it up the sides almost to the top. Set aside.
For the Filling:
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla-sugar until pale and foamy. Add the softened butter and beat well, then add the heavy cream and beat again. Add the quark and stir until the mixture is smooth and throughly combined.
Whisk the egg whites with the salt until very stiff, then very gently fold in the quark mixture, also adding the sifted cornstarch a little at a time. Pour the filling into the crust shell and gently wobble the pan back and forth until the surface is smooth. Trim the dough, leaving about 1 inch (2 1/2 cm). Bake in preheated 300 degrees F (150 C) oven for 50 to 60 minutes (longer if necessary) until well risen and golden - it resembles a souffle at this point (It will sink in the middle quite dramatically - don't worry, it's supposed to do this). Turn the oven off, and let the cheesecake rest in the oven for 15 minutes; then remove it from the oven, cool for an hour or so at room temperature, and refrigerate for several hours before releasing sides of pan and serving. (I make mine the day before I need it). This cheesecake is very nice served with sliced strawberries, or a raspberry sauce. Keep cheesecake stored in the refrigerator, covered.
*Note:
There are 3 substitutions that can be used for the Quark in this recipe if Quark is not available. One is to use farmer’s cheese, another is to purée cottage cheese in a blender or food processor, and the third is to purée eight parts of ricotta cheese with 1 part of sour cream in a food processor.
Makes 12 servings.