So I have been making yoghurt (using the slow cooker method) for about two years now and it never actually occurred to me you could make cheese with it. (OK, not my finest hour)
So when I read in the Ricki Carroll book you could, I was like, 'Well drat - and hooray!'. So this weekend I made yoghurt cheese.
My yoghurt is usually reasonably runny - not quite at 'drink' stage but not as thick as breakfast yoghurt. I like it that way as I add lots of fruit puree or eat it on my morning bran, but I wasn't sure that it would work to make cheese. And yep, the first time it just ran straight through the cheesecloth.
I eventually ended up doubling two cheesecloths over into 4 layers and that slowed the draining to sensible levels. Next morning I ended up with a cup of clear whey and a lovely soft cheesy mound.
I pressed it lightly for a few hours and resulted in:
My cheese making endeavours so far have resulted in some OK but sometimes a bit dry and hard, cottage cheese-like results. This time however I was really delighted - it had the soft rich texture of cream cheese which I've never managed before. And it tastes great, with a slight sour tang to it that I love (and is wonderful with chorizo or smoked salmon). I don't think I'm ever buying commercial 'fresh' cheese again!
Basic, yes, but I'm really pleased with my success. Now onto something harder...