First Cream Cheese --- Fail

[Jackrabbit Run]

I also had a possible Cream Cheese Fail this weekend. I used the recipe from this board, but used a quart of heavy cream and a quart of "light" cream. Neither were pasteurized. I used a packet of meso starter and a coupla drops of rennet. For flavoring I only used a half-teaspoon of salt and a "dollop" of honey.

The "cheese" ended up more like cultured butter. I didn't beat it (just stirred in the salt and honey). Despite the honey, it still has a sour-ish finish.

Is this the way that "real" cream cheese is supposed to be?

[Sailor Con Queso]

By not pasteurized, do you mean you were using raw milk?

[Jackrabbit Run]

yep

[Gina]

I thought Kirkland was a Costco brand name.  I figure the milk comes from different sources and Costo has it packaged as Kirkland.  I asked via their website, and the answer was "I checked with our product specialist and was informed that none of  the Kirkland Signature milk is "ultra" pasteurized." 

The heavy cream Costco sells here is not Kirkland brand, but 'Producer's Dairy' brand. It's labeled as just 'pasteurized'. All other creams I've seen in my area are labeled 'Ultra-past.'. The Costco cream is also the only cream I've purchased that sometimes will have thicker bits of congealed milk-fat near the top even in very fresh containers. I figured that was an indication of being only 'pasteurized' and not 'UP'.