When I was a kid there were certain things my Mom loved that, with a large family, were not truly affordable. One of those was a luxury item called Cream Cheese. Mom would use it to make her famous cheesecake, but that was it. The stuff never sat around the house.
Fast forward: I'm visiting with an Amish family. Not because I wanted to but because Mom thought her teenage daughter was on the path to a sure and speedy trip to hell and all because I "mouthed back" at her. I was only fourteen at the time. So I was sent off to live where I wouldn't have it "so easy" with the hope that I would come away from the experience a much more grateful child.
It didn't work. I loved it! And while there I learned to make a wide variety of foods including homemade yogurt and.....drum roll.... CREAM CHEESE!
"The best of cream cheeses," the Amish sister told me, "is from your yogurt". Not having refrigeration, they placed things to be kept cold in a dark, deep cellar. And yes, even in the middle of summer it was cold down there!
Well, today you can make your own cream cheese without going into a dark cellar. And if you're limited by fat or by sodium *or both* you can benefit from this method by omitting salt and using low-fat and fat-free yogurts.
- 1 large (32 oz) container PLAIN yogurt (full fat is best but you can yes the other)
- 2 strainer cloths (you can use cheesecloth or any porous cloth)
- Using a large strainer set over a bowl, tuck in your cloth.
- Pour in the yogurt and fold over the cloth on top of the yogurt.
- Set in the fridge to strain itself, producing whey, for at least 24 hours (I go 30)
- There will be yogurt cheese but you want to go farther for cream cheese.
- Get a sealable container that has a lid and can hold all of the yogurt cheese with a little room left over.
- Line the container with a clean cloth
- Scoop and pack in the yogurt cheese, folding over the cloth and sealing the container.
- Leave it in the fridge for 7 days before unfolding and unpacking.
You can keep it in the fridge, wrapped in plastic or kept in a container.
Easy!!!!!
Can you give it flavors? Indeed! Make your own flavors up but don't add the flavorings until right before packing.