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 it wouldn't be "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 lady told me, "is from your yogurt". Without refrigeration, they kept items that needed to stay 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 use 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 the cloth over the top.
Set it in the fridge to strain itself, producing whey, for at least 24 hours or more.
Get a sealable container with a lid that can hold all the yogurt cheese, with a little room left over.
Line the container with a clean cloth
Scoop and pack the yogurt cheese into the container, fold over the cloth, and seal 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 in a container.
Can you give it flavors? Indeed! Make your own flavors up, but don't add the flavorings until right before packing.