Quark questions

[BCarroll05]

I'd like to make a few German and Austrian pastries but am having trouble getting my hands on authentic quark. From what I understand, it's similar to farmer's cheese. Is it indistinguishable? I have also seen some recipes for quark online. If I went this route, would the homemade quark be significantly closer to quark than farmer's cheese?

-Brendan

[Woods]

Quark is buttermilk cheese. You can also make fromage blanc and drain to the thickness you want. Check out cheesemaking.com Woods

I'd like to make a few German and Austrian pastries but am having trouble getting my hands on authentic quark. From what I understand, it's similar to farmer's cheese. Is it indistinguishable? I have also seen some recipes for quark online. If I went this route, would the homemade quark be significantly closer to quark than farmer's cheese?

-Brendan

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[gfron1]

BCarroll -where do you live? The Vermont Milk & Cheese Co (that name may not be correct) makes a Quark that one of my German customers says is authentic, and they distribute nationally - heavier on the east coast obviously.

[legourmet]

Quark is buttermilk cheese.  You can also make fromage blanc and drain to the thickness you want.  Check out cheesemaking.com  Woods

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The authentic German Quark is not a buttermilk cheese it is the same stuff like fromage blanc.

[gfron1]

Similar but not the same. I don't know the difference from the production side, but there are subtle differences in taste and consistency. Again, the Vermont company sells both quark and fromage blanc, and while they are not a German company, it would suggest a difference. From their website:

Fromage blanc and quark belong to a family of European-style cows’ milk cheeses made with different textures and butterfat amounts to perform different roles in the kitchen. At Vermont Butter & Cheese Company, these two distinctive cheeses share a link with company cofounder Allison Hooper’s apprenticeship on a dairy farm in Brittany, France.

The fromage blanc SNIP Since it has no butterfat, it will separate at high temperatures.

In Germany, quark – German for “curd” – is a popular everyday cheese, making it well suited to a wide variety of uses. At the request of a chef making traditional German-style pastries and desserts, Allison drew on her European education in artisanal cheesemaking to craft Vermont Quark with 11 percent butterfat and a smooth, creamy texture.

Milk Type:Cow

Ingredients:

Fromage Blanc: Pasteurized skim milk, culture, enzymes, salt

Quark: Pasteurized milk, culture, enzymes, salt

Butterfat:

Fromage Blanc: 0%

Quark: 11%

So butterfat content is the distinguishing feature.

[legourmet]

Similar but not the same.  I don't know the difference from the production side, but there are subtle differences in taste and consistency.  Again, the Vermont company sells both quark and fromage blanc, and while they are not a German company, it would suggest a difference.  So butterfat content is the distinguishing feature.

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Ok, I didn't tell the whole story.

Here Quark and fromage blanc will be produced both from "Vollmilch" close to skimmed milk. In the basis version they'll contain approx. 4,5 % fat.

Quark, aka "Topfen" in Bavaria, will be sold here in 8 different qualities

Doppelrahmstufe: 65 bis 85 % Fat

Rahmstufe: 50 % fat

Vollfettstufe: 45 % fat

Fettstufe: 40 % fat

Dreiviertelfettstufe: 30 % fat

Halbfettstufe: 20 % fat

Viertelfettstufe:10 % fat

Magerstufe: below 10 % fat

The higher fat values are processed by adding whipping cream to the basis version.