German quark

[Amchefspain]

Does anybody have experience in making quark? I need to make it without buttermilk. I live in Spain and that product is not available.

 

 

Thanks for any help.

[andiesenji]

Can you get the freeze-dried quark culture?  That's what I have used for a few years, since it became available. 

 

If not, you can use KEFIR, the liquid, finished product, not the the "grains" that are used for making kefir.  I used this method before the freeze-dried cultures became available because buttermilk here is "ultrapasteurized" and really not suitable for making a good quality quark.

 

I got fresh milk - I usually make it using half a gallon (2 liters) of regular milk - although a couple of times I made it with half & half and got spectacular results.

I bring the milk to a lukewarm temp - between 115 and 120° F.

I stir in about half a cup of room temp kefir (I just leave it on the counter when I bring it home from the store the same day I will use it)

and leave the mixture in a warm place (about 85 to 90° F) overnight.

I check to see if it has coagulated the next morning - I dip a spoon in and if there is a thick coating and a little separation of whey, it is ready to heat.

I put it in a non-reactive* pan over low heat and bring it to lukewarm - about 115° F., stirring constantly until the curds form and separate from the whey.

I line a mesh sieve with cheesecloth or butter muslin, set it over a pot or bowl to save the whey (great for use in baking) and pour the quark into the sieve.

 

After most of the whey has drained away, I use a broad spoon (wood, if you have one) to mash the cheese well to extract as much whey as possible.

Transfer to a bowl, break up the mass with a fork and there you have it.

 

*Absolutely do NOT use an aluminum pan - it will be a disaster.

 

P.S. I know Kefir is available in Spain, I have a friend who lived there for several years - teaching English as a second language - and practically lived on the stuff.

Edited October 24, 2015 by andiesenji (log)

[Amchefspain]

Thanks so much for your reply. However I might've been a little premature in asking advice on this.

 

Most of the information I could find about making quark was based on adding buttermilk. After a little more research I discovered that making my own buttermilk is like falling off a log. I just add Lemon juice just fresh milk and after five minutes, boom, problem solved.

 

The next step would seem to be just add to fresh milk and let it clabber. And then drain it.

 

In any case, your procedure is going to be a great help.

 

Thanks again.

[andiesenji]

Thanks so much for your reply. However I might've been a little premature in asking advice on this.

 

Most of the information I could find about making quark was based on adding buttermilk. After a little more research I discovered that making my own buttermilk is like falling off a log. I just add Lemon juice just fresh milk and after five minutes, boom, problem solved.

 

The next step would seem to be just add to fresh milk and let it clabber. And then drain it.

 

In any case, your procedure is going to be a great help.

 

Thanks again.

Unfortunately, you need CULTURED buttermilk to make quark.

 

The lemon juice coagulation works okay for baking because you need the acid/alkaline balance for leavening.

 

But without the active cultures in buttermilk, you will not get a nice result - in fact you will get something that may have pathogens that will invade milk that is not "protected" by the active cultures (which also limit activity of mold spores) that primarily protect against nasty bacteria, such as listeria.

 

I have lots of books about cheese-making, culturing buttermilk - I make my own butter too - and while you can use lemon juice for a quick coagulation for something like ricotta (not cultured, by the way, it is heat reduced), for yogurt, cream cheese, sour cream and quark, you have to use a culture.  (Cottage cheese is also a rennet/coagulant, non-cultured product)

Edited October 25, 2015 by andiesenji (log)

[andiesenji]

I did a search here, found the cheesemaking thread but can't get a clean link.

 

This is a cheesemaking site with details about make quark with a dried culture and explains a bit more thoroughly about the methods.

 

I buy a lot of cultures from this place and have made many of the cheeses, including aged until it got to be too much for me.

 

New England CheeseMaking  

Edited October 25, 2015 by andiesenji (log)

[Smithy]

I did a search here, found the cheesemaking thread but can't get a clean link.

 

This is a cheesemaking site with details about make quark with a dried culture and explains a bit more thoroughly about the methods.

 

I buy a lot of cultures from this place and have made many of the cheeses, including aged until it got to be too much for me.

 

New England CheeseMaking  

After a private conversation with Andiesenji, I've found the link to which she referred: Making Cheese. The discussion about making quark is on page 10.

[Honkman]

Does anybody have experience in making quark? I need to make it without buttermilk. I live in Spain and that product is not available.

 

 

Thanks for any help.

Here is our take on quark and how to make it

http://twofoodiesonejourney.blogspot.com/2010/10/homemade-quark-staple-in-german-cuisine.html?m=0

[Amchefspain]

Thanks for all your time and the information. Now I have to get to work trying to translate all this into Spanish. Well, not all but I do have to try to see what kind of CULTURE I need and where I can find a purveyor in Spain.

Wish me luck and thanks again