Homemade Cream Cheese

[Jeffrey] As the story goes, a Jewish dairyman from upstate New York accidentally added too much cream to a batch of soft cheese sometime in the late 1800s, and the spill changed bagel culture forever. Now it’s almost unfathomable to think of bagels having ever existed without cream cheese.

Homemade cream cheese is not nearly as dense as the store- bought variety, making it better for light spreading on bagels
or toast. Cream cheese requires a bit of science and planning. You’ll need to purchase cheese cultures and rennet, which
are inexpensive and sold on many websites. A simple kitchen thermometer is also essential since cream cheese is quite temperature sensitive.

 

Serving Size

Makes 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese

Ingredients

  • 1 quart whole milk

  • 1 quart heavy cream (or half-and-half, for a lighter cream cheese)

  • 1⁄4 teaspoon standard (mesophilic) cheese starter culture

  • 4 drops liquid vegetable rennet, mixed with 2 tablespoons water

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1⁄2 cup finely chopped scallions (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the milk and cream over low heat until the mixture registers 75 degrees Fahrenheit on a kitchen thermometer. Remove from the heat.

  2. Sprinkle the cheese starter culture on top and let the mixture sit, uncovered, for 5 minutes, then gently stir to incorporate the culture. Add the rennet-water mixture, stirring carefully with a few gentle strokes. Cover the mixture and let sit at room temperature overnight.

  3. The next morning, drape cheesecloth over a colander or fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Pour the creamy mixture through the cheesecloth. Discard the liquid in the bowl. Tie the corners of the cheesecloth and hang the bundle from the knot on a hook above the sink or a bowl. Let the cream cheese drip for 12 hours, or until the cream cheese is soft, pliable, and no longer runny. If the mixture still seems too saturated, place the cream cheese, still in the cheesecloth, in an airtight container and let sit in the refrigerator overnight. More liquid will drain out. The next day, drain all remaining liquid and transfer the cream cheese to a bowl. Mix in the salt and scallions (if using). Cream cheese is best after it has hardened in the refrigerator, but feel free to schmear it on a bagel (page 106) with lox right away. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Excerpted from the book THE GEFILTE MANIFESTO by Jeffrey Yoskowitz & Liz Alpern. Copyright © 2016 by Gefilte Manifesto LLC. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by Lauren Volo.