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Recipe

Making Soft Cheese

A dairy allergy is a terrible thing - oh, how we miss real cheese in my house! So with much consideration, and small food challenges every 6 weeks, we have come to know that our most allergic child can tolerate sheep's milk and sheep's milk yogurt if he eats enzymes before and during consumption. Some people take a Lactaid® enzyme tablet, but I find that taking a protein-specific enzyme is better for my son as his true allergy is to the protein casein, which is present in all mammalian milks (including human breast milk).

Finding pure sheep's milk cheese is difficult, and when I do find it, it is very expensive. Faced with his desire to eat yummy soft, spreadable cheese I have spent some time in the kitchen and came up with the following recipe. This recipe is adaptable and so easy.

Necessary Tools

Ingredients

  • Jelly straining bag or 4 layers of cheese cloth
  • 1 quart (32 ounces / 4 cups) glass wide-mouth jar
  • Rubber band

Cheese Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces sheep's milk yogurt (purchase at a local co-op) or whole plain yogurt of choice
  • 3 tablespoons Grade B Maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup agave nectar
  • 2 tablespoons pure cane sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey of choice
  • 1/4 cup jam or jelly or fruit preserves of choice, such as fig, cherry, or strawberry
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons onion flakes, 2 teaspoons dried chives
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil, 2 tablespoons finely diced dry-roasted walnuts, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Optional Sweeteners (select one):

Optional Savory Additions (select one):

Carefully remove straining bag from jar; gently turn bag inside out and remove ball of soft cheese to serving or storage container. Serve.

To store: in glass storage container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks; or wrap tightly in plastic and freeze up to 2 months.

To add flavors: Stir desired sweeteners or savory flavor into yogurt at the beginning of step 1.

Servings: about 12 ounces soft cheese. Prep time: 10 minutes. Inactive time: 12 hours.

Variation

Any animal-based yogurt can be used in this recipe.