Farmer's Cheese | Lapa Eats

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Farmer's Cheese

2020-02-18

My family is from Russia and Ukraine so naturally I grew up eating a lot of Russian food. Tvorog (or farmer’s cheese) is a dairy product made by warming soured milk or buttermilk until it curdles and then straining it. I used to eat it in a bowl mixed with sour cream with bread and jam and it’s soooo good! And most of my friends thought that was pretty strange and didn’t even want to try it. Especially when I told them it’s similar to cottage cheese!

BUT it’s way creamier and tastier than cottage cheese -- it’s actually sweetened a little. I would say it has a more complex flavor profile. No harm in trying it, right? If you’re game, you can eat it in a bowl like I did growing up, or you can use them to make Russian cheese pancakes (recipe up soon!) or cheese blintzes.

If you’ve ever eaten cheese blintzes, chances are you’ve already tried tvorog before! This is that special type of cheese that goes inside those blintzes.

This is one of those “cheeses” that’s super achievable to make it home -- it’s not like you’re making cheddar or gouda. I see some people make their own ricotta. I would say this is sort of like that. And we still need to try to make our own ricotta. So jump on that soft cheese train!

Serving Size: 2 servings

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

½ gallon buttermilk
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of sea salt

Instructions

1. Heat the milk in a large oven-safe pot (we use one that’s made from enamel) at medium high heat on a stovetop.
2. When the milk starts to bubble, add sour cream and mix well until it is dissolved.
3. Add buttermilk, sugar, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to thoroughly stir the mixture together until it has warmed up and the milk starts to curdle.
4. Place the pot into a 350 degree F. heated oven for about 20 minutes. (You can also use a toaster oven if it is big enough). During these 20 minutes you should continuously take out the pot to stir the milk.
5. After 20 minutes, there should be clear water that looks like it is separating from the rest of the milk and the milk will appear to be more like cheese, solidifying in the center of the pot. Take out the pot and cool slightly on the stovetop.
6. Pour the cheese mixture into a cheese cloth and allow the excess liquid to seep out. If possible, it is best to hang up the cheesecloth to drain even more liquid over the duration of a couple hours. We do this by tying it to the doorknob of a kitchen cabinet and let the liquid drip into a pot. Don’t wring out all the liquid from the cheese cloth, since this will dry out the cheese.
7. Place the cheese in a covered container and store in the fridge. Reserve the liquid collected from the cheese cloth, just in case the farmer’s cheese comes out a little too dry after being in the fridge overnight. The cheese should be slightly wet, soft, and not too dry.
8. Serve chilled with sour cream and sugar for a morning snack! Or use it in other delicious recipes such as cheese blintzes or cheese pancakes.

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