Quark
(Homeade Fresh Cheese)
Both quark, a type of soft, fresh cheese, and rye bread are staples in German homes that are sorely missed when living abroad. In the United States , these favorite foods are either hard to find or just don't taste like "home." Using ingredients common in America. Quark is used for baked potatoes, to spread on bread or a bagel, to make cheesecakes, and it makes a wonderful dip by adding, chopped onion, and bleu cheese, it is also good as a dollop on fruit or in place of anything you would use sour cream on.
Soft cheeses very similar in the sense that they are thickened with an acid as opposed to to harder cheeses that are thickened with rennet, an animal protien. It is very similar to yogurt and sour cream, but quark is drained of much of the whey.
Quark is an up and coming cheese that is popping up in restaurants and chef's are discovering it's superior qualities.
About 1 cup
Ingredients:
1 quart plus 3 tablespoons milk
milk must be 2% or greater. I use cream, 1/2 and 1/2 or buttermilk.
3 heaping tablespoons sour cream or yogurt (use the best quality available without gelatin or thickeners)
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Directions:
Microwave the milk at top power for about 4 minutes. Remove and stir in the sour cream. Cover the container and let stand overnight in a warm spot. The next day, the mixture should have a thick, yogurt-like consistency. Remove the mixture from the container and place in a towel or piece of cheesecloth hung over a strainer. Allow the liquid to drain off. The remaining solids form the cheese and are ready to eat.
tip: add fresh, cut chives to the Quark, and top it with radish slices and it makes a delicious spread for rye bread.
Try using quark instead of cream cheese for a cheesecake.
German American Corner
More information on Quark
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Donated by Monika
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