Home Made Farmer's Cheese

Farmer’s Cheese is a delicious cheese used quite frequently in Polish cuisine, 

especially in baked goods such as the sweet pierogi,  cheese cakes or the sweet crepes found in our books.


During our visits to Polish heritage festivals and during our many programs, we’re often asked what is Farmer’s Cheese and where can it be purchased.  The answers are simple…Farmer’s Cheese is a white cheese, (in Polish called Twaróg) with a very unique, mild, somewhat salty flavor.  Reminiscent of Feta cheese, it is essentially a pressed cheese since the curds are often squeezed into a brick or ball to remove the excess liquid. 

Farmer’s Cheese can be purchased in many upscale grocery stores, especially around the holidays, and in most Eastern European deli’s.  But more importantly it can be made at home very easily.  It’s delicious, easy and it can be a fun project to do with the kids.

Here’s a recipe for making your own farmers cheese adapted from one of our favorite resources for Eastern European food: 

http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/cheeses/ss/Step-By-Step-Instructions-For-Making-Farmers-Cheese.htm

• 2 quarts pasteurized whole milk (do not use ultra-
         pasteurized milk)
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1½ teaspoons salt, or less to taste
• Butter muslin or fine cheesecloth
• Butcher's twine

1. Heat the Milk to 180 degrees - In a heavy pot, over low heat, slowly heat up the milk, stirring often, until it is just about to simmer (180 degrees)

2. Stir buttermilk into heated milk. Then stir in the vinegar.

3. Turn off the heat and very slowly stir until the milk begins   to separate into curds (solids) and whey (liquid).  Let sit        undisturbed for 10 minutes. 

4. Meanwhile, wet the butter muslin  or two layers of fine cheesecloth that is large enough to line a colander and hang over the sides. Place the muslin-lined colander over a bowl to catch any whey.

5. After the mixture has sat undisturbed for 10 minutes, use a skimmer or slotted spoon to ladle the curds into the cheesecloth. Allow the curds to drain for 10 minutes.

6. Gather the cheesecloth around the cheese curds into a ball and tie off at the top with the butcher’s twine, leaving two or three extra inches of twine at the ends of the knot. 

7. Tie the ends of the string to a wooden spoon or dowel, and hang the cheese curds over a pot or container to collect any remaining whey and continue draining for 30 minutes.  Squeeze the ball to remove any remaining liquid. 

8. Open the bundle and transfer the cheese curds into a bowl.  Break up the curds slightly and stir in the salt.  The stirring action will break up the cheese into dry curds.  Use your hands to then mold the cheese into a ball or brick shape, or just leave it crumbled.   Transfer to a nonmetallic storage container, cover and refrigerate. Use within 5 days.

Here is how Laura’s cheese looked when she finished – it did not take her long and it was quite easy. 

Smacznego!

Duck Blood Soup (Czarnina) …One More Time!

Witamy!  This Blog has been on the web for almost four years and this is our 100^th post.  During that time, and during all of the visits we have made to Polish Heritage Festivals, the most frequently asked questions revolve around Czarnina – the classic Polish Duck Blood Soup.  So many folks remember it from their childhood and this is one dish that you either love or hate – there’s no in between.   Over the years Czarnina has become one of legendary memories that grows with age (just like that huge fish that got away) but I suspect the legend has overshadowed the actual taste…duck’s blood??  Really? 

Even though I can’t get my head (or taste buds) comfortable with the notion of sipping the blood of a duck, even cooked, we would have included it in our book, if the ingredients were easier to find.  I called our favorite butcher and was told that fresh ducks were readily available, but only cleaned and dressed.  I checked in the local international grocery stores, and found frozen cow’s blood but no duck blood.  With all the regulations on commercial food handling, I’m guessing that no one will guarantee the freshness and safety of the blood.  I suppose one could get fresh blood directly from a farmer...if one knew a farmer…but I don’t. 

A couple of years ago we posted this recipe for “mock” Czarnina which was adapted from a very old traditional recipe and it generated a lot of hits on this website.  So we’re posting it again for your pleasure and culinary enjoyment.  The recipe avoids real duck blood but it still gets a lot of flavor from prunes and from fresh or smoked neck bones, either pork or some variety of fowl – whatever you can get.  Try it and let us know how it worked. 

Ślepo Czarnina – Bloodless (or Blind) Duck Blood Soup

Serves 8

·        3 pounds meaty fresh or smoked neck bones, pork, turkey, duck, etc.

·        1 pound dried prunes, pitted

·        1 stalk celery

·        1 sprig parsley

·        1 bay leaf

·        5 whole allspice

·        2 whole cloves

·        ¼ cup raisins

·        1 small tart apple, chopped

·        1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice

·        ½ to 1 tablespoon sugar

·        2 cups light cream

·        4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

·        Salt and pepper to taste

1.     If using fresh neck bones, blanch, drain and rinse them.  Place blanched or smoked neck bones in a large pot or Dutch oven. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the top.

2.   While the bones are coming to a boil, make a small bag from cheese cloth (or a clean cotton hankie) and place in it the celery, parsley, allspice and cloves.  Add it to the soup pot, reduce heat, add vinegar and bay leaf and simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour.

3.   Add prunes and season slowly with sugar, salt and pepper (go easy on the salt if using smoked neck bones).  Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer slowly, partially covered, for 1 hour or until meat falls off the bone.  Remove the neck bones from the pot.

4.   Taste again and adjust the seasonings, plus vinegar or lemon juice, to your own palate.  Add the seasonings slowly, and keep tasting.  The broth should have a slightly sweet note from the plums and sugar, but with a soft contrasting tartness from the vinegar or lemon juice.  Remove meat from bones and return the meat to the pot.

5.   Turn off the heat, cool soup and then refrigerate until fat is congealed on top for easy skimming and removal. 

6.   Just before serving, in a medium bowl, “cream” the cold soup by adding a few ladles of cold soup and slowly whisking in the flour and cream; and whisking (or blending) until very smooth and all the flour lumps are gone.  Pour this mixture back into the soup pot and heat gently until soup is thickened and any raw flour taste is cooked out.

  Serve over noodles, if desired.   Smacznego!

PS: there are several regional versions that make great use of fruit in the soup.  Pictured is one such version with pears and fresh plums.

Classic Apple Raisin Cake

Witamy!  Many classic Polish baked goods trace their roots to the country and farms where the harvest bounty and seasons often dictated what landed in the kitchen and on the table every week.  In our modern world of upscale grocery stores, most recipes can be prepared the year round.  Ingredients are transported from wherever on our planet they are plentiful to wherever they are scarce.  So, seasonality has become less of an issue.  Of course if you wish to “buy local,” farmers’ markets are the way to go for freshly harvested and locally grown items.  And yes they often do taste better – at least to this writer. 

There are few better combinations of flavors than apples, cinnamon and walnuts.  This is one of our absolutely favorite desserts and one that we often prepare for sampling at book signing events. Then, Laura makes it in a mini-cupcake size and it works beautifully.  It’s very easy to prepare and the recipe is almost goof proof.  And it doesn’t hurt that it’s super popular with all our friends.

½ pound butter

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 cups sifted flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ cups raisins

4 cups cooking apples, peeled & coarsely shredded

1 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Beat the butter with the sugar until creamy. A standing mixer is perfect for this job but a hand mixer will work just as well.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat five more minutes (less if using a standing mixer).  Add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and beat three more minutes.  Fold in the fruit and walnuts. 

Butter and flour a high 10-inch round spring form cake pan.  Pour in the finished batter and shake it around for even distribution.  Bake at 350 degrees for an hour to an hour and a half (60 to 90 minutes).  Test at 60 minutes for doneness with a toothpick.  The cake is done when the toothpick comes out dry.  Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes before releasing the pan.

Yields 12 to 16 portions, depending on size of slices and how hungry your guests are.  Smacznego!