Garlic/Dill Soft Cheese

I've been wanting to try cheese making for a long time.  This is a super easy recipe and a great way to begin my cheese making adventures.  The original recipe came from Mary Jane's Farm web site.
I love Mary Jane's books, magazine and web site.  You can find her here.


Garlic/Dill Soft Cheese

1 quart whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 T. distilled white vinegar

2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried dill weed (2 Tbsp. fresh dill if you have it.)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper.

In a medium sauce pan, over medium-low heat, combine milk and cream.
Cook until steam begins to rise from the surface and small bubbles form at the edge of the pan.  Do Not Boil.
Remove from heat and gently stir in the vinegar.
Let sit for 20 minutes.  The milk mixture will separate in to curds and whey.
Line a strainer with cheese cloth. (I used a cotton dish towel. I'm going to track down some cheesecloth for the next time.)
Spoon the curds into the strainer.
Discard the whey.
Cover and refrigerate curds in the strainer while still suspended over a bowl or pan to catch any remaining whey.  Refrigerate over night.
Remove cheese from the cloth and place in bowl, breaking it up as necessary.
(The cloth towel I used didn't allow as much whey to drain off as I'd have liked.  The cheese still tasted fine but it had a higher liquid content.  The next time, I'm using butter muslin cheesecloth.)
To this cheese, add the garlic, dill, salt and pepper.  Blend well.  Line a  small ramekin, vintage mold or bowl with cheese cloth and press flavored cheese into mold. 
Tip onto serving plate and remove cheesecloth.
Serve cheese.  Be sure to wash cheesecloth to use again.

I placed my cheese in a bowl due to its greater moisture content.   It had the consistency of a thick dip.