Icelandic Curds Skyr Food

ICELANDIC SKYR

Steps:

• Pour the powdered milk into a large clean bowl.
• Allow the boiled water to cool until just warm. It must not be too hot or it will kill the living culture in the buttermilk!
• Pour the water over the milk powder, allowing room for the buttermilk. Stir thoroughly so that it is completely dissolved.
• Add the buttermilk, stir well and cover. Place in the oven, undisturbed.
• Do not turn on the oven, simply turn on the oven light. This will be enough heat to allow the culture to work. Allow this to work overnight.
• In the morning check your skyr for firmness and flavor. If it is not set and separated or sour enough, leave it to work longer. Every oven is different.
• Once you are happy with the degree of sourness, the skyr has to be drained. Gently cut the curd into squares of sections. Do not break it up too much.
• Line a colander with cheesecloth or a clean new J-cloth (I personally just use a bit of leftover muslin from my sewing stash).
• Set this in the sink or a larger container to catch the whey. Scoop the curds and whey gently into the lined colander. It will drain better if it is not stirred or broken up too much. It will take about one day to drain to the proper consistency.
• Then it can be beaten with a mixer until smooth. Store covered in the refrigerator. Stir in sugar and cream, or your favorite flavorings, as desired when ready to serve.

ICELANDIC CURDS (SKYR)

Steps:

• The milk is brought to a boil without burning it, and then cooled to blood heat (98F).
• A cupful of the sour cream is whipped and mixed with some of the milk until thin and smooth, then it is poured into the milk.
• At the same time, one-half rennet tablet is dissolved in a little cold water (about a tablespoonful) and poured into the milk, which is stirred to mix the ingredients.
• The mixture is allowed to stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
• Then the skyr is scooped from the pot and strained gradually through a fine linen sieve (several layers of cheesecloth may be used instead).
• It is thus separated from the whey.
• The skyr which is left in the sieve should be about as thick as ice cream.
• Four quarts of milk should make about one and a half quarts of skyr.
• When serving, whip skyr well with a spoon or whipper to a smooth ice-cream-like consistency.
• The consistency should not be grainy or like cottage cheese.

MAKE ICELANDIC YOGURT (SKYR)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Thoroughly sanitize your equipment (bowls, whisks, measuring spoon) either by rinsing it in boiling water or by removing from a hot dishwasher.
• In a heavy-bottomed pot, bring milk to a slow and steady simmer over a medium-high burner, heating it until it reaches the scalding point (use a thermometer to ensure it reaches 185 F to 190 F). This will take about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir frequently to prevent scalding. If, toward the very end of the heating process, you notice that the milk at the bottom of the pot has begun to scald, reduce the heat to medium-low and stop stirring. A small bit of scalding is OK, but you don't want to release the scalded bits into the mixture.
• Turn burner off immediately when milk reaches scalding point. Remove from burner and allow to cool to 110 F.
• In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of cooled milk with skyr, then return mixture to the pot, stirring to incorporate.
• Whisk liquid rennet into warm water, then stir immediately into milk (the rennet will lose its effectiveness if prepared more than 30 minutes before using).
• Cover pot with a thick towel and keep in a warm, draft-free place (an oven or an insulated cooler) for 12 hours.
• After the allotted time, curds will have formed. Spoon curds into a fine-meshed bag (nylon vegetable bags work great for this) or a double-layer of cheesecloth.
• Suspend bag over a dripping tray in a cool room or the refrigerator and allow to drain until skyr is thick.
• Serve skyr and enjoy. Skyr will keep for three or four weeks, covered, in the refrigerator.