Simple Creamy Homemade Cream Cheese Food

HOMEMADE CREAM CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring milk and salt very slowly to the boil.
• Remove from heat and stir in white vinegar.
• Leave to cool.
• When cool pour mixture into a muslin bag and allow to drip.

SIMPLE CREAMY HOMEMADE CREAM CHEESE

Steps:

• Begin by pouring the milk in a saucepan. Heat the milk and bring it to boil over medium-high heat.
• As soon as it boils, add the lemon juice and then turn off the heat.
• Set aside for a few minutes while the milk curdles. You'll notice curds forming and a yellow-ish liquid being left behind.
• Within a few minutes, all of your curds should have formed. Pour the curdled milk through a cheesecloth and a sieve to strain all the liquid whey. Alternatively, you can use a slotted spoon to scoop out all the curdles, while leaving the liquid whey* in the pot.
• Rinse the curds with cold water. This will help to get rid of any extra whey, clinging to the curds.
• Squeeze the curdled milk as much as possible to drain any last drop of the liquid whey.
• Put the strained milk into a food processor/blender and add the salt. Within 1-2 minutes ( this may vary depending on how powerful your machine is) you'll have a light and fluffy cream cheese.
• If you want to add any additional herbs/flavourings then do that now too. Be warned though as certain additional ingredients will affect the shelf-life of the cheese. I like dried herbs and garlic powder as natural flavourings that don't affect the shelf life too much. Store the cream cheese in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. You can freeze cream cheese, but the texture upon thawing is more crumbly and is best used where you're cooking it into something like a dip or sauce.

HOMEMADE CREAM CHEESE (MAKE YOUR OWN)

Steps:

• Pour milk and buttermilk into a large pan and suspend the thermometer in the milk.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the termperature reads 170 degrees.
• Keep the mixture on the heat and the temp of the milk between 170 and 175 degrees. After 30 minutes, the mixture should start to separate into curds (the lumps) and whey (the liquid).
• Line a strainer with several lavers of moistened cheesecloth and set it inside a large bowl to lift the curds from themilkmixture and lay them in the cheesecloth. Pour the remainder of the whey through the cheesecloth and save the whey for other recipes.
• Let curds drain at room temp for 2 to 4 hours. Remove the cheese from the cheescloth and place in blender with the salt. Blend until creamy.
• Store the cheese in small containers with tight fitting lids and refrigerate.
• Cheese can also be frozen thawed and then beaten again in blender until creamy.

CREAMY BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Set an oven rack 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until it is al dente, about 6 minutes. Strain, reserving 1 3/4 cups of the pasta water. Set aside.
• Heat the half-and-half and cayenne in a large saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer. Continue simmering until the half-and-half is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Whisk in the Cheddar and Gruyere until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
• Add the macaroni and the reserved pasta water to the saucepan and stir to combine. (It will look very loose, but the pasta will suck up a lot of the sauce as it bakes.) Season to taste with salt if needed. Pour into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Toss the bread crumbs with the butter and a sprinkle of salt in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the bread crumbs are lightly browned and crispy, about 10 minutes.

HOW TO MAKE CREAM CHEESE

Steps:

• Line a colander with 6 thin layers of cheesecloth set over a bowl, letting the edges of the cheesecloth hang over the sides. Pour in the yogurt and gather the cheesecloth at the top. Tie the bundle together at the top with kitchen twine and hang the yogurt partially inside a large bowl or large measuring cup set in the refrigerator to drain for 24 hours. Check liquid level in container and pour off if it gets too high.
• Unwrap the cheesecloth and place cream cheese into a mixing bowl, sprinkle with salt, and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
• Line a 4 1/2-ounce ramekin or a small bowl with 4 thin layers of clean cheesecloth. Spoon the salted cream cheese into the ramekin, avoiding creating air pockets. Smooth top of the cream cheese and place a small circle of plastic on top, cut out of a plastic bag. The plastic should just fit inside the ramekin. Fold the cheesecloth over the top and cut off excess cheesecloth. Place another piece of plastic wrap over the ramekin.
• Cut out a small cardboard circle, just barely smaller than the inside of the ramekin, and place the cardboard circle on top of the plastic wrap. Place a small heavy object (such as a can of food) onto the cardboard. Refrigerate to press and age the cream cheese for 2 days.
• Carefully unwrap all the layers of plastic and cheesecloth to reveal the pressed cheese. Transfer to a serving plate with the flat side down to show the cheesecloth marks. Refrigerate leftovers.

CREAM-CHEESY MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Spray a 9x13" glass casserole dish with cooking spray.
• Set aside.
• Cook the pasta according to package directions, in a large pot.
• Drain, rinse, and return to the large pot.
• Set aside.
• In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
• Add the flour, and cook until bubbly (about a minute).
• Add the milk slowly, stirring after each addition and cook until slightly thickened.
• Add the cream cheese, again stirring until completely melted.
• Season with salt.
• Remove from heat.
• Carefully pour the cream cheese mixture over the pasta, stirring gently to combine.
• Add the shredded cheddar cheese, stirring to combine.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish, top with bread crumbs if desired, and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

EASY, CREAMY, FLUFFY HOMEMADE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Add softened cream cheese into large bowl.
• Pour in milk, butter and vanilla extract.
• Mix until well combined.
• Pour in half of the powdered sugar.
• Mix until combined.
• Add the remaining powdered sugar.
• Mix until smooth and fluffy.
• Use a spatula to scrape down the side of the bowl if needed.

BASIC CREAMY CHEESE SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy saucepan on top of stove.
• Add flour and stir until well mixed and bubbly being careful not to scorch.
• Remove from heat and add milk; stirring until well blended.
• Return sauce to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Reduce heat, add shredded cheese and parmesan and cook until cheese melts and there is no taste of raw starch.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.