sides

Fresh Cheese

A humble, hands-on recipe that reveals the beauty of simplicity. Warm milk, acid, and time transform into tender curds ready for seasoning or drizzling with olive oil. Once you make it, you'll never buy store-bought again.

Prep
20 minutes
Cook
30 minutes
Serves
4
Level
medium
cheese homemade vegetarian easy basics durham-region local-ingredients
Kawartha Dairy 3.25%MF Milk 8 cups
(150ml) Sheldon Creek 45%MF Cream 5 oz
salt 1 tsp
lemon juice 2 tbsp

Preparation

  1. Place milk and cream in a large sauce pot set over high heat and bring just to a simmer, then remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and salt, cover, and set aside until curds and whey separate, about 10 minutes.

  2. Meanwhile, run a double layer of cheesecloth (large enough to line a colander) under warm water, squeeze out excess water, and line colander. Set colander inside a large bowl and position in sink directly below faucet.

  3. Pour warm milk mixture into colander, then gather up ends of cheesecloth, tie around faucet, and let cheese hang for a minimum of 15 minutes but no longer than 20 minutes to achieve a perfect soft cheese consistency.

  4. Serve fresh cheese warm with olive oil and a crack of black pepper, or use in any recipes that call for ricotta cheese.

Episode Info

Make this recipe with me on the Dishing up Durham show! Watch Season 1 - Episode 21.

Local Partners

  • Kawartha Dairy Milk

Published: 7/25/2025

Category: sides

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