Best German Quark Soft Cheese Recipes

GERMAN QUARK (SOFT CHEESE)

Steps:

• 1. In Germany, quark is sold in small plastic tubs and usually comes in three different varieties, Magerquark (lean quark, virtually fat-free), "regular" quark (20% fat) and Sahnequark (creamy quark, 40% fat) with added cream. While Magerquark is often used for baking and as health food, e.g. as a breakfast spread, Sahnequark also forms the basis of a large number of quark desserts. Much like yoghurts in some parts of the world, these treats mostly come with fruit flavouring (Früchtequark, fruit quark), and are often also simply referred to as quark.
• 2. Quark is a type of fresh cheese. It is made by warming soured milk until the desired degree of denaturation of milk proteins is met, and then strained. Dictionaries usually translate it as curd cheese or cottage cheese, although most commercial varieties of cottage cheese are made with rennet, whereas traditional quark is not. It is soft, white and unaged, similar to some types of fromage frais. It is distinct from ricotta because ricotta (Italian: "recooked") is made from scalded whey. It is quite similar to the Indian paneer.
• 3. Set oven to 150*F. Pour buttermilk into the baking dish and cover with a lid or tinfoil. If the lid is plastic or rubber, make sure it's dishwasher safe - if so, it should be fine at 150*F in the oven. Place the dish in the oven and let it sit overnight, or about 8-12 hours.
• 4. In the morning, remove the dish from the oven. Place the strainer in the sink or a large pot and line it with the linen. Spoon or pour the contents of the baking dish into the strainer. You'll notice that the curd (solid) has partially separated from the whey (liquid). Cover the cheese with the ends of the cloth and let it drain in the sink for 30-60 minutes. To speed up the process, fill a bowl or sealed container with water and place on top to weigh it down. 30 min............
• 5. Dump the contents into a bowl and refrigerate. Once chilled, add milk 2T at a time until it is smooth and easy to spread with a texture similar to creamy ricotta cheese. Add salt to taste. Makes 8oz or about 1 to 1-1/2 cups.

EASY-MADE GERMAN QUARK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Line a colander with cheese cloth and place over a large pot in the sink.
• Gently mix buttermilk and cream together in a 2-quart ceramic casserole dish.
• Cook in the preheated oven for 2 hours and 15 minutes.
• Pour buttermilk mixture into the prepared colander; drain for 45 to 60 minutes. Transfer drained cheese to a bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Store in the refrigerator.

QUARK (HOMEMADE CHEESE)

Steps:

• Bring milk to a simmer in a saucepan; remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• Whisk buttermilk into milk; let sit at room temperature, 8 hours to overnight. Strain mixture through cheesecloth over a bowl in the refrigerator, 8 hours to overnight.