In Mexican cooking, you’ll find queso fresco sprinkled on top of salads and enchiladas, adding a salty flavor.  One of its characteristics is that it doesn’t fully melt.  In a pinch, it can also serve as a substitute for other crumbly cheeses like feta or paneer.

Here’s how Menu In Progress began their cheesemaking effort.  Nice job!

“For my queso fresco I started with two gallons of organic whole milk. The thing that gives many cheeses their characteristic twang is an active culture that produces lactic acid. I used a freeze-dried version (Mesophilic A) from Leeners.com that you add directly to the milk. Since my milk was homogenized I also added a little calcium chloride to avoid an overly soft curd.

After letting the milk ripen at 90°F for 20 minutes, I stirred in some diluted rennet and let it form a reasonably solid curd – it sets up rather like a custard. Next the curd gets sliced into little cubes and the solids start to release a lot of liquid (the whey).”

More, including great photos, after the link:

Queso Fresco – Home Cheesemaking – Menu In Progress.

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