7.5.2020
LACTOSE-FREE HOME-MADE CREAM CHEESE
Gluten and Lactose-Free
Make it with regular milk if you want, but use whole milk, you will get less cream cheese and more whey. It’s best to find lactose free half and half, Land ‘o Lakes makes it.
Makes 1 ½ c using half and half
Peter loves cream cheese; I have not found any good tasting vegan cream cheese and I began to read up on how to make cream cheese. I read so many recipes on how to make homemade cream cheese. All of them were so complicated and took so very much time. Most required hours of cooling and draining and rennet tablets vegetarian or animal.
I began to make some with rennet tablets and made yogurt that was the best by mistake. I will tell you about that another time.
Anyway, I came across this recipe land made it. it was good and Peter loved it, but as usual, I was not happy and decided to riff off it. My latest version is the best!
I made this recipe with half and half. the first time I made this recipe I made it with Lactaid whole milk.
I like using the half and half as it makes a smoother and creamier product.
Here is what you need:
Measure out what you need and set aside.
Lactose-free half and half – 1 qt (I used Land O’ Lake’s brand)
Lemon juice – 3 T
Lemon zest – 1 ½ T
Kosher salt – 1 ½ t
Unflavored Knoxx gelatin – ¾ t
Let's make cream cheese:
Heat up the cold half and a half in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. I used a 2 qt saucepan. At first, I had the flame on high for about 2 minutes to get the pan heated and the half and half begin to warm. As the half and half began to warm up, I lowered the heat to medium-high and kept on stirring until the half and half began to come to a hard simmer. The temperature should be between 185F to 205F, I went for the 205F.
Turn the heat down to medium and add 1 T of lemon juice and stir for one minute. Keep doing this until all the lemon juice is used up. Keep stirring and cooking until the mixture is separated into curds and whey. (clumpy stuff on top with greenish liquid at the bottom.)
Add the kosher salt and stir well. Then add the lemon zest and stir again.
Cover a sieve with cheesecloth or a clean white handkerchief and place it on a bowl. Pour the curds and whey into the handkerchief covered sieve.
Let drain for 10 minutes. Reserve the whey. You might need to add a little whey if the cream cheese is too dry. The rest of the whey can be used in soups, smoothies' cakes or bread.
When the 10 minutes are up, place the curds left in the sieve into a food processor or blender sprinkle the gelatin on top, and whir till the curds are smooth. About 5 to 7 minutes. You should stop the processor occasionally to scrape down the sides. (I didn’t try this with an immersion blender if that is all you have you might want to try it, a hand or stand mixer with the paddle should work too.)
Now is a good time to taste your cream cheese and add more salt, herbs, garlic, smoked salmon, or other flavors if you want.
Scrape the cream cheese into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Save in the refrigerator overnight before you use it, this will make the cream cheese solid like what you purchase. This cream cheese will be good for about 2 weeks in the tightly covered sterilized container.
Remember to use a clean and dry knife to scoop cream cheese out of the container. This cream cheese can be used in any way you use what you purchase in the store.
Use it to slather it on a bagel or toast. We love to have it on a bagel with thinly sliced tomato, arugula, onion, red if you have it, also if you have smoked salmon, and salt and pepper. That is a delicious way to eat cream cheese.
Enjoy!