Cream Cheese!
Cheese is one of those things I really want to get into making more of. It's yummy. It's surprisingly historical. And it's a right pain to do unless you have the proper resources.
This type of cheese, however, is simple. It's a very, very easy recipe and one that just about anyone with a little bit of time can accomplish. So let's get into it!
Historical Accuracy: Here's the thing. I took this recipe from a Viking Cheese recipe from Ribe Viking Center: HERE. I admittedly modified it a little--I had made this cheese before and I wanted something a little different. All ingredients are period and the recipe is at least based on a period recipe. I'm going to go ahead and give this one a 9/10 for historical accuracy. Please note: Ritz crackers aren't period. I used what I had to serve it. Sorry!
How's It Taste? Without the herbs, it tastes pretty much like a slightly more sour, yoghurt-y cream cheese. That makes perfect sense. This would be absolutely lovely with some gravlax on a piece of rugbrod as a faux-period bagel.
Difficulty: It's a surprisingly easy cheese to make, although somewhat time consuming. And it does require one specialty tool--cheesecloth. If you're intelligent enough to work your way around a kitchen, you can make this. 2/10 here.
Recipe:
1 gallon whole milk
1 pint heavy cream
1 pint buttermilk
Herbs of your choice: I used green onion, dill, and cumin
Salt to taste
Combine all dairy ingredients in a LARGE bowl. Allow to sit, covered, for 2-3 days at a cool room temperature until separation has occurred. Curds will be small, but that's okay. Separate the curds from the whey, retaining the whey for use in a later recipe (whey is great for pickling).
Note: You will need a colander and cheesecloth to separate these.
Press the cheese in the fridge for a day or two until it is very dry. Put a plate over the cheese in the colander and weigh it down with heavy cans or something. Put all that in a pot to drain.
Combine everything into a bowl with salt and herbs and serve with rugbrod and smoked meat, or just Ritz crackers if you aren't fancy.
Obligatory Patreon Link: Click HERE to support me on Patreon. That way I won't be stuck using Ritz crackers in my presentation!
