Crowdie Cheese

Crowdie Cheese

From Time/Life's Foods of the World - The Cooking of the British Isles, 1969:

To make about 1.5 cups:

4 rennet tablets

4 teaspoons cold water

2 quarts milk

4 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a cup or small bowl, combine the rennet and water, stirring until the tablets dissolve. Slowly heat the milk in a 3- to 4-quart enameled or stainless steel saucepan until it reaches a temperature of 98 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer, or until a drop sprinkled on your wrist feels neither warm nor cool. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the rennet and set aside. In 5 to 10 minutes curds of cheese will have formed, surrounded by the watery liquid called whey.

Pour the contents of the pan into a sieve lined with a double thickness of dampened cheesecloth and set over a bowl. Let the cheese drain undisturbed for 1½ hours, then discard the whey and transfer the curds to the bowl. With a table fork, stir in the cream and the salt, mashing the curds against the sides of the bowl until smooth. Serve the cheese at room temperature. Traditionally it is accompanied by oatcakes.