Anybody know how it is made? Are there flavoring that can be added? I recently tasted a dish made by a woman whom spoke no English, it reminded me of Drambuie liquore.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), December 07, 2001

Answers

Cream cheese that you make at home will not exactly resemble what we have come to know as cream cheese from the store. Store bought types have had gelatin or gelatinous products mixed into them to get that waxy, firm consistancy. If you make homemade yogurt and put it in cloth, tie up the ends and hang it over the sink or a bowl overnight the liquidy part (or whey) will drain out and you will be left with "yogurt cheese" which is essentially cream cheese. You can experiment with different weights of cream. It can even be made with skim milk - all will give you a different end product. Heavy cream will give you something that tastes almost buttery. You can even do the drain-in-a cloth method with sour cream.

You can make it using rennet also, like cottage cheese, put cream (not too heavy) in a double boiler and heat almost to boiling (do not boil) let cool and add some rennet (look on the package for how much). Let stand until it gets thick then stir it a little to break up - then proceed with the draining in the cloth bit. You might put a weight on it to be sure that all the whey gets pressed out. Salt may be added and any flavor or spices or herbs you like can be added at the end. This cheese does not keep very well so eat it up fast. Don't use any galvanized containers for cheese making. I don't use metal anything - glass is good. Hope this helps. Happy experimenting.

Sara

-- Sara Perry (JPerry1218@aol.com), December 07, 2001.

The culture for yogurt is a thermophilic bacterium and gives that characteristic tangy flavor. I believe the culture for cream cheese is mesophilic, like buttermilk, with a correspondingly different flavor. The chevre I've made tastes like a good cream cheese, but without the gum to give it the waxy texture. Before you scoff, keep in mind that the milk I use is COMPLETELY fresh and has NO HINT of goaty or off flavor, so neither does the cheese. I have a delicious cream cheese pound cake recipe I've used my cheese in, and it turned out great.

-- Laura Jensen (lauraj@seedlaw.com), December 07, 2001.

Cream cheese is one of my favorites. I never really liked it until several yrs ago I tried the Kraft smoked salmon stuff. Then I sort of fell in love with cheese. I make my own from goat milk, fresh as the person mentioned. I detest a goaty tasting cheese, although i have been told by French cheesemakers that the goaty taste is correct and desired. If interested let me know, i have a few recipies I'll gladly share. Nothing beats homemade to me.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), December 07, 2001.