Tvorog - russian farmercheese

Tvorog is russian farmer cheese. Its consistency is very similar to cottage cheese or ricotta. Just it tastes a little more sourer then ricotta and should be a little more dry. Tvorog is very popular in russian cuisine. It is eaten as breakfast, popular in baked goods, as a children's food (hence it dairy product and high in calcium).

The easiest way to make tvorog is from the "tvorog making ferments" (you can purchase them in russian special shops. Or from kefir, sour cream or natural yogurt (acting as a ferment).

Recipe 1 (sour tvorog)

Ingredients:

(300 g. of tvorog may be produced from each 1 liter of milk)

3 litres of milk

+ 1 cup of kefir or 1 cup of sour cream or 1 cup of yogurt 0r "tvorog making ferment"

Method:

1. Heat milk in stainless still pan over medium heat until T will reach 70 C, stirring time by time.

2. Pour milk into the glass jar, add used by you ferment and close it with a lid. Leave it in room temperature over night or 24 hours. Clots will appear in milk.

3. Heat water in big pan, place an opened glass jar with milk into the boiling water (place a kitchen towel on the bottom of the pan to prevent overheating of the glass jar). Keep it there on ow heat for about 10 minutes. The why should separate and all the curds will float.

4. Remove the jar from the heat and let it cool to almost room temperature.

5. Line your colander with cheese cloth (or muslin) and pour the mixture into the colander. Reserve the whey - you can use in any recipe calling for butter milk or to make healthy pancakes.

6. Let it drain for 30 min to 1,5 hours. Depending on how dry you want to have your tvorog.

Ready! Store it for maximum a week in air tight container or freeze to use in bakery.

Recipe 2 (soft milky texture tvorog, very similar to ricotta)

Ingredients:

(from 1,5 liter of milk 350 g of tvorog)

1,5 litres of milk

1,5 litres of plain yogurt

5 drops of vegetable rennet (optional) mixed with 0,5 tsp. of water (to increase speed of

Method:

1. Mix milk and yogurt in big stainless still pan. Place over law to medium heat and let it reach 80-85 C. Do not stir.

2. Remove from heat, cover with a lid and let it cool to room temperature.

3. After it cooled down - make a cross with a wooden spoon to break the clots. Line the colander with cheese cloth, pour the mixture into it and let it drain until the mixture will reach desired texture.

My preferred option is number one, because tvorog ended up with lovely sour taste, just like it should be originally. But the second option is much faster. So i use both.

On the picture is tvorog mixed with some sugar and sour cream, topped with strawberry puree and some more sour cream. I had it for my early lunch at home.