Preparation / Directions:
Make this recipe a few days a head of use.
To make yogurt: Place quart of milk minus 4 tablespoons into a quart jar. Do not cover. Microwave on high for 10 minutes. Remove from microwave allowing milk to cool until you can hold your little finger in it to the count of ten.[clean, of course] The 4 tablespoons of yogurt should be room temperature. Place them in a mixing cup. When milk has cooled sufficiently, pour some into yogurt. Mix well, then add to quart jar, mixing well again. Clean jars of any spills and put on lids. Set in a warm (not hot) place away from drafts for several hours.* see note. Do not play with the jars checking to see if the "yog's" have done their job or they will go on strike. When done, gently move them to the refrigerator. Allow the yogurt to chill completely before proceeding.
2nd day: Mix lemon extract [use amount according to your taste] and 1 quart of yogurt. Line a small colander with a coffee filter and place over a container to catch the whey. Carefully fill coffee filter with yogurt mixture. Do not over fill. If you have yogurt left, you will be able to add it after some of the whey has drained out. After all the yogurt has been added to the coffee filter, place the draining yogurt in the refrigerator. Check occasionally to make sure the bottom of the colander is not submerged in the drained whey. Empty the whey if necessary. Allow the cheese to drain at least 24 hours. The longer it drains, the dryer the cheese.
To Shape it as the Some Russians Do: Line a new, clean, small clay pot with plastic wrap [ or more traditionally with 2-3 layers of rinsed, wrung cheesecloth]. If you use plastic wrap, poke a small hole through the pot's drainage hole to allow drainage of any more whey. Pack yogurt cheese into clay pot tightly. Refrigerate until firm. It is advisable to elevate pot over a container of some sort to catch any draining whey.
To serve: Unmold onto a serving plate. Decorate with fresh flowers or dried fruit bits.
Serving Ideas : serve with Kulich - Russian Pascha B
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