This is a fresh cheese, similar to Indian paneer (except that it isn’t pressed or cut into cubes). This recipe makes a luscious, spreadable, fresh cheese.
Chef John of foodwishes demnostrates how he makes fromage blanc with milk, buttermilk, salt and lemon juice. He notes that the ingredient amounts are crucial — you can view his recipe with exact amounts here.
Labneh making is pretty straightforward and can be formed into balls and preserved in oil.
Mariam shows us how to make labneh, step by step:
Dede shows us how she makes plain labneh then flavors it:
The labneh I’ve had before (at a restaurant) was over-the-top in a good way rich and creamy, so may guess is how tasty it is is greatly affected by the yoghurt you use and the milk/cream it’s made with.
The labneh can be preserved in oil and in this way stored for months without refrigeration. To do so, the labneh is drained for longer and formed into balls (labneh makboos).
Evelyn write “This is an old-world recipe. It is really just drained, salted yoghurt, very easy to make and very easy to preserve. I guarantee that once you have made these and tasted how delicious they are, they will become a staple in your home.
Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/yogurt-cheese-labneh-88089#ixzz1pn4sP7oS” and gives this recipe
The recipe proceeds pretty much like Dede and Mariam’s tutorials but instead of draining the yoghurt for 12 hours or overnight you drain the yoghurt for something like 24 hours, until you are able to form the yoghurt into balls, which you then chill in the fridge to firm up further. The balls are then put into a heat sterilized jar and covered with oil.
I assume that getting out as much water as possible is important in being able to preserve these balls – though the active yoghurt culture will also play its part.
Ellie from Home Cooking in Montana adds herbs and spices to the oil she pours over her labneh makbus.
Paneer is a fresh, non-melting, pressed cheese of Indian origin. It’s usually used in chunks.
Here Bhavna shows us how she makes her paneer using full fat milk, cream and lime juice (to curdle the mixture). She emphasizes weighting the cheese curds heavily to express as much water as you can.
She notes that if you want to grill or barbecue the paneer you may want to add flour to the curds as you are making the paneer, so that the cheese is bound more firmly and won’t fall apart on the grill.
You can also flavor the paneer by adding herbs or spices to the cheese as you add your citrus juice to the milk.
Bhavna says that the paneer will keep in the freezer about 3 months.
Portland, Oregon resident, Claudio Lucero shows us her work as a cheesemaker and how it connects with local dairy farmers.
Urban Cheesecraft from Etsy on Vimeo.
The Real Know How 