Cottage Cheese

I made some cottage cheese last night. unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures as I was doing it, maybe next time loyal readers.

Here's the recipe:

1 gallon pasteurized skim milk
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons
kosher salt
1/2 cup half-and half-or heavy cream

Pour the skim milk into a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Heat to 120
degrees F. Remove from the heat and gently pour in the vinegar. Stir slowly for
1 to 2 minutes. The curd will separate from the whey. Cover and allow to sit at
room temperature for 30 minutes.
Pour the mixture into a colander lined with
a tea towel and allow to sit and drain for 5 minutes. Gather up the edges of the
cloth and rinse under cold water for 3 to 5 minutes or until the curd is
completely cooled, squeezing and moving the mixture the whole time. Once cooled,
squeeze as dry as possible and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the salt and stir
to combine, breaking up the curd into bite-size pieces as you go. If ready to
serve immediately, stir in the half-and-half or heavy cream. If not, transfer to
a sealable container and place in the refrigerator. Add the half and half or
heavy cream just prior to serving.

I ended up using about 3/4 - 1 full cup of half-and-half because it was pretty dry. I thought it turned out pretty good, a little "cheesier" And chewier than store-bought cottage cheese, but all in all, a good approximation, and worth trying, if nothing else for the novelty of it.

warning, when you get to the adding vinegar part, it looks pretty disgusting in big globs floating in the whey.