Homemade Cream Cheese

Fresh, creamy and slightly tangy - who knew cream cheese could be this good?

There are certain things we almost always keep on hand and try to make more of as soon as we run out. While Mike is in charge of keeping us supplied with his Taco Shop Hot Sauce, I'm in charge of the cream cheese. I've been making it for a few years now, and have gradually settled on a technique that's easy, reliable and delicious.

All you have to do is:

1. Add starter culture and rennet to room temperature milk and cream.
2. Let it sit for a day.
3. Drain the curds in fine cheese cloth for another day.
4. Add salt and flavorings (optional).
5. Eat and enjoy!

Here it is after the first step - the mesophilic starter culture acidifies the milk allowing the rennet to do its magic and turn the milk into a soft gel. It's been sitting on the counter top for about 24 hours.



Next put a strainer lined with dampened cheese cloth into the sink and gently scoop in the curds. The cheese is set up almost like a yogurt at this point.



The fine cheese cloth (butter muslin) allows the solids to firm up while the whey drains away. Don't use regular cheese cloth - the weave is too loose.



Hang it up and let it drain another 18-24 hours...



Now it's cream cheese! All that's left is to add a little salt. For variety you can add fresh herbs or garlic and black pepper or whatever you choose.



I've tried other recipes which use a lot more cream and were often heated on the stove top, but they were all too solid and grainy. This one on the other hand is light and creamy - almost the texture of whipped cream when it's just made - and it sets up nicely once cooled.



We have found cream cheese to be surprisingly versatile as an ingredient in the kitchen. We often use it in place of cream, sour cream, crème fraiche or even buttermilk. It adds a tangy richness to soups, and Mike makes a great mushroom sauce with it.

Oh, and it's not bad on a homemade bagel, either...

Simple Cream Cheese

This simple cream cheese has an appealing fresh, slightly tangy flavor and it’s super easy to make.

Important: make sure your milk and cream are pasteurized and not ultra-pasteurized. If you can’t find regular pasteurized cream, decrease the milk by a cup and use 2 cups of pasteurized half-and-half instead of the cream.

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream (pasteurized, but not ultra-pasteurized)
1/2 gallon whole milk (pasteurized, but not ultra-pasteurized)
1 packet mesophilic direct-set starter (1/4 t)
4 drops liquid rennet
1- 1 ½ teaspoons Morton's kosher salt ( ½ - ¾ t if using regular table salt)

Stir together the milk and cream, then let it come to room temp: leave it in a warm place a few hours, or put it on the stove top on very low, or put it into a barely warm turned-off oven (do not microwave).

Sprinkle the mesophilic starter over the milk, let it sit a couple minutes, and then stir it in gently, but thoroughly. Add the rennet and stir another 60 seconds. Cover and let sit 18-24 hours.

Gently ladle the curds into a colander lined with fine cheese cloth -- I like to do this over a large bowl. Carefully lift the corners of the cheese cloth and tie them together. Hang from a cupboard knob or other convenient place and place a bowl beneath to catch the drips. Leave alone for 12-24 hours. The longer you wait, the stiffer the cheese will be.

Turn the cream cheese into a bowl and use a wooden spoon to mix in the salt. (Note - the salt will dissolve and become more uniform tasting after the cheese has rested for a few hours.) If you want to add flavorings (herbs, garlic, pepper, fruit) to portions of the cream cheese it's easiest to that now while it’s warm. Or it's great plain too.

Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers' Market

Yesterday was the first day of the new Tuesday afternoon Farmers' Market in Pacific Beach. Operated by the same people who run the Little Italy market, the new PB market runs from 2:00 to 6:30 every Tuesday during the summer months. It is located on Bayard Street between Garnet and Hornblend.

The bulk of the market space is taken up by vendors selling prepared foods and crafts, but there are still enough produce vendors to cover the basics. A stand run by relatives of one of our favorite vendors from the Saturday morning market, Maciel Family Farm, is there and Suzie's Farm has a stall. Son Rise Ranch is on hand selling beef and pork (and chicken if you order it ahead).

Overall, the new market is a nice addition to PB. I think we'll stick with the Saturday market for the most part, but it will be good to have a second option.

Happy Fourth!

Ok, so this picture is actually from a few years ago, but we've got a nice rack of pork spare ribs all coated with spice rub and ready to hit the smoker later today.

Have a great Fourth!

Huevos Rancheros

I've eaten a lot of different versions of Huevos Rancheros over the years - sauces ranging from thick and tomato-y to loose and runny, from chunky with vegetables to uniformly smooth, from mild and savory to knock your socks off hot.

I love them all.

Making Huevos Rancheros at home, we've had a lot of variation as well. Our current standard is a fairly loose, uniform sauce. We use our Taco Shop Hot Sauce as a base, and thin it out with some chicken stock and tomato. Sometimes we add in some bits of Hatch green chile.



Heat-wise, we like it on the distinctly warm side - plenty of chile bite to tingle the tongue and clear the sinuses.

We generally accompany it with refried beans, pico de gallo and some avocado. I don't know of a better way to start the day.

Huevos Rancheros

Serves two.

Ingredients:

1 batch (approx. 1 cup) Ranchera Sauce (see below)
4 eggs
4 corn tortillas
1 teaspoon lard (or bacon drippings)
1 tablespoon butter
1-2 tablespoons water

Put the ranchera sauce in a saucepan to heat.

Spread a thin layer of lard on the tortillas. Bring a dry pan to medium hot and heat the tortillas one at a time until they are soft and aromatic.

Add the butter to a frying pan over medium heat. When the bubbling subsides, crack the eggs into the pan. Pour the water into the edge of the pan and cover with a lid (preferably glass, so that you can see the eggs). Remove from the heat when the whites are just cooked and the yolk is still runny.

For each serving, place two tortillas on a warmed plate. Top with two eggs and then the ranchera sauce.

Ranchera Sauce

Makes about 1 cup.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons Taco Shop Hot Sauce
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
Salt

Add hot sauce, tomato sauce and chicken stock to a saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes until it thickens slightly.

Add salt to taste.

A Day in TJ with Turista Libre

This past Saturday, we spent the day with Turista Libre riding around Tijuana on a bus. Good times were had by all.

We need to get over the border more often.

The PPLT - Pulled Pork, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich

We invented a new sandwich last night, and it is awesome! I proudly present the "PPLT" - a pulled pork, lettuce and tomato sandwich.

The PPLT has everything I love about a BLT - smokey pork goodness, fresh produce and crunchy toasted bread. This one was made with leftovers from our last batch of smoked pork butt, homemade sandwich bread, lettuce from the garden and farmers' market tomatoes (we have a bunch of seedlings planted, but it will be a while yet before we have our own tomatoes).

We crisped up some of the darker outside bits of pork and left other bits soft and succulent. The result was heaven between two slices of bread. This may just be my new favorite sandwich.

Some Dishes With Fishes - Round Three

Another edition of our continuing "Dishes With Fishes" series.

You can find round one here and round two here.

Mano de Leon Sea Scallop with Red Curry Sauce


A fun idea we came up with a few days ago. The sauce is rich and intense and went beautifully with the flavor and texture of the scallops. We'll make this again for sure.


Corvina Sea Bass al Pil-Pil


We've been wanting to try the Basque "Pil-Pil" technique for a while now. The fish (traditionally salt cod) is cooked in oil and then the cooking oil is emulsified into a sauce by swirling the fish around in it.

Instead of using salt cod, we used fresh Baja corvina sea bass. I was worried that it would fall apart, but it held up fairly well and was very soft and moist. The sauce, which got some extra flavor from a quick stock made from the fish trimmings, was fantastic.


Asian-Spiced Kedgeree with Opah (Moonfish)


This Thai-influenced twist on kedgeree from Nigella Lawson is a go-to comfort food dish for us. Even when I'm in a "nothing sounds good" mood, it still always sounds good. Her version calls for salmon, but we just use whatever fish we have on hand.


White Sea Bass en Pappillote


Cooking fish in a parchment paper packet is super-easy, quick and results in a fun presentation. Tearing open the paper and smelling the aromas waft out is a great way to start a meal.


Grilled Mexican White Shrimp with an Ancho Glaze


Just simple grilled shrimp with a glaze made from Ancho chiles. To make the glaze I used the same technique I use to make Chile de Arbol Paste, and then seasoned it with a little vinegar, brown sugar and salt. Oh, and some butter...


Kung Pao Bay Scallops


We don't use bay scallops that often since the sea scallops we get are so wonderful. They work really well in Kung Pao, though.


White Sea Bass Ranchero with "Chile Relleno" Vegetables


Grilled fish goes really well with ranchera sauce, which we make by adding some stock and tomato to our Taco Shop Hot Sauce. The vegetables (cauliflower and zucchini) are coated with the same batter we use for chiles rellenos and then fried. Not the prettiest dish, but the flavors are great.