Fresh Cheese with Roasted Red Pepper

Making cheese is fun to try out every once in a while. It’s surprisingly easy.

I made a spreadable cheese this time. I used goat milk but the recipe works just as well with cow milk. The quality of milk definitely affects how the cheese tastes, so it’s important to have milk that tastes good.

Fresh Cheese with Roasted Red Pepper

• 1 quart milk
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 red bell pepper
• sea salt

To roast the pepper:

1. If you have a gas stove you can place the pepper over the flames. Allow the pepper to blacken on one side then turn. Continue until all sides are charred. Alternatively, you can set the pepper in the oven under the broiler. Again, rotate as the pepper blackens.
2. Once the pepper is blackened, you need to let it steam. This helps the skin come off. Many people suggest placing the pepper in a paper bag and folding over the top. Other people say wrap in foil. I put the pepper in a bowl with a lid. Once the pepper is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin, stem, and seeds. Finely chop and set aside.

To make the cheese:

1. Put the milk in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Cook the milk until it begins to bubble up the side of the pot. Stir every now and then to prevent the milk from burning. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
2. Line a strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth.
3. Dump the buttermilk in and stir until the mixture separates into curds and whey. Curds will look like little white chunks, while the whey looks like a yellowish liquid.
4. Pour the mixture into the strainer. The whey will drain off, while the curds will collect in the cloth. Gather up the corners of the cheesecloth and twist at the top. Hold the ball of cheese against the side of the stainer and press with a spatula to drain out extra whey. Do this until the cheese reaches your desired consistency.
5. Spoon the cheese into a storage container. Stir in the chopped pepper and a big pinch of salt. Mix well then refrigerate. Once chilled, serve with crackers, pita, toast points, etc.

I ended up using about half of my chopped pepper, but I had a very large pepper to begin with. Add more or less as you see fit. You could also mix in some herbs and spices to enhance the flavor.