Creamy Homemade Cottage Cheese

Ingredients

• 1/2 gallon whole milk
  
• 4 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
  
• 1 pinch Kosher salt, to taste
  
• 1 container plain yogurt, cream or milk, to make the creamy mixture
  

Directions

1. Pour milk into a large pot. Insert candy thermometer - heat to 175-180 degrees, or until the edges start to foam and it just starts to bubble. Stir now and then to help keep the milk from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
2. After the milk is heated to temperature; take off the heat, add the lemon juice while stirring to mix thoroughly. Cover with a paper towel (or something to catch the dripping moisture) and let sit for 30 minutes – until you see that the curds have separated.
3. Line a colander with cheesecloth or other loosely woven material. Slowly pour the curds and whey into the colander allowing the whey to drain away – about 5 minutes. Discard the whey.
4. Tie the four corners of the cheesecloth around the curds; rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle and then squeeze and rinse the acid taste out…although I don’t mind a little of the lemon flavor.
5. After completely cooled and squeezed, transfer to a container, break up into pieces and salt to your taste.
6. If serving immediately, salt to taste and stir in cream, milk or yogurt to make a creamy mixture, otherwise, place it in a covered container, refrigerate, salt and make it creamy later. Add fruits after creaming. NOTE: use Crème fraiche for special recipes or occasions!
7. *My cottage cheese idea started after seeing a recipe on a FaceBook food group, reading additional information, and then testing it out to come up with this recipe.