Quark is a fresh cheese. It is similar to cream cheese, but usually with a lower fat content.
According to Wikipedia,
Yield: curds, about 30% of the weight or volume of milk that you use. So, about 300 grams or 300 ml from one litre of milk. There will also be a bit more than half a litre/quart of whey.
Ingredients
Metric:
1 litre of milk, skim milk, 2%, whole milk - your preference
2 Tablespoons / 30 ml of starter: sour cream, crème fraiche, or quark from a previous batch, with live culture
or starter substitution:
100 ml cultured buttermilk
US customary measure:
1 quart of milk
2 Tablespoons of starter: sour cream, crème fraiche, or quark from a previous batch, with live culture
or starter substitution:
6½ Tablespoons of cultured buttermilk
Directions
Notes:
According to Wikipedia,
I know about it through Danish recipes, where it is called "kvark".Quark is traditional in the cuisines of Baltic, Germanic and Slavic-speaking countries as well as amongst Ashkenazi Jews and various Turkic peoples.
Yield: curds, about 30% of the weight or volume of milk that you use. So, about 300 grams or 300 ml from one litre of milk. There will also be a bit more than half a litre/quart of whey.
Ingredients
Metric:
1 litre of milk, skim milk, 2%, whole milk - your preference
2 Tablespoons / 30 ml of starter: sour cream, crème fraiche, or quark from a previous batch, with live culture
or starter substitution:
100 ml cultured buttermilk
US customary measure:
1 quart of milk
2 Tablespoons of starter: sour cream, crème fraiche, or quark from a previous batch, with live culture
or starter substitution:
6½ Tablespoons of cultured buttermilk
Directions
- Pour the milk into a non-reactive bowl or jar.
- Gently stir the starter into the milk.
- Cover the bowl or jar and let it sit at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours. It will go quicker when the room temperature is warmer.
- When it is thick, leave it until the curds are floating on top of the whey or speed up the process by putting it in the oven at 100-150°F for two to three hours. It should go in the oven covered with a tea towel or a plate, not closed with a metal lid. The whey will be a greenish or yellowish liquid.
- Once the curds are floating on top of the whey (by waiting or by heating), line a non-reactive sieve or colander with a clean, wet tea towel or similar and put this over a bowl or other container. I use a 4 litre Pyrex measuring "cup".
- Carefully pour the curds and whey into sieve or colander and let it drip until the quark is a thick as you like.
- If it gets too thick, you can thin it with some of the whey or some milk or cream.
- Refrigerate the quark and the whey. They should be good for about a week.
Notes:
- I have not tried this, but I have read that you can just use a litre or quart of cultured buttermilk instead of stirring a starter into sweet milk. Continue as above, from right after the starter is stirred into the milk.
- None of the measurements need to be exact.
- Depending on intended use, you may want to stir in some salt to taste.
Last edited: