Strawberry feta
Ingredients:
1 liter of raw whole milk (or fresh but no UHT)
4 teaspoons strawberry jam
Icing sugar to taste
5 drops of cheese rennet
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
3-4 drops of red food coloring
Preparation:
Pour the milk into a saucepan and stir in the strawberry jam and icing sugar (amount to taste). I’ve only put 2 tablespoons. Then heat the milk over low heat. When it reaches a temperature between 35 and 38°C, remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the yogurt, cheese rennet and 3-4 drops of red food coloring (if you do want to have a nice pink cheese). For each liter of milk, count 4-5 drops of rennet and 1 tablespoon yogurt. Cover the pot and let the milk turn into cheese. It takes about 30 minutes (but I always leave it for at least 1 hour).
Then take a long knife and cut the curd into squares. Transfer them in a cheesecloth, bring the ends together to make a bundle and tie them with a kitchen string. Suspend the bundle over a sink or a container to drain the whey. A few hours later, put the cheese (with its cheesecloth bag) on a slightly inclined and clean surface. Place on a plate and something heavy – a stone or brass mortar. Let stand overnight. The following day, the cheese must be solid to touch. Remove the cheesecloth and place the cheese in an airtight container in the fridge. Consume this cheese within 3-4 days. From 1 liter of milk, you will get 200-220 g of sweet cheese.
At serving time, present the cheese on wooden skewers, alternating it with fresh strawberries.
In case you do not want to make cheese, you can take normal feta and marinate it for 1 night in strawberry jam. Sprinkle with icing sugar if you prefer it sweeter. This cheese will be less fragrant and pink, but it will be good too.
