Name: French Cream Cheese
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 4 cups milk (any percentage); 4 cups heavy cream; 2 drops of food-grade calcium chloride (mixed with 2 Tbsp chlorine-free water); 3 drops of liquid rennet or 1/4 tablet (mixed with 2 Tbsp of chlorine-free water); Culture (optional for flavor, see section above for 3 options); 1 tsp non-iodized salt (preferably cheese salt)

French Cream Cheese

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Cream cheese is perfect for beginners. Try making a French-style cultured cream cheese or flavor it with berries, herbs, or garlic. See the sections above for more information.

Author: Emillie
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 cups 1x
Category: Cheese
Method: Cultured
Cuisine: French
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Units Scale

4 cups milk (any percentage)
4 cups heavy cream
2 drops of food-grade calcium chloride (mixed with 2 Tbsp chlorine-free water)
3 drops of liquid rennet or 1/4 tablet (mixed with 2 Tbsp of chlorine-free water)
Culture (optional for flavor, see section above for 3 options)
1 tsp non-iodized salt (preferably cheese salt)

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Instructions

Heat milk and cream up to 72 F (22 C). When the milk and cream are warm, gently whisk in calcium chloride. Then mix in the rennet. Use an up and down motion when mixing to ensure that the rennet is fully mixed in. If you want to make cultured French cream cheese, add the culture at the same time as the rennet. See the section above for details.
Leave the pot of milk to set for 24 hours. It needs to be maintained at roughly 72 F (22 C). It’s fine if your house is warmer than 72 F. This will cause the cheese to set a bit more quickly. However, if it’s cool in your home, try placing the pot near a heater, next to your hot water tank, or above the fridge.
After 24 hours the milk will have firmly curded. Don’t cut the curds. Just pour the entire pot into a strainer lined with several layers of butter muslin. Tie the corners together and hang the curd to drain for 6-8 hours. This can be done in the fridge or out on the counter. The temperature doesn’t matter.
Scrap the cream cheese from the butter muslin and place it in a bowl or serving container. Sprinkle on the salt and stir it in with a spoon. Feel free to add additional flavors at this point. See the section above for some flavor combinations.
This is a soft, spreadable cream cheese, however, it will firm up after being refrigerated. I recommend finishing your cream cheese within 2 weeks or freezing it to maintain freshness.

Find it online: https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/homemade-cream-cheese/