Farmers Cheese

[esgunn]

What is farmers cheese and where do you find it? I can't think of what recipe I saw it in recently, but know I have seen it in more than one recipe. I have no idea what farmers cheese is, and what section would you find it in a regular grocery store - specialty cheese, by the cottage cheese, by the ricotta and regular cheeses????

[cjs]

Well, I'll take a stab at this - even tho it's a cottage cheese, I'll bet you'll find it in the more 'gourmet' section of cheeses.

Here's a couple of ideas - sound like fun.

farmer cheese dumplings
Gourmet | February 2006


Truklji These unusual dumplings — fashioned with noodle dough — make a refined dish that isn't at all heavy.

Makes 12 side-dish or 6 main-course servings.

Adapted from Slovenian Cooking by Andrej A. Fritz


For dough
2 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup lukewarm water

For filling
15 oz farmer cheese (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup sour cream (10 oz)
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fine fresh bread crumbs
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Special equipment: a table at least 30 inches long and 24 inches wide; a 36-inch-square smooth cotton or linen tablecloth or sheet (preferably with a pattern); 2 (27- by 18-inch) pieces fine-weave cheesecloth (sometimes called heavy-duty); kitchen string

Make dough:
Stir together flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well in flour mixture and add egg, oil, and water, then gently beat with a fork, gradually incorporating shallow scrapings from inside flour wall to form a dough.

Knead on a lightly floured surface, adding just enough flour to prevent dough from sticking, until dough is smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes.

Rinse a 2-quart bowl with hot water and dry it, then invert over dough. Let dough stand, covered, 30 to 60 minutes.

Make cheese filling:
Stir together farmer cheese, sour cream, egg yolks, salt, and 1 tablespoon bread crumbs in a bowl. Beat egg whites in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until they just hold stiff peaks. Fold whites into cheese mixture gently but thoroughly.

Roll and fill dough:
Bring an 8- to 10-quart pot of salted water (see Tips, page 141) to a boil.

Meanwhile, cover table with tablecloth, allowing cloth to hang over edges, and dust cloth lightly with flour (it isn't necessary to dust overhang). Lightly flour dough and roll out on cloth with rolling pin, as evenly as possible, into a 24- by 20-inch rectangle, so that a long side of rectangle is nearest you. Dough should be thin enough for you to see any pattern on tablecloth.

Gently brush dough with 2 tablespoons butter and sprinkle with parsley and remaining 2 tablespoons bread crumbs. Divide cheese filling into 2 mounds on dough on left and right sides. Spread filling into 2 side-by-side 18- by 10-inch rectangles (with a short side of each cheese rectangle nearest you), leaving a 2-inch space between rectangles and a 1-inch border around outer edges.

Holding tablecloth edge nearest you tautly, lift up cloth to make dough roll over on itself (away from you). Continue rolling, lifting tablecloth and pulling it toward you until dough is completely rolled (there is no need to use your hands to roll the dough). Cut into 2 rolls through 2-inch space between fillings.

Carefully transfer 1 roll using a metal spatula onto center of 1 piece of cheesecloth. Fold cheesecloth over roll to cover top and wrap roll, then twist ends of cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string about 1 inch from each end. (Excess cloth on ends helps in lifting roll when boiled.) Wrap second roll in same manner.

Cook rolls in boiling water (rolls will float), partially covered, 15 minutes. Transfer with a large slotted spoon or skimmer to a shallow baking pan and cool 3 minutes. Cut off kitchen string and unwrap cheesecloth, then transfer rolls to a platter with a metal spatula. Trim off and discard ends of rolls, then drizzle rolls with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Cut into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices.

03/23/06
chefindy from Indianapolis, Indiana

The dough for this is really easy to work with, and it rolls out in no time. Very delicate flavor but tasty. We used traditional cheesecloth, and it stuck to the dumplings, tearing them in a few places, which made them hard to slice. I would actually recommend boiling these in a linen kitchen towel for better results. They really don't need a sauce, but we made one with a simple tomato puree, some onions, white wine, and a bit of dill. Served some with and some without. Definitely worth the little effort this takes--and really much easier to make than ravioli and with a much more unusual and unexpected flavor and texture.

03/04/06
A Cook from New York

A lot easier to make than the descriptions lead you to believe. I used pastry cloth (just from the grocery store, around the same area where you'd get the cheesecloth) instead of a tablecloth and cut the recipe in half - which gives about the perfect amount of dough to roll out to fit the pastry cloth size and make 2 large dumplings. With a pastry cloth and rolling pin cover, the dough rolls out very easily without sticking or breaking. The final result is like a large, rolled ravioli - perfect for dinner alongside a salad. Now that I know how easy it is, I'm going to experiment with different fillings - feta and mint finished with an eggplant sauce, for example. Cheap too!

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kreplach

Editor's note: This recipe is reprinted from The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook, by Sharon Lebewohl and Rena Bulkin. For more on cooking for Sukkot, click here.

Called Jewish wontons or raviolis, kreplach are pasta dumplings, usually triangular in shape, filled with minced meat, onion-spiced potatoes, or cheese. Kreplach carries a lot of lofty symbolism; its triangular shape represents Judaism's three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Equally lofty: the Jewish momma who can roll her kreplach dough to optimum thinness (so that, according to Sam Levenson, "a tempting bit of their buried treasure should show through"). If the wrappers are not paper-thin, your kreplach will taste like "craplach." However, though we've included wrappers in this recipe, there's really no reason to knock yourself out making them. Just purchase wonton wrappers in a Chinese food store or supermarket, and making kreplach becomes a cinch. There's even a kosher brand called Nasoya, available in many supermarkets; look for it near the tofu.

Makes about 30.

by Sharon Lebewohl and Rena Bulkin, Villard Books, a division of Random House, Inc.


Wrappers
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons cold water
1 egg, beaten, for binding kreplach
1 tablespoon salt
Choose 1 of the 3 fillings:
Meat filling
2 tablespoons corn oil
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 pound chopmeat
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Potato filling
On a well-floured board, roll dough as close as possible to paper-thinness with a floured rolling pin. Cut into 2-inch squares. You can roll each individual square a bit thinner before you fill it. Have bowl with beaten egg, a teaspoon, and filling at hand.

4. Place a flatware teaspoon of filling in the center of the square and fold diagonally to create a triangle. Seal sides with egg mixture.

5. Bring a pot of water to a vigorous boil, add 1 tablespoon salt, drop in the kreplach, and cook for 20 minutes. Serve in chicken soup or, for dairy fillings, with sour cream and fried onions.


2 tablespoons corn oil
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon finely chopped or crushed fresh garlic
1 egg yolk
1 cup cooked, mashed potato
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced scallions
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Cheese filling
1 cup farmer cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten

Prepare 1 of the 3 fillings and refrigerate before you begin preparing dough:

Meat Filling
1. Heat corn oil in a skillet; sauté onions until nicely browned, remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Add meat to the pan and sauté on high heat, stirring frequently until all meat is browned. Put the onions back in, and sauté with meat, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Let cool.
2. In a bowl, thoroughly mix meat-onion mixture with all remaining ingredients.

Potato Filling
1. Heat corn oil in a skillet, and sauté onions until nicely browned. At the last minute, add garlic, which browns quickly.
2. In a large bowl, combine onion-garlic mixture with all other ingredients, and blend thoroughly.

Cheese Filling
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and blend thoroughly.

Make wrappers and cook:

1. Sift flour and 1 teaspoon salt into a large bowl, and create a well in the center.

2. Pour eggs into the well, and, wetting your hands, knead into a dough. Add water, and continue kneading until dough is smooth. Roll dough into a ball, place it in a bowl, cover the bowl with a damp cloth, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3.On a well-floured board, roll dough as close as possible to paper-thinness with a floured rolling pin. Cut into 2-inch squares. You can roll each individual square a bit thinner before you fill it. Have bowl with beaten egg, a teaspoon, and filling at hand.

4. Place a flatware teaspoon of filling in the center of the square and fold diagonally to create a triangle. Seal sides with egg mixture.

5. Bring a pot of water to a vigorous boil, add 1 tablespoon salt, drop in the kreplach, and cook for 20 minutes. Serve in chicken soup or, for dairy fillings, with sour cream and fried onions.

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What a fun way to pass a snowy day - wish you'd brought this up a few days earlier...

[Old Bay]

Jean, you are incredible, and it's so much fun to pick your mind. I'm really glad you found this forum!

[bjcotton]

"Jean, you are incredible" Isn't she though? I so enjoy talking with her and watching her cook. On occasion I'll be in the grocery store and call her cause I can't remember what something was or what it's supposed to be like. Like when I was looking for Creme Fraiche...she told me how to make it so I just got the stuff and made it myself.

[luvnit]

I don't know where you live, but Farmer Cheese is very common here. It's in every grocery store and is not considered a specialty item or gourmet item. I find it right along side the cheddar, Monteray Jack, mozzarella, etc. It's a soft white cheese that is packaged in rectangle. If I'm not paying attention, it looks just like any other white cheese. It's pretty cheap too, at least here it is.

[cjs]

My goodness, thank you for the kind words Bill & Billy. You make me blush. (I'm glad I found this place also...)

[piano226]

Hi,

Well, as some of you know my family is originallyl from Russia. One thing we never got used to is the cottage cheese so we make our own. Basically it is farmers cheese. We bake with it and eat it just like you would cottage cheese

Here is is the recipe

Stick two OPEN half gallons cartons of buttermilk into a pot of water. Bring to boil. You will see that buttermilk separated at that point. Turn off the heat and keep the cartons in hot water until the water cooled down. Put buttermilk mixture into the cheeseclothe and let drain for a couple of hours.

Enjoy

[cjs]

Marina - how interesting!! and wax-covered cardboard cartons will work??? I really want to try this. thanks.

[piano226]

Yep they work great...we have done that once a week for 30 years

HEE...can you tell we love our cheese.

[esgunn]

Thanks Piano and Laura and Jean. But I have to say I am more confused than ever - I had also come across some confusing info on the internet. Now I really have to find that recipe that called for Farmers Cheese.

Piano - I saw that recipe somewhere. It is great to have a first hand experience with someone doing it. Sounded a little scetchy to me when I read it on the internet.

Laura - This is where I get confused. I came across two types of farmers cheese - one that was more like a cottage cheese but dryer, and one that was like a soft white cheese like havarti but with no holes. The type piano is mentioning said it was often used is blinzes (sp).

Maybe this afternoon I will have some time to look for that recipe - I know it was in a C@H book or mag.