Making Curds
All the old recipes for making curds say that you can get 8 ozs of curds from a pint of milk. That may have been so for the old raw farmhouse milk, with lots of the deliciously heavy, rich cream which settles on top. It isn't the case for modern supermarket milk. This is not only pasteurised but also standardised to a minimum fat (cream) content, and homogenised so that the fat particles are broken up and distributed throughout the milk. With luck, you can get about 4 to 5 ozs of curds from a pint of supermarket 'full cream' milk.
The amount of cream in the milk can also change the flavour and also the size and hardness of the curds. If you're after flavour and quality, it is worth trying the more expensive creamier milks in preference to ordinary milk. Alternatively, mix a small amount of cream into ordinary milk before making the curds. On the other hand, if your health is of greater concern, stick to ordinary or semi-skimmed milk and use more of it to get the weight of curds you need. Raw milk is still available but you risk diseases such as brucellosis or TB.
Farmhouse curds
For 1 lb of curd: Add 1/2 pint of buttermilk (the liquid remaining when milk's cream has been churned to butter) to 2 pints of full cream raw milk. Heat slowly up to boiling point, stirring gently with a wooden spoon until curds begin to stick to the spoon. Strain through a fine sieve of muslin until cool and dry.
I haven't tried this, since it uses raw milk and involves butter making as well.
Using eggs
To each pint of milk, add 2 or 3 beaten eggs. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring well until curds form. Turn into a sieve and drain for half an hour.
This produces something more akin to milky scrambled eggs than a true curd, and curd tarts made with it are eggily reminiscent of egg custard tarts. Variations include adding a teaspoon of salt or a little lemon juice to the milk and eggs before heating it. It isn't a very efficient method as the whey is still quite milky (but good for making scones).
Using lemon juice
For 1/2 lb of curd: Bring a pint of milk to just below boiling point. Add a tablespoonful of lemon juice, reduce to a low heat and stir gently until the curds form. Strain through fine muslin undtil dry.
Bottled lemon juice seems to be as good as fresh, although the remainder of the fresh lemon can be used in the curd tart. Almost any very acidic fruit juice can be used instead of lemon but will flavour the curd.
Using rennet
For 1 lb of curd: Following the instructions for the rennet, add to 2 pints of lukewarm milk and allow to stand until a hard curd has formed on top. Break the curd and strain it through fine muslin for at least an hour but preferably overnight. Press the curd through a sieve to break it up.
Because I am a vegetarian and rennet is made from calves' stomachs, I haven't tried this method.
Using Epsom salts
For 8 - 10 ozs curds: Bring 2 pints of supermarket full cream milk to the boil, then remove from the heat and stir in a heaped teaspoonful of Epsom salts. The curds will form immediately. Leave to cool, then strain through a fine sieve or muslin for several hours until dry.
This is my favourite method. Not only is it easy, quick and very reliable, but it produces larger, firmer, whiter and better tasting curds than either the egg or lemon juice methods.
Tips
Always use enough milk to ensure the weight of curds you need. Any left over can be mixed with chopped chives, onions or fruit to make a delicious spread.
Always dry to drain as much moisture as you can from the curd. If it's too moist, it will make the pastry soggy.
Be gentle with the softer curds formed using the egg, lemon juice and Epsom salts methods to avoid crushing them into a paste.
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(C) Chris 31/8/2007 |
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