Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Sour Cream (Recipe and Instructions)



Hi Friends,

I haven't posted about cheese in ages! I guess that summer is for gardening and enjoying the weather, then for preserving the harvest. Cheese making season begins after Halloween! :) ðŸŽƒ

I'm happy to say that I have finally perfected my homemade sour cream and I wanted to share the recipe. I find the BIG difference here is the ingredients. I was buying my ingredients from a company in Alberta; but their products were sub-par I've learned the hard way. Every single cheese I made last year with their products failed either in texture or taste. Their customer service was nothing to write home about either, they don't even have a phone number. I let the owner know about the failures but never heard a peep. It was so disappointing that I nearly gave up completely thinking it was just me, that I just wasn't cut out for cheese making.

I was WRONG. ðŸ˜ƒ

I now buy my products from a company in Ontario called Glengarry CheeseMaking. The cheeses and creams I make with their products are not sour and much creamier. This gives me hope that maybe I can try to make some Cheddar successfully this fall and winter! I also plan to make more Camemberts too so stay tuned. :) 

Here's the recipe...it's SO EASY. It costs about $3.25 CAD (in my area) to make 2 cups. 

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Sour Cream (Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

(makes about 2 cups)

Ingredients:

- 1 liter of whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/8 tsp Calcium Chloride mixed into 1/8 cup cool, filtered water
- HALF OF 1/8 tsp mesophilic culture (I use MM100)
- 1 drop double strength rennet mixed into 1/8 cup cool, filtered water

Directions:

1. Heat the milk, cream and Calcium Chloride slowly in a pot to 86F, mixing gently to make sure it doesn't burn or stick to the pot.

2. Add the culture and let it sit for 3 minutes, then stir well, but slowly.

3. Add the rennet and stir well, but slowly for no more than a minute.

4. Cover the pot and let it sit overnight at room temperature (12-15 hours).


5. The next day, check your sour cream. If you see it pulling away from the sides of the pot, it's ready to be drained; if not leave it longer. I usually leave mine about 15 hours or so.

6. Line a colander with cheese cloth and ladle the sour cream into the colander. Let it sit for an hour, keeping the whey for other uses. Remember to barricade your set up from the cats!! They love the smell of this!


7. After an hour, tie the ends of the cheese cloth together and hang it up, letting the rest of the whey drip out. This needs to hang and drain another 8 hours. I hang mine from the kitchen cabinet and let it drip in a pot on the counter.

Keeps about a week or so.

Trouble Shooting: If it doesn't set, you didn't use enough rennet or your rennet is bad. If it's too sour, you used too much rennet and/or your culture is bad.

Some suggestions for sour cream, I use it A LOT!! Click on the links for the recipes!

Mexican Lasagna
Papas Fritas

Crunchwraps
Homemade Chili

Mexican Dip
Homemade Tartar Sauce

7 comments:

Magic Love Crow said...

You always make me hungry Rain! LOL! Thanks for the recipes! Big Hugs! and, so happy you found a good company to get your products from!

Rain said...

Thanks Magic Love Crow :) I'm very relieved that I found a better company for the cheese making, I was so discouraged and ready to give it up completely!

Leigh said...

I was wondering if you still have your hand in the cheesemaking pot! Glad to hear about the sour cream - always a favorite.

800 trashy comments! Yuck. It's hard to believe that some folks have absolutely no life and that is how they amuse themselves. Sheesh.

Rain said...

I know you've had some issues with spammers Leigh...some people...I imagine it's those losers who live in their parent's basements and play video games all day lol...nothing better to do to lift their spirits. Sad though! :)

Fundy Blue said...

My mouth is watering, Rain! Maybe in my future ...

baili said...

wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

your devotion and love to your each hobby is astonishing dear Rain

so glad you shared this
i would search for rennet though

Rain said...

Thanks Baili :) Rennet can be found online. There are a few types, there is animal rennet and vegetable rennet. The rennet is needed to form the curd or else you just have a milky soup instead of a firm sour cream (or cheese). I have heard that vegetable rennet doesn't do as good a job, but it still works! My little 125 ml bottle of rennet lasted me about 30 batches of cheese/sour cream.