Ingredients
Cheese
- 4 litreswhole milk
- ¼ tspcalcium chloride in 2 tbsp water, if using shop milk
- ¼ tspliquid rennet in 50 ml cool water
To serve
- hot chocolate, for dropping cubes into
- or almojábanas and bread
Directions
- Warm the milk gently to 35°C (95°F). Add the calcium chloride if the milk is pasteurised — without it the curd sets weakly and the yield falls noticeably.
- Stir in the diluted rennet with a few slow strokes, then stop the milk moving entirely and leave it undisturbed for 45 minutes.
- Test for a clean break: push a finger in at an angle and lift. A clean split with clear whey running in means it is ready.
- Cut the curd into 2 cm cubes, leave 10 minutes, then stir gently for 15 minutes while holding the temperature at 35°C (95°F).
- Ladle the curd into a muslin-lined mould or colander. Add no salt at all — this is the point of campesino, and salt would make it seize rather than melt in hot chocolate.
- Press under a light weight, about 1 kg, for two hours at room temperature, then chill.
- Eat within two days. Cut in cubes and drop into hot chocolate, where it should soften and stretch rather than dissolve.
Technique
- Unsalted is not an omission. Salt draws water out of the curd and tightens the protein so it will not melt properly, which defeats the whole breakfast.
- Do not press hard. A lightly pressed curd melts; a hard-pressed one squeaks and stays whole in the cup.
- This is a two-day cheese with no preservative. It does not keep and it does not freeze.
Substitutions
- Vegetarian microbial rennet, which works well here.
- Full-fat milk only — semi-skimmed gives a poor, rubbery curd.
Variations
- Queso costeño is the same curd salted heavily and pressed hard, and it behaves completely differently.
- Crumbled over arepas and into almojábanas rather than melted.
History
Supplied by the dairy farms ringing the Bogota savanna; sinking a cube into hot chocolate is the capital’s signature breakfast habit.
Frequently asked questions
What is Queso campesino?
Queso campesino is a cheese & dairy from Colombia: fresh unsalted curd cheese, dropped into hot chocolate until it melts. Supplied by the dairy farms ringing the Bogota savanna; sinking a cube into hot chocolate is the capital’s signature breakfast habit.
How long does Queso campesino take to make?
Queso campesino takes 30 min plus 2 hours draining of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 500 g. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Queso campesino?
Yes, within limits. Vegetarian microbial rennet, which works well here. Full-fat milk only — semi-skimmed gives a poor, rubbery curd.
What is the most important thing to get right in Queso campesino?
Ladle the curd into a muslin-lined mould or colander. Add no salt at all — this is the point of campesino, and salt would make it seize rather than melt in hot chocolate.
