Ingredients
Cuajada
- 2 litreswhole milk
- 1/2 teaspoonliquid rennet
- or the juice of 2 lemons
- 1 teaspoonsalt
Melao
- 400 gpanela, chopped
- 300 mlwater
- 1cinnamon stick
- 3cloves
- a strip of orange peel
- a pinch of salt
To serve
- warm syrup, poured over
- a spoon
- shallow bowls
Directions
- Use the freshest whole milk you can get. Never use ultra heat treated milk. Warm the milk in a heavy deep pan. Bring it to about thirty-five degrees. That is just warm to a clean finger. Take it off the heat entirely. Add the salt and stir it in well. Adding the rennet takes a moment.
- Stir it into the warm milk gently. Stir gently for about thirty seconds only. Then stop stirring completely. Cover the pan and leave it alone. Letting it set takes about an hour. Leave it undisturbed for a full hour. The milk sets into a soft solid mass.
- Cut the set curd into a grid with a long knife. Cut down to the bottom of the pan. Aim for cubes about two centimetres. Let it stand for a good ten minutes. Line a colander with clean muslin.
- Ladle the curds gently into it. Do not tip the pan and break them up. Let it drain for about an hour. Do not press it down hard at all. Chop the panela into small pieces. It is very hard and needs breaking up. Put it in a pan with the water. Add the cinnamon, cloves and orange peel. Add the pinch of salt as well.
- Heat it gently until the panela dissolves. Stir it occasionally to help it along. Simmering the syrup takes patience. Let it simmer for about twenty minutes. It should coat the back of a spoon.
- Take it off looser than you want it. Strain out all the whole spices. Set a piece or a spoonful of cuajada in a bowl. Pour the warm melao generously over it. The syrup should pool around the cheese.
- Serve it while the syrup is still warm. The contrast of cool cheese and warm syrup is the point. Warm the syrup again before serving.
Technique
- Cuajada is a fresh unaged curd cheese, set with rennet and lightly drained, eaten within a day or two of making rather than matured.
- Melao is syrup made by dissolving panela, unrefined whole cane sugar, and simmering it down with spices.
- Ultra heat treated milk will not set into curd at all, so fresh pasteurised or raw milk is required.
Substitutions
- Fresh mozzarella, paneer or a mild fresh curd cheese stand in for homemade cuajada.
- Dark brown sugar can replace panela, though the molasses flavour is simpler.
Variations
- Some cooks press the curd into a sliceable round and others serve it in loose spoonfuls.
- Lemon juice can be used to set the milk in place of rennet, giving a softer curd.
- Brevas con arequipe and postre de natas are the other Colombian dairy sweets.
History
A Boyacá and Cundinamarca farm sweet, served in roadside restaurants along the highland routes.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cuajada con melao?
Cuajada con melao is a dessert from Colombia: fresh curd cheese under warm panela syrup, eaten with a spoon. A Boyacá and Cundinamarca farm sweet, served in roadside restaurants along the highland routes.
How long does Cuajada con melao take to make?
Cuajada con melao takes 20 minutes plus setting of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Cuajada con melao?
Yes, within limits. Fresh mozzarella, paneer or a mild fresh curd cheese stand in for homemade cuajada. Dark brown sugar can replace panela, though the molasses flavour is simpler.
What is the most important thing to get right in Cuajada con melao?
Use the freshest whole milk you can get. Never use ultra heat treated milk. Warm the milk in a heavy deep pan. Bring it to about thirty-five degrees. That is just warm to a clean finger. Take it off the heat entirely. Add the salt and stir it in well. Adding the rennet takes a moment.
