Sir i vrhnje

Ingredients

Fresh cheese

• 2 litreswhole milk
• 3 tbsplive plain yoghurt or buttermilk, as starter
• ½ tspsalt

Sour cream

• 300 mldouble cream
• 2 tbspbuttermilk or live yoghurt, as starter

To serve

• sweet paprika
• dark bread
• sliced spring onion

Directions

1. Warm the milk to 30°C (86°F), stir in the starter, cover with a cloth and leave at room temperature for 24 hours until set and sour. This is a slow acid set with no rennet at all, which is what gives the loose crumbly curd rather than a firm block.
2. Warm the cream to 24°C (75°F) separately, stir in its starter, cover and leave alongside the milk for the same 24 hours.
3. Line a sieve with muslin and tip in the set milk. Drain in the fridge for six hours, until it is thick and crumbly but not dry.
4. Break the drained curd up with a fork and season with the salt. Do not beat it smooth — the texture of sir is meant to be broken and loose.
5. Chill the soured cream, which should be thick enough to fall slowly from a spoon.
6. Serve the cheese heaped in a bowl with the sour cream spooned over and a heavy dusting of sweet paprika, with dark bread and spring onions alongside.
7. Eat within two days; neither part keeps longer.

Technique

• No rennet. A rennet-set curd gives a springy cheese, and the whole character of Zagreb sir is that it crumbles.
• The two ferments run at different temperatures because they are different cultures. Cream soured at yoghurt temperature splits.
• Do not over-drain. It should still be moist enough to spread; drained hard it goes chalky.

Substitutions

• Buttermilk as the starter for both, which is closest to what the kumice would have used.
• Crème fraîche in place of making the cream separately, if time is short.

Variations

• Some Dolac stalls sell it already mixed together into a single spread.
• Eaten with hot boiled potatoes rather than bread, which is the country version.

History

Sold by kumice, the market women of Zagreb’s Dolac, who carried it in from villages by tram.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sir i vrhnje?

Sir i vrhnje is a cheese & dairy from Croatia: fresh crumbly cheese with sour cream, spread on bread with paprika. Sold by kumice, the market women of Zagreb’s Dolac, who carried it in from villages by tram.

How long does Sir i vrhnje take to make?

Sir i vrhnje takes 20 min plus 24 hours souring and 6 hours draining of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Sir i vrhnje?

Yes, within limits. Buttermilk as the starter for both, which is closest to what the kumice would have used. Crème fraîche in place of making the cream separately, if time is short.

What is the most important thing to get right in Sir i vrhnje?

Warm the milk to 30°C (86°F), stir in the starter, cover with a cloth and leave at room temperature for 24 hours until set and sour. This is a slow acid set with no rennet at all, which is what gives the loose crumbly curd rather than a firm block.