Twaróg

Ingredients

Curd

• 2 litreswhole milk
• 3 tbspbuttermilk or live yoghurt, as starter

To serve

• radish, chives and sour cream
• or baked into sernik
• salt

Directions

1. Warm the milk to 22°C (72°F), stir in the starter, cover with a cloth and leave at room temperature for about 24 hours until it has set firm and tastes cleanly sour.
2. Warm the set milk very gently to about 40°C (104°F) without stirring. The curd will draw together and clear whey will separate around it.
3. Do not let it go above about 50°C (122°F). Higher and the curd tightens into hard squeaky grains, and twaróg is meant to be soft and crumbly.
4. Take it off the heat and leave it 15 minutes to settle.
5. Ladle the curd gently into a muslin-lined sieve and hang it to drain for three to four hours in a cool place.
6. How long you drain decides what you have: three hours gives a soft twaróg for spreading, six gives the semi-dry one, and overnight under a weight gives the firm pressed block used in sernik and pierogi.
7. Break the curd up with a fork rather than beating it smooth, and salt lightly if serving it savoury.
8. Serve with radish, chives and sour cream, or press it firmer and bake it into cheesecake. Keep the whey for bread.

Technique

• Gentle warmth, no stirring. Both mistakes give the same rubbery result.
• The draining time is the recipe. Decide what you are making before you start.
• No rennet — twaróg is acid-set, which is why it crumbles rather than slices.

Substitutions

• Buttermilk as the starter, closest to farm practice.
• Bought quark or dry curd cheese as a shortcut.

Variations

• Pressed firm for sernik, the Polish baked cheesecake.
• Mixed with sour cream, radish and chives as a spread for bread.

History

Made by draining soured milk, it has been the everyday Polish cheese for centuries and gives sernik its dense texture.

Frequently asked questions

What is Twaróg?

Twaróg is a cheese & dairy from Poland: fresh white curd cheese eaten with radish and chives or baked into cheesecake. Made by draining soured milk, it has been the everyday Polish cheese for centuries and gives sernik its dense texture.

How long does Twaróg take to make?

Twaróg takes 15 min plus 1 day souring and 4 hours draining of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 500 g. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Twaróg?

Yes, within limits. Buttermilk as the starter, closest to farm practice. Bought quark or dry curd cheese as a shortcut.

What is the most important thing to get right in Twaróg?

Do not let it go above about 50°C (122°F). Higher and the curd tightens into hard squeaky grains, and twaróg is meant to be soft and crumbly.