This is a Viking recipe shared by Cara Watters. It’s definitely soft, softer than cream cheese. The garlic and thyme gives it a lovely punch, though you can leave it out or substitute other flavors. It’s great smeared on bread or a bagel.

It doesn’t make much; I tried a double batch (see notes below) and it made a little more than an eight-ounce block of Philadelphia.

1 Liter whole milk
250 mL buttermilk or 1-2 tbsp. vinegar or rennet*
Salt
Optional: Garlic cloves
Optional: Thyme sprigs

Heat the milk to almost boiling, when little bubbles start to form around the edges. Take off the heat, add the buttermilk, vinegar or rennet, and stir thoroughly.

Leave for about 15 minutes. The milk will curdle and the whey and curds will separate. Pour the mixture through a sieve or colander, lined with a double layer of cheesecloth. The remaining whey can be used in baking, pancakes, bath products, etc.

Rinse with cold water and sprinkle a little salt over the cheese. Leave to drain for about 2 hours. After most of the surface-level moisture has dripped out, you can ball it up in the cheesecloth and hang it above the sink from the kitchen faucet or somewhere else where it can continue to drip for a while.

This will keep, if chilled, for up to a week. The flavor will continue to mature over time.

*Note: I had a half gallon of whole milk (1.89 liters) and 1 pint (474mL) of buttermilk and thought I could try doubling the recipe. I also had about 2/3 or 3/4 cup of heavy cream and found some other fresh cheese recipes online that suggested adding cream to make a richer cheese.

This didn’t seem like it was curdling enough after 15 minutes, so then I added 1 tbsp. white vinegar and gave it another 15 minutes. Next time, I think I’ll try using rennet instead, as that might help it curdle more of the milk.