Yield: About 3/4 pound per half-gallon of buttermilk
Rice/Slow Cooker Method
Pour buttermilk into the cooker and set it to Warm. Close the lid and wander off for about 90 minutes to 2 hours. Open the lid and check: the buttermilk should have completely separated into a solid mass of curds floating on clearish whey. The top should be springy and dense, the curds somewhat moist but much, much drier than cottage cheese. If it is more like cottage cheese, close the lid and let it cook another 30 minutes.
Oven Method
Preheat oven to 300F. Pour buttermilk into a 13x9 casserole or baking dish. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour. The edges will cook faster than the center, so test the center when you check on it. When ready, the buttermilk should have completely separated into a solid mass of curds floating on clearish whey. The top should be springy and dense, the curds somewhat moist but much, much drier than cottage cheese. If it is more like cottage cheese, let it cook another 30 minutes.
After cooking via either method...
Line a large sieve or colander with cheesecloth or butter muslin. Strain the buttermilk mixture through it and gather up the edges of the cloth. Wrap the proto-curdles loosely and place into the press. Place weight on top and then chill in the fridge for 24 hours.
If you don't have a press, place the sieve into a bowl and rest a bowl of water or rocks or something on top of the cheesecloth-covered curdles in the sieve. Again, place it in the fridge for a day.
The next day...
Remove the biezpiens from the press. It should now be very dry, very crumbly white curds. It is now ready to be used in pankūkas, Jāņu siers, and other tasty biezpiens-based recipes. These don't last long, maybe one or two days in the fridge, so be ready to use them up fast.
A recipe from http://kitchenmouse.rozentali.com/2010/06/biezpiens-refined/
Posted by Cori Rozentāle on .