Vurda (вурда, Carpathian whey cheese)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •A 5 to 6 litre heavy pot
• •A fine sieve or colander
• •Butter muslin or a clean thin tea towel
• •A skimmer or wide slotted spoon
• •A thermometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the whey

   Strain the fresh whey through a fine sieve into a large heavy pot. If you're adding milk for a fuller curd, stir it in now. The whey should smell clean and milky, not sharp enough to make your nose pull back; very sour whey gives a lower, tighter yield.

   Sweet whey from a rennet-set cheese is the one you want. Acid whey from strained yogurt can work with added milk, but it makes a sharper, smaller cheese.
2. 2

   Warm it slowly

   Set the pot over medium-low heat and warm it without rushing. Stir the bottom now and then so the milk solids don't catch, then leave it mostly alone. Watch the liquid move from clear yellow-green to cloudy opal at the edges. If you use a thermometer, aim for the high 80s C, below a hard boil, but your eyes and nose matter more.

3. 3

   Coax the curds

   When tiny bubbles tremble around the edge and the smell changes from raw whey to warm sweet milk, lower the heat. White flakes should begin to rise like small snow. If the whey stays stubbornly clear, add sour milk, cultured buttermilk, or lemon juice one tablespoon at a time, waiting between each addition. The curds need coaxing, not bullying.

   This is the step that decides the cheese. A hard boil breaks the curds into grit; slow heat lets the delicate whey proteins gather into something soft and spoonable.
4. 4

   Rest and lift

   Turn off the heat and let the pot stand until the curds float clearly on top and the whey beneath looks more transparent. Line a colander with damp butter muslin or a clean thin tea towel, then lift the curds gently with a skimmer. Don't pour the whole pot at once unless your cloth is very fine; the best curds are small and will try to escape.

5. 5

   Drain to texture

   Let the vurda drain for 20 to 30 minutes for a soft, ricotta-like cheese, or longer if you want it firmer for spreading. It should mound on the spoon but still look tender and damp. Stir in the salt while it is still slightly warm, then loosen with a spoon of smetana, cream, or reserved whey if it has tightened too much.

6. 6

   Serve or chill

   Eat it warm on dark bread with honey, or savoury with dill, black pepper, and a thread of unrefined sunflower oil. It is good beside warm potatoes and very good against mamalyga. Chill what you don't eat and use it within three days; vurda is fresh cheese, not a cheese for forgetting in the fridge.

Chef Tips

• •Fresh sweet whey is the whole game. Use it within 24 hours of making a rennet-set cheese, and keep it chilled until you cook it.
• •Sheep's whey gives the richest, sweetest vurda. Cow's whey works too, especially with a little whole milk added. That's a bit more modern, but it keeps the dish alive in a city kitchen.
• •Don't chase a huge yield. Vurda is made from what the first cheese left behind, so a small bowl from a big pot is normal.
• •If the curds are shy, add sour milk or cultured buttermilk first. Lemon juice works cleanly, but dairy sourness tastes more at home here.
• •The leftover whey after vurda is thin but still useful. Cool it and use it in bread, pancakes, or soup doughs.

Advance Preparation

• •Plan around the whey. It should be fresh, sweet, and no older than 24 hours for the best curd.
• •Vurda can be made a day ahead and kept covered in the fridge, but its milky sweetness is brightest on the first day.
• •Drain for 20 to 30 minutes for spoonable cheese, or up to 2 hours for a firmer spread.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 65g)