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Kochkäse - or Kochäse is a German cheese. The name
simply translates to "cook cheese".
How It's
Made
As with many cheeses Kochkäse was developed as a way to extend the use of existing cheese
products made by rural home cheesemakers.
In the original process, fresh milk from cow had the cream skimmed off the top. The
remaining milk was clabbered then hung in sacks. This eventually produced a type of
cottage cheese. The cottage cheese was used and if there was any remaining, and
before it began to turn it was made into Kochkäse. The cheese was then cooked
with baking soda (which breaks down the curd) along with butter and a bit of cream.
The mixture was then flavored with caraway seed and additional fresh pepper.

Darlene Stryk from Strykly Texas Cheese Company pouring the cooked cheese mixture into
containers.
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Cook
Cheese According to Grandmother
Click to view original German
version
2 1/4 cups Quark
3 1/2 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
2 teaspoon caraway seed
2 cups buttermilk
Fresh pepper
Prepare Quark
Combine the quark with the salt and the soda and spread it in a flat dish. Cover the
dish. Keep in a warm place in the kitchen. Give the quark a turn each day. The Quark
will become yellowish and "glassy". Once the the quark gets a slightly
"cheesy" smell, and no longer tastes sour it is ready to be used.
Important
This cheese succeeds only, if the quark is perfectly dry. Make certain that salt and soda
are very well blended with the dry quark (you can use an electric hand mixer), so that the
soda and salt comes into contact with the Quark
Place the quark in a pot on low heat,
stirring it while it warms, approximately 10 minutes. Stir in the butter and remove
the pot from the heat and place in a bowl over a pot of hot water. Continue to stir and
gradually add the milk. Once the mixture is smooth, add the pepper and the caraway seed
and continue to stir slowly until the ingredients are well incorporated. At this point you
can season the cheese with additional salt and pepper as needed. Make sure to stir it
thoroughly. Pour the mixture into small stoneware containers with lids. The cheese
can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. Important.
Tip
The consistency of the cook cheese depends on the quantity of the milk used. If one would
like the cook cheese thinner, increase the milk. You may also stir in some
some cream to thin the mixture. |
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Where
to Buy
Strykly
Texas Cheese Company - Located in Schulenburg, Texas. The dairy sells
Köch Käse cheese in addition to others including cheddar and jack cheeses. Other
specialty flavored cheeses include jalapeno and garlic & herb. They also sell gift
boxes as well.
Nutrition
Other Recipe Sources
Here are links to other
recipes in untranslated German.
Herstellung von Käse Teil 2
Odenwald Bisz
There is even a Kochkäse
Festival in Austria.
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