Читать книгу Recipes from My Mother - Rachel Allen - Страница 14

Skyr

MAKES ABOUT ¾ LITRE

Skyr is one of the Icelandic tastes of my childhood. Otherwise known as Icelandic curds, skyr is an age-old recipe dating back to the ninth century. It’s often compared to Greek yoghurt, but strictly speaking it is a cheese – thicker than yoghurt with a slight cheesy tang. It’s delicious, and is sometimes served with a little cream and brown sugar or, as I remember it, a splash of milk and a sprinkle of sugar. My sister and I used to have milk and sugar over natural yoghurt at home in Dublin to try to replicate the flavour. Making your own skyr is not unlike making yoghurt, although often a couple of drops of rennet are added and the ‘set’ milk is cut and strained to release the whey from the curds. Skyr can be left plain or flavoured with honey, coffee, vanilla and even herbs such as mint, rosemary and thyme. Homemade skyr will keep, covered, in the fridge for one week.

1 litre (1¾ pints) full-cream milk (I like to use an organic unpasteurised milk if possible, but other milk can be used)

1 tbsp skyr, from a previous batch if possible or shop bought (failing that, use a live active culture yoghurt)

2 drops of rennet or vegetable rennet (optional)

1. Place the milk in a saucepan over a very low heat and warm it slowly until it reaches 90°C (195°F). This should take 1 hour. Take it off the heat and set aside, at room temperature, to cool until it reaches 40°C (105°C) – 30 minutes. If this step is done too quickly, it could affect the setting of the skyr.

2. Add 1 tablespoon skyr (or yoghurt) and whisk to combine, making sure not to scrape the bottom of the pot. Next, stir in the rennet, if using. Place a lid on the saucepan and wrap it with two tea towels, then leave to stand at room temperature for 12–15 hours (a few more hours will probably be ok if you have to leave the house, but definitely not more than 24 hours).

3. By this stage, the milk should have thickened and you should notice the see-through whey separating from the brilliant white curds. Place a clean piece of muslin or cheesecloth in a sieve set over a bowl. Using a clean knife, cut the curds into a grid-shape, then tip into the lined sieve. Tie the material into a knot or tie with string, then hang the bundle from a hook or a wooden spoon stuck through the knot and suspend it over the bowl, removing the sieve. The fabric should not be touching the whey that’s dripping off it into the bowl. If your kitchen is quite warm, hang the skyr in the fridge.

4. Leave to hang for 2 hours or until the mixture in the bundle is quite thick and almost beginning to dry at the edges. If it’s too dry, whisk in some of the whey to thin it out. It should be thicker than Greek yoghurt, but not as thick as cream cheese. Once it’s thick enough, it can be eaten straight away or covered (flavoured or not) and placed in the fridge for up to a week. You can drink the nutrition-packed whey if you like.