Kefir Cottage Cheese

Let the liquid kefir sit out of the refrigerator until it is room temperature. Heat milk slowly to 140ºF. Leave the heat on and slowly pour in the kefir. Do not stir. Pour in apple cider vinegar. Don’t stir it, just push it around with a wooden spoon.

The curds will start forming and separating from the milk so the liquid becomes whey and looks yellowish, like chicken broth. If the whey does not show, continue to heat back to 130ºF. It will separate; you will see the whey around the edge of the pan.

After it separates, turn off the heat and let it set about 5 minutes.

Then use a wet cheesecloth over some kind of strainer or colander that is sitting over a bowl to catch the whey. Pour the pot of warm liquid and curds through the cheesecloth. Don’t press it. Just leave it and let it drain on its own. This may take 15-20 minutes. Don’t rush it.

Turn the cottage cheese out of the cheesecloth into a container with a lid. While it is warm, separate it with a fork.

Salt to taste.