Ingredients
1 quart half and half
– or 2 quarts milk
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (to 3 tbsp)
Preparation
Bring the half and half or milk to a boil in a large heavy-bottomed pan. Add the lemon juice and stir until the curds rise to the top and a clear liquid remains. Turn off the heat and let the pan stand for 5 minutes. Line a fine sieve with 3 layers of cheesecloth and pour the curdled milk through it. Save the whey for use in soups, sauces, rice, or dough-making. Gather up the ends of the cheesecloth to form a pouch and tie it on the faucet over the kitchen sink. Twist the cloth lightly and squeeze out the excess liquid from the cheese with our hands. let the pouch hang there for 30 minutes, then transfer it to a cutting board and shape it into a patty approximately 4 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Fill a large pot with water and place it over the pouch to compress it. Leave it for about 3 hours. It is now ready to use, or you can remove the cheese from the cheesecloth, cover it with plastic wrap, and freeze it (it will last for up to a month).
Yield: about 1 1/4 cups crumbled paneer or a 4-inch by 1/2-inch-thick compressed patty.
