OK, I will admit I have been getting out of hand this week, throwing together extraneous ingredients that just happened to be in the fridge. It started with some local truffles that begged to be used immediately. In eggs with cheese, sure. With oysters wrapped in bacon, why the hell not? But this one was sheer chance. Who bought all this milk? I'm bored, I'll make some paneer.
If you don't know how, this is the gateway drug for all cheeses. 2 quarts of whole milk. Juice of two lemons. Bring milk almost to boil, pour in juice, let curdle. Pour into a cheesecloth-lined sieve and drain for an hour or so. Then press for a few hours. Unwrap and lovely. It first went into a saag paneer of course. But all the rest? I kneaded it with salt to be smooth and dense. Poured over olive oil and threw in some truffle slices. It is AMAZING. This was the first tiny jar after a week or so. The bigger one I'm going to let sit and age a bit in the cave. Delicious. Closer to feta than I would have imagined, but truffly. Say OH MY.
P.S. Just so you don't think I'm being truly profligate, the truffles were 2 bucks a piece. Local Californian. Not Umbrian, but nice.
ReplyDeleteSources, maestro, of $2 Californian truffles, if you please? My wife deserves a treat, methinks...
ReplyDeleteThe Stockton Farmer's Market. Sunday behind the malls. The Mushroom guy collects them in the Sierras. The larger ones are more expensive, an outrageous price per pound I thought, but not the little ones. They're really not like European truffles, but worth eating nonetheless.
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