Quark
Quark is a mild, creamy cheese that tastes good at any meal, at any time. It would be hard to improve on Quark for its nutritional content because it's full of protein and low in fat. It is loaded with minerals, including calcium, which is so essential to strong bodies. Small amounts of carbohydrates in the form of milk sugar promote a good metabolism. The nutritional value of Quark is tremendous.
Culture Options for Making Quark
To show how diverse home cheese making can be, I am going to lay out a range of cultures you can use, depending on the milk you are using and what you really prefer to make. For Quark, you will be best off using one of our more complex mesophilic cultures which contain the following bacteria:
- s.lactis for acid production
- s.cremoris for acid production
- s.lactis diacetylactis for a buttery flavor addition
For use with a store bought milk that has been pasteurized at higher temps and stored cold, or if you find that your curd is too weak, we suggest using our C20G Chevre, or C20 Fromage Blanc, cultures which contains their own powdered rennet. If you would like a culture with a little less rennet included, for a less firm curd, use our C33 Creme Fraiche.
Our German customers have told us that when they are making their quark they use the C20 (Fromage Blanc) with skimmed milk and to them it is quite authentic to the cheese they remember.
If you would like a more open texture, the following cultures include all of the above strains plus the culture m.s.cremoris, that produces a small amount of CO2 . These 2 cultures contain no rennet but you can add your own using 1-3 drops per gallon of our liquid rennet (the tablet rennet can not be used here)
These are especially good for very fresh farm milk or one pasteurized at a lower temperature. If you would like a very soft creamy Quark, use our C21 Buttermilk culture, which has no added rennet, or our C11 Flora Danica which comes in a much larger pack and can be used at the rate of 1/8tsp per gallon of milk.
You could also use our C101 Mesophilic culture but it is a much less complex culture and would not have the flavor/texture benefit of the cultures listed above and only 1/2 pack should be used for the 1 gallon of milk.
Q. Is strained yogurt is the same as Quark?
A. No it's not, Yogurt cheese does not taste like Quark. Quark contains the Lactococcus lactis bacteria (works at lower temperature), while yogurt contains Lactococcus thermophilus (works at a higher temperature). Quark is usually much sweeter than a Greek style drained yogurt
Q. Can we make Quark using rennet on the stove in a fraction of the time?
A. Yes, this is how it is being made by the dairy industry in Germany. 4 hours and done! The problem is that you are missing the beneficial buttermilk bacteria. Newer producers now add buttermilk cultures to it, due to public demand for live cultures. Making it the old-fashioned way with live cultures is also better for your health.
Q. Can I make Quark on the stove top or in the oven using higher temperatures over several hours?
A. Yes, you can, but it is not recommended. Too much heat will cook the protein and kill the beneficial bacteria.
Q. Would I be able to make cheese using a non-dairy milk such as coconut or almond milk?
A. Unfortunately, without the lactose to work with, these will not make a good cheese.
Q. I lived in Germany for many years and quark was one of my staple foods. It is great to be able to make it at home and introduce the healthy goodness to my kids. I tried using the whey leftover from quark making to make brunost/whey cheese and the final product was very acidic, though the texture and look was right. Did I do something wrong or is the whey from making quark not sweet enough?
A. Unfortunately, the whey from acid ripened cheeses, such as the Quark, is too acidic. As the whey is separated, much of the residual lactose goes with it and continues to increase in acidity. Brunost, like the Geitost, is about using a sweet whey and caramelizing the Sugars while removing the water phase. You would want whey that is drawn off earlier in the process, such as with Cheddar.