Homemade areesheh cheese
August 3, 2011 • Category: Eggs/Dairy/Cheese, Dessert
In order to make areesheh, a type of ricotta cheese, a quart of milk and some fresh lemon juice is added to the pot; the mixture is brought to a boil and, presto, curds appear; they are transferred to a glass bowl (over a colander lined with paper towels) and the cheese is ready.
I have made this cheese with a traditional Ramadan treat in mind: Atayef, a Lebanese-style pancake, which is filled with either cheese or walnuts or cream (ashta). More on these later…
Had the best areesheh inTyre last summer, made by some local folks, which I will track down next time I am in the neighborhood.
A simple and traditional way to enjoy areesheh, which is served at rural restaurants and cafés, is with a drizzle of local honey and some bread.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 quart of whole milk
- 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice (or white vinegar)
- Optional: Salt or sugar or honey to serve
METHOD:
- Place the milk in a pot over medium heat and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. When you notice the milk steaming, add the lemon juice.
- When the milk starts to curdle and develop big lumps of curds, remove them with a slotted spoon and drop into a sieve lined with paper towels over a glass bowl. Let the cheese drain for an hour or longer.
- Serve as is or salt or sweeten with a bit of sugar or honey.
Comments
14 Comments • Comments Feed
Adelina says:
I respect you since I don’t think I will be able to make my own cheese or farmer’s cheese. I like that you’re serving it with raisins and pine nuts. I like having farmer’s cheese with just plain sugar just because this is how I was taught by my grandma.
On August 3, 2011 at 5:34 pm
Rosa says:
Marvelous!
Cheers,
Rosa
On August 3, 2011 at 11:47 pm
Nuts about food says:
What a perfect way to avoid even minimum waste. And both cheeses look so good and fresh. Can’t wait till the next recipe.
On August 4, 2011 at 2:57 am
Rachana says:
I love the way you served the cheese with honey,raisins and pine nuts :-)Yum!
On August 4, 2011 at 4:00 am
Joanne says:
I love that this makes use of another recipe’s leftovers! And that it’s cheese. Mmmm cheese.
On August 4, 2011 at 5:05 am
Barbara says:
It’s amazing, isn’t it? I made it for the first time a few months back and it was so much easier than I thought it would be. Love the way you’ve served yours, Joumana. Ended up making gnudi with mine.
On August 4, 2011 at 6:27 am
Steve @ HPD says:
love it when one recipe leads to another!
On August 4, 2011 at 6:58 am
Heavenly Housewife says:
Beautifully done. I’ve been wanting to try making ricotta, and this post inspires me. I really like the way you plated this up with the little raisins, very pretty.
*kisses* HH
On August 4, 2011 at 8:16 am
Krista says:
Oh I’d love this drizzled with honey. 🙂 Someone made me a sandwich like this the other day and it was scrumptious. 🙂
On August 4, 2011 at 11:10 am
senga50 says:
J’aime beaucoup les textures de ces fromages frais et doux et de leur accompagnement délicat… de belles idées à refaire avec nos fromages blancs !
On August 4, 2011 at 11:34 am
Maria @ Scandifoodie says:
I just love home-made cheeses – this sounds just perfect!
On August 5, 2011 at 12:30 pm
Anne-Marie Petros says:
This is one of my favorite desserts. Thank you for putting this up, it inspire me to make it for my kids and hubby. What’s the dates and syrup that get served with arreesheh in some Lebanese restaurants?
Thanks for the inspiration:-)
On November 24, 2013 at 9:33 am
Joumana says:
@Anne-Marie: Probably the candied dates in syrup; I posted the recipe a couple of years ago on the blog.
On November 25, 2013 at 5:34 am
Daemonus says:
I just made some of that myself. I don’t think I’ll ever buy ricotta again. Delectable….
On December 30, 2013 at 11:47 pm