Recipe: German Cheese Tart, Wheat Country Zwieback, and Farmhouse Cheese

GERMAN CHEESE TART
Makes 1 (9-inch) tart

FOR THE CRUST:
6 Wheat Country Zwieback, sliced and toasted, (recipe follows) or 6 ounces packaged zwieback
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
FOR THE FILLING:
5 cups Fresh Farmhouse Cheese, (recipe follows) or 5 cups small curd cottage cheese
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

FOR THE CRUST:
Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan. Make fine crumbs of the zwieback by processing in a food processor, or by placing the zwieback between sheets of wax paper and rolling with a rolling pin. Add the sugar, cinnamon and butter to the food processor, or to a bowl to which you have added the crumbs. Process or stir until you have a crumbly mixture that resembles a cheesecake crust. Set aside 3/4 cup of the mixture, and pat the remainder of it into the bottom and sides of the springform pan.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

FOR THE FILLING:
Put all the filling ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth, or pass the farmhouse cheese or cottage cheese through a food mill, or, using the back of a spoon, push it through a sieve, then combine it with the remaining filling ingredients in a bowl. Pour the filling slowly over the crust in the springform pan. Sprinkle the reserved 3/4 cup of the crumb mixture on top.

Bake the tart at least 1 hour, or until the filling has set (depending on the kind of cottage cheese you use, the filling can take up to 2 hours to set) and a knife inserted into the center of the tart comes out clean. Remove from the oven to cool slightly and serve.

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WHEAT COUNTRY ZWIEBACK
Makes 4 dozen zwieback

1 1/2 tablespoon quick-rising active dry yeast
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
2 cups scalded milk
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs, beaten
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or 12 tablespoons shortening, melted
8 to 10 cups all-purpose flour

Sprinkle the yeast and the 1 tablespoon sugar over the lukewarm bowl; do not stir. Set aside at least 5 minutes to proof to a foamy consistency. With an electric mixer, blend together the 1/2 cup sugar and the milk, salt, eggs and butter in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture and blend evenly.

Mix in the flour, 1 cup at a time, until you have a soft and pliant dough. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until it is doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes. Punch down the dough, cover it, and let it rise until it is again doubled, about 30 minutes more.

Lightly oil 2 large baking sheets. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface. Cut out and set aside one-fourth of the dough. Divide the remaining three-quarters of the dough into 4 equal portions. Form 12 balls of dough from each of the 4 portions; the balls will be about 3 inches in diameter. Place the balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. With the reserved dough, make 48 smaller balls of dough. Using your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each of the larger balls. Place a smaller ball in each indentation, and press down gently.

Cover the zwieback with a tea towel, and let them rise until they are again doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes or more. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the zwieback 15 to 17 minutes, or until they are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and transfer to racks to cool.

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FARMHOUSE CHEESE
Makes 8 cups

1 1/2 gallons homogenized whole milk
1 cup buttermilk
1 rennet tablet (available at most supermarkets)
Cream, sour cream or milk (optional)

Warm the whole milk and buttermilk over low heat in a large saucepan or stockpot until they reach 90 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Pour 1/4 cup of this mixture into a glass measuring cup, and heat it in the microwave 10 seconds on high, or until it is 115 degrees F; alternatively, heat the 1/4 cup milk in a small saucepan until it reaches the same temperature. Crumble the rennet tablet into the warm milk in the measuring cup, and stir to blend. Pour this mixture back into the large saucepan and stir well. Remove from the heat, cover the pan, and let the mixture sit overnight, at least 14 hours.

In the morning, return the pan to the heat and remove its cover. For a larger curd cheese, bring the mixture to 130 to 140 degrees F over medium heat; for a smaller curd cheese, bring the mixture to about 115 degrees F over low heat. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, at the desired temperature 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the curds have separated from the whey.

Meanwhile, line two colanders with a double thickness of cheesecloth. Tie or clip the cheesecloths to the perimeters of the colander to keep them from slipping in. Gently pour half of the mixture through 1 colander and half through the other. Let the whey drain off the cottage cheese for about 1 hour.

Spoon the drained cheese into two 1-pint containers. Stir in some fresh cream, sour cream or whole milk, if you like, for a softer consistency and flavor. The cheese will keep covered in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Source: Prairie Home Cooking by Judith Fertig