Crowdie

Traditional Scottish Crowdie

A simple, fresh acid-set cheese from the Scottish Highlands, traditionally made with full-cream milk and rolled in oatmeal. It is eaten within a day or two of making, while the curds are still soft and moist.

Prep

20 min

Cook

5 min

Total

25 min

Serves

Makes about 400 g (14 oz)

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •1 litre (1¾ pints) full-cream (whole) cow's milk, non-homogenised if possible; do not use ultra-heat-treated (UHT)
• •30 ml (2 tablespoons) buttermilk, as a starter culture
• •5 ml (1 teaspoon) fresh lemon juice, or sub with 2 ml (½ tsp) rennet for a firmer set
• •2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) salt, fine sea salt
• •60 g (½ cup) medium oatmeal, toasted, for rolling

Steps

1. 1 Pour the milk into a heavy saucepan. Warm gently over low heat until it reaches 22 °C (72 °F); do not allow it to exceed 32 °C (90 °F) at any point, as overheated milk will give a dry, grainy curd.
2. 2 Remove from the heat. Stir in the buttermilk and the lemon juice (or rennet, if using). Cover and leave in a warm spot for 18–24 hours, until the milk has set into a soft, thick yogurt-like curd that cleanly pulls away from the sides of the pan.
3. 3 Line a large sieve with a double layer of muslin (cheesecloth) and set it over a bowl. Ladle the curd in and let it drain for 1–2 hours, until thick but still moist; the whey should be clear when the dripping slows. Do not press.
4. 4 Transfer the drained curds to a bowl. Sprinkle over the salt and stir gently with a fork, leaving the curds in soft, loose clumps rather than smoothing them out.
5. 5 Spread the toasted oatmeal on a plate. Form the curd into a rough ball and roll it in the oatmeal so it is generously coated on all sides.
6. 6 Wrap loosely in parchment and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Eat within 2 days. Serve with oatcakes, a little honey, or a dram of whisky.