Gone are the days when freshly made cheese was limited to rural families with a cow in the backyard. Thanks to a special program started by Avery’s Branch Farm and Rebecca’s Natural Foods, you can actually buy a share of a cow and get access to fresh, raw milk.

Although it’s illegal for farmers to sell raw milk to the public, it’s totally legal to drink fresh milk from a cow that you own. By buying a share of a cow at Avery’s Branch Farm, you become (at least partially) a legal owner.

Raw milk from your cow is then delivered weekly to Rebecca’s Natural Foods, where you can pick it up and enjoy non-pasteurized milk within the limits of the law.

And what can you do with that raw milk, you ask? Make fresh Indian cheese with it, of course.

Paneer is a mild tasting cheese that doesn’t need any aging or culturing. Since it won’t melt when heated, paneer is a favorite ingredient in many Indian curries and soups.

Authentic Indian paneer is typically made with raw milk, but don’t fret if you’re not ready to commit to cow ownership just yet. This recipe also works with store-bought milk—just make sure to get whole milk and check the label to make sure it isn’t UHT pasteurized.

Here’s how to make fresh paneer cheese in only 15 minutes.

Easy

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 2-4

Ingredients:

cow

Photo by Stephanie DeVaux

½ gallon whole (or raw) milk
¼ cup lemon juice

Directions:

1. Pour milk into a saucepan.

cow

Photo by Stephanie DeVaux

2. Heat the milk on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

cow

Photo by Stephanie DeVaux

3. Just before the milk comes to a boil, remove it from the heat. It should look frothy and steamy.

cow

Photo by Stephanie DeVaux

4. Stir in the lemon juice. The milk should curdle immediately.

cow

Photo by Stephanie DeVaux

5. After the milk has completely curdled, drain the curds through cheesecloth.

cow

Photo by Stephanie DeVaux

It should look something like this…

cow

Photo by Stephanie DeVaux

6. Squeeze out any excess whey (that greenish liquid) from the cheesecloth.

cow

Photo by Stephanie DeVaux

7. Enjoy on its own or use in a quick breakfast dish like this one.

cow

Photo by Stephanie DeVaux

Like this? We figured. Why don’t you pin it?

cow

Photo by Stephanie DeVaux, Design by Shira Beder

Check out these other related articles for more cheesy goodness: