I still remember the first time I tried quark. It was 1994, a hot hot summer - and I was backpacking around Europe with my Eurorail pass, taking a break from London. Having fairly recently finished college, I was working for Muji in West Soho, working on the fashion floor with my friend Sam. Soon I was itching to explore 'the continent'. I bought two one-month Eurorail passes, saved up enough money to last me about four months and made plans to spend about 10 days with my friend Steffi in Cologne after one month of travelling around the Greek islands, then another month through France, Spain and Switzerland. I'd met Steffi through one of my first flatmates, Anne. As it turned out Anne was staying with Steffi for the summer, doing an internship. So, there we three were for ten days - the Canadian, the Finn and the German. It was one of my first mornings there and the beginning of another very hot day. It was so hot that week that I actually blacked out in the train station one day! Steffi had a gorgeous sunflower on her window sill (funny thing to remember, but I do) and we sat down to a basket of delicious, hearty bread, quark and (I think) fruit spread or marmalade (and maybe cheese and meat but in this case it was the quark that was the new and interesting item). I always think back to that breakfast when I eat quark. So, fifteen years later and I've finally learned how to make it. Now there is no turning back!
Quark is a raw cheese similar to cream cheese or ricotta. It's made from raw soured milk or buttermilk. Last week we were visiting my in-laws and my mother-in-law showed me how to make it. It's not only simple to make but far more economical than buying it. Basically, you are placing the buttermilk in a warm environment to encourage separation of the liquid from the solids, then straining out more liquid in a cool environment to get your final result, quark.
Instructions:
Pour one quart or one litre of buttermilk into a glass or ceramic container and place in the oven. You could also use a baking dish but a large glass jar makes it easy to pour for the step that follows. The oven should be at it's lowest setting - about 90 degrees. I turned my oven on to its lowest setting, then let it cool to the desired temperature before placing my jar inside. My mother-in-law leaves the oven light on and that's it. This should sit overnight or eight to 12 hours. I left mine for longer as I was looking for a drier consistency, so adjust according to your own taste.
After eight to twelve hours the buttermilk will have thickened and separated (the liquid is the whey, the solid is the curd - what will be the quark), remove the jar/container from the oven. Set a colander/sieve on top of a large bowl or very large measuring cup, and line the colander/sieve with a large coffee filter or several layers of cheesecloth. Pour or spoon the solids into the colander, cover with a small plate or lid and place in the fridge. Let the whey drip through the cheesecloth or filter for at least four hours - until the desired consistency is reached. Make sure the container you are using is deep enough so that the solids in the colander don't end up sitting in the strained liquid. Again, I was looking for a drier consistency, close to cream cheese, so I left mine for at least 8 hours for this part of the process. What is left in the colander is the curd, or quark.
Quark is great as a spread on it's own, or topped with fruit spread, marmalade, jam on the sweeter side - or chopped chives, onion, cucumber, olives, anything you like - for a savoury option.
For a slightly different texture and flavour you can also do this with plain yoghurt - make sure it only has bacterial cultures and no other ingredients - if it has gelatin it will not work. You can also drink the whey (liquid) that you are left with - I haven't tried it myself but my mother-in-law does this and likes it. I've also read that quark works well when making cheesecake. It's very healthy and lean so you can't go wrong however you enjoy it. Experiment!
