Where it comes from
Saukerkas (Sauerkäse) is the sour-milk curd cheese of Liechtenstein, a low-fat farmhouse cheese with a sharp, ripened tang. Classically eaten with ribel, it is the kind of frugal Alpine dairy that turns leftover milk into something keepable.
On the plate
Spread saukerkas on warm ribel and it is soft, fresh, and bracingly tangy, the caraway giving a warm aromatic note. Bite: lean and milky, sharp with lactic sourness, the salt and caraway lifting it — the opposite of a rich Alpine cheese, made to use up sour skimmed milk. Humble and frugal, it is the farmhouse partner to the maize porridge.
How it works
Gently heating sour (already-acidified) milk curdles it without rennet — the lactic acid does the setting. Draining removes whey to firm the low-fat curd; salt and caraway season and preserve it. The result is a tangy, lean spreadable cheese, a thrifty use of skimmed milk left after the cream is taken.
Variations
With more caraway. With chives and pepper. Aged a few days for sharper flavor. Whipped with a little cream. With paprika. Eaten with onion on bread.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
7 steps · Show ↓25 min active · 65 min waiting
How it's made
7 steps · Show ↓- 110 min
Warm 2 L skimmed sour milk gently to about 50°C (do not boil).
- 220 min
Hold the temperature until the milk separates into curds and whey, 20 min.
- 34 min
Ladle the curds into a cheesecloth-lined sieve.
- 445 min
Drain 45 min until firm but still moist.
- 54 min
Tip the curd into a bowl and mash with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp caraway.
- 622 min
Press into a small mold and chill 20 min to firm.
- 72 min
Turn out and serve spread on ribel, dark bread, or boiled potatoes.
