[Sca-cooks] question about breads

[Huette von Ahrens]

--- Sue Clemenger <mooncat at in-tch.com> wrote:

> What's quark?
> --maire

I found this definition online.

Huette

Quark 

A favorite in Germany and Austria, where it appears at breakfast, in salads and in desserts, quark
is what cheesemakers call an acid-coagulated cheese. Instead of using the animal coagulant rennet
to create curds quickly, in 30 minutes or so, traditional cheesemakers make quark slowly by adding
a culture to pasteurized milk -- whole or skimmed -- and waiting patiently for the culture to
convert the lactose (milk sugar) into lactic acid. 

When the pH drops sufficiently, a process that can take about 18 hours, curds form. Cheesemakers
may add a few drops of rennet to enhance the curd's structure, but the culture does most of the
work. Acid-coagulated cheeses (fresh chevre is another) have a more delicate texture than cheeses
coagulated primarily with rennet. 

Quark, the cheese, has nothing to do with quark the subatomic particle. The word has been used to
describe this kind of cheese probably for centuries. 

Commercial quark varies considerably from one manufacturer to the next. The texture can be as
soft, smooth and spoonable as thick crème fraîche, or dense and spreadable like a whipped cream
cheese. Its flavor is mild, not tangy, with a faint cultured taste. 

"In Europe, we use quark a lot in desserts," says Campton Place chef Daniel Humm, who is Swiss. 
The San Francisco restaurant sells 900 quark souffles a month, with seasonal fruit accompaniments
like balsamic cherries or oranges in spiced syrup. Humm uses the luscious, light quark produced by
Vermont Butter & Cheese, which is made by adding crème fraîche to skim-milk curd. 

At 11 percent fat, the Vermont Butter & Cheese quark is less rich than crème fraîche, which can 
top 40 percent. Allison Hooper of Vermont Butter & Cheese says chefs like her quark because it can
tolerate heat and because it gives frozen desserts and mousses a light, frothy texture.. 

[ Quark ] Fine as a breakfast spread on toast or bagels, as a topping for borscht or pureed
vegetable soups, as an ingredient in cheesecake, mousses, Bavarians and frozen desserts. . 



Remember that while money talks, chocolate sings.

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