Ligurian Prescinseua

• • • Makes about 2 cups (1 pound/454 g) • • •

I have yet to encounter this fresh cheese outside Liguria, where I first tasted it. It hovers somewhere between ricotta and cottage cheese, with notes of buttermilk and yogurt. It has a clean, tangy flavor and a soft-curd texture. Prescinseua (roughly pronounced pray-shin-SEW-ah) dates back to the fifteenth century and has long been appreciated as a lighter, easily digestible alternative to richer cheeses. It is used as a filling for the region’s famous cheese-stuffed focaccia (page 212), and in torta pasqualina, a savory vegetable torte traditionally served at Easter. It is also mixed into ravioli stuffing. Purists will tell you that prescinesua can only be made with milk from Apennine cows, but if you can procure milk from a good local dairy you will do fine. Enjoy it for breakfast with sliced fresh fruit—I love it with sliced peaches—or spooned onto crostini.

3 cups (720 g) whole pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized) milk, preferably creamline (not homogenized)

1 cup (240 g) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized) heavy cream

3 tablespoons whole-milk yogurt

⅛ teaspoon liquid rennet (see Sources)

Equipment

Large (5-quart) stainless steel pot

Stainless steel ladle

Instant-read thermometer

Fine-mesh sieve or colander

Tight-weave cheesecloth

1 • In a large stainless steel pot, whisk together the milk, cream, and yogurt. Cover the pot and leave it at room temperature for 48 hours. During that time, the milk will sour and develop a thick skin on the surface.

2 • Without mixing, ladle out about ¾ cup of the curdled milk, breaking through the surface with your ladle. Pour the ladleful of milk into a small pot and heat it to 110°F. Add the rennet and then gently stir this mixture back into the rest of the milk. Take care not to over-stir. Cover and let stand for 4 to 5 hours.

3 • Line a fine-mesh sieve or colander with a double layer of cheesecloth and set it in the sink. Gently ladle or pour the milk mixture into the cheesecloth. Let it drain until the prescinseua has thickened a bit but is still soft, creamy, and spoonable, at least 1 hour. Spoon it into a container with a tight-fitting lid and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.