Ingredients

6 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, strained and chilled
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Heat the milk and cream over simmering water to 100 F. Remove from the heat, add lemon juice. Stir until milk and cream mixture starts to curdle or thicken. Let rest at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours. Pour into a cheesecloth-lined colander set over a bowl and drain under refrigeration for 12 hours.
Transfer the drained cheese to a bowl and work in the salt and lemon zest with wooden spoon just until evenly blended.
Press into a mold or a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, top with a small plate and a weight (a can of beans, for example) and refrigerate overnight.
The cheese is ready to unmold after 12 hours, or it may be stored for up to 4 days before serving. Makes 3 cups.
Nutrition information per 2-ounce serving: 65 cal., 7 g pro., 3 g carbo., 3 g fat, 14 chol., 190 mg sodium.

Directions

Variations: For Peppered Lemon Cheese, add 2 tablespoons coarse-grind black pepper when adding the lemon zest. For Dried Fruit and Hazelnut Cheese, replace the black pepper and lemon with 1/2 cup each of toasted hazelnuts and dried fruit. Recipe adapted from "Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen," by the Culinary Institute of America, Wiley, 2000)