Queso blanco (Spanish pronunciation: ['keso '?la?ko]), with similar cheeses including queso fresco (pronounced ['keso 'f?esko]), is a creamy, soft, and mild unaged white cheese, commonly used in the Iberian Peninsula, several Latin American countries including Mexico, and many parts of the United States. The name queso blanco is Spanish for "white cheese", but similar cheeses are used and known throughout the world. In Brazil they are respectively known as queijo branco (Portuguese pronunciation: ['kej?u 'b???ku]) and queijo fresco in Portugal (['keij?u 'f?e?ku]).
It is similar to (if slightly more acidic than) pot cheese and farmer cheese. It has been compared to quark (or tvorog) from Central and Eastern Europe and to Indian paneer.
Video Queso blanco
Production
Queso blanco is considered one of the easier cheeses to make, as it requires no careful handling and does not call for rennet or a bacterial culture. It is usually made by heating whole fresh milk to near-boiling, adding an acidifying agent such as vinegar, stirring until curds form, then draining the curds in cheesecloth for three to five hours. Such cheeses are also known as "bag cheeses", as the curds are normally hung in a bag of cheesecloth to drain. Many Mexican home cooks make their own instead of purchasing it; when made for the evening meal, it is often prepared in early afternoon and left to drain until evening. As it is highly perishable, it must be refrigerated or used immediately once the whey has drained out.
If it is pressed, and more water is removed, it becomes known as queso seco. Sometimes it is made by pressing the whey from cottage cheese.
Queso blanco is traditionally made from cow's milk, whereas queso fresco may be made from a combination of cow's and goat's milk. Some versions of these cheeses, such as Oaxaca cheese, melt well when heated, but most only soften.
Maps Queso blanco
Common uses
Queso blanco and queso fresco may be eaten straight or mixed in with dishes. They make a creamy addition to recipes. They are often used as a topping for spicy Mexican dishes such as enchiladas and empanadas, or crumbled over soups or salads. Meltable versions are used to make quesadillas. It is used to make cheesecake in some parts of the world, such as the United States. In Peruvian cuisine, several recipes mix queso fresco and spices to make a spicy cold sauce eaten over peeled boiled potatoes, such as papa a la Huancaína or ocopa.
A melted cheese appetizer using white American cheese is sometimes called "queso blanco dip," but the name is merely descriptive. It does not include queso blanco cheese.
References
Source of article : Wikipedia
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