We can say that all people in one form or another consume milk or its derivatives. A sad exception is only those who do not have the necessary enzymes in the body to break down this product. Some do not like milk itself, do not drink kefir - but willingly eat cheese and enjoy ice cream. It would seem that you can learn new things about a product familiar from childhood? Everything that can be obtained from it has been tried for a long time, favorite derivatives have been found, those options that did not lie “on the heart” (but rather, on the stomach) were rejected. However, there are still little-known dairy products, which, however, are worth paying attention to, since they can please us with unexpected taste characteristics.
You haven’t eaten it yet.
Among them, we can mention the mysterious culinary phenomenon called kaymak. What it is is difficult to describe. And above all, because it does not have a strictly established consistency. This product may resemble sour cream, or be very much like cottage cheese, or be the density of butter. It all depends on where and how the kaimak is made. The "authors" of this dish consider themselves Crimeans, Tatars, Volga, Tajiks, Bashkirs and residents of the Caucasus - all these peoples have something similar to Kaimak. That this dish may be called differently is already the details. However, the Balkans are considered the recognized "homeland" of this product, where it is very popular, where all the secrets of its production are still carefully preserved.
Terminology issue
Bashkir and Tatar culinary specialists call kaimak a sour cream familiar to everyone. The only difference: it is removed manually from sour milk. The base may be steam, or may be pre-boiled. In the Don, this product refers to milk froths, baked and stewed in the oven; they are laid out in layers and have a rosy and magnificent appearance. Some manufacturers fold the kaimak in such a way that this dish begins to resemble a roll.
How do they do it
If you adhere to the generally accepted point of view, the Balkan version should be considered the most “correct”. Then the real will be a completely different kaymak. The recipe for its preparation necessarily includes boiling milk, from which very thick thick cream is removed and laid out in a container. It, in turn, must certainly be clay. A filled dish is kept warm for several days. In the end, an airy, light and tender mass of cream shade is obtained.
Plus to taste: what is kaimak useful for
Note that this product is not only pleasant to use. Many nutritionists note the undoubted benefit that kaymak brings. That this milk derivative is very useful, even its ancient "inventors" knew. We can say that this is a highly vitaminized product, which also contains a lot of essential trace elements: molybdenum, iodine, phosphorus, potassium, cobalt and calcium. And although kaymak is quite nutritious (it can be attributed to high-calorie foods), it is very easy to use, since it is absorbed completely and does not “lay a brick” on the stomach. And its beneficial effect on digestion and metabolism pushes into the background dubious harm from nutrition. For those who suffered from, for example, the forced use of antibiotics, he quickly restores the killed microflora. So for pregnant and lactating women and for newborns, it is simply irreplaceable.
Unusual dish in the form of familiar cheese
Most often, this Balkan product has a sour cream-like or oily consistency. There is also a variant similar to cottage cheese. However, you can find cheese "a la kaymak." It is similar to cream and is produced mainly in Serbia. There they began its production mainly for the manufacture of cheesecakes and applications for confectionery purposes. However, Japanese restaurants quickly took it into service and introduced it to the land, rolls and other delicacies of the Land of the Rising Sun. Kaymak cheese is similar in appearance to ordinary processed cheese, but it is much more interesting to taste.
Kaymak: cooking yourself
If you wish, you can try making kaymak in your kitchen. The recipe is simple and affordable. In total, three quarters of fatty (33%, no less) cream and a little sour cream will be needed.
Half a liter of cream is poured into a ceramic bowl and put in a preheated oven. In the process of languishing, a golden crust will form on them - the very desired foams. They need to be removed as they accumulate and lay out in layers in a bowl. An hour and a half or two crusts will cease to form. The remaining quarter liter of cream is boiled and mixed (cooled) with sour cream. The resulting mass must be slowly poured into foams and left overnight, covered with a lid. If the heating season has already come - place a bowl on the battery. If the summer and nights are hot, you don’t have to take extra effort. But if the off-season - it is better to turn on the heater in the kitchen so that it is warm. In the morning, the contents of the vessel will become thick, but for greater density it is better to place it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
If you provoke an internal protest of foam (heavy childhood memories, for example; although these are completely different foams), there is an alternative way. 400 ml of fatter cream combine with 15 g of vanilla and 200 g of regular sugar. The saucepan is put on a slow fire, then the contents are boiled to the likeness of thick sour cream. Having achieved the desired state, remove the container from the fire and cool it by placing it in a basin of cold water. Beat the cooled mixture by adding dropwise lemon juice. When the kaymak (the photo shows the consistency that needs to be achieved well) turns white and thickens, pour a glass of whipped cream with a thin stream, mix everything and put in the refrigerator.
It remains to bake pancakes, pies or pancakes. In extreme cases, buy fresh buns at a nearby store. And arrange a tea party, spreading the pastries with the obtained kaymak.