Bryndza, Cottage Cheese and Walnut Cheese Appetizer

Preparing the sour milk

1. The cheese appetizer is a mix of bryndza and strained sour milk, with herbs, garlic, nuts and hot pepper. Since it is not cooked, the dairy must be perfectly fresh. If you have no time to prepare sour milk, use thick sour cream of any fat content, as long as it is dense and barely runs. If you do have time, I recommend making a little sour milk: it makes the appetizer especially tender and tasty. It is not difficult.

2. Sour and strain the milk. A day or two ahead, pour 1 l of ordinary store-bought milk into a jar or pitcher, preferably the kind sold in soft pouches and guaranteed “natural”. Left outside the fridge, such milk sours very quickly into clabbered milk. Tip the whole thing into a cloth bag and hang it over a bowl for a few hours. Once the liquid drains off, you are left with a very soft, creamy cheese.

   

Preparing the toasts

1. Cut the baguette diagonally into slices 15-20 mm thick. For serving, I recommend toasting enough slices of white bread. An ordinary sliced loaf will do, but a French baguette is better. It is softer, and after frying it stays soft inside and still crunches.

   

2. Fry the slices in a grill pan heated over medium heat, without oil, turning them often, until lightly browned and marked with the ridges of the pan. Transfer to a plate and let cool completely. If you like, rub the toasts with a clove of garlic.

   

Preparing the cheese appetizer

1. Get the ingredients ready. Put 150 g of strained sour milk into a bowl or salad bowl. Grate the bryndza on a fine grater and add it to the bowl. Pick over the shelled walnuts to remove bits of shell and membrane. Grind the nuts in a mortar or with a blender on pulse: the pieces should be small, no bigger than a black peppercorn. Clean the hot pepper and chop finely together with the garlic and dill, then add to the bowl with the nuts.

   

2. Mix everything thoroughly with a fork until completely smooth. Add spices to taste: salt, black pepper and hot pepper. If the appetizer seems dry, feel free to add 1-2 tbsp of sour milk or 1 tsp of olive oil. Put the cheese mixture in the fridge until serving.

   

Serving

1. Arrange the toasts and the cheese mixture on a large plate, better separately than as open sandwiches. To save space, stand the toasts upright. The cheese appetizer shapes nicely into balls, like ice cream. Add a sprig of herbs for decoration.

   

   A chilled cheese appetizer with toasted bread goes well with an aperitif, or as a snack before lunch. It keeps in the fridge for a short time, so you can make it ahead and serve it to guests when needed.