Quark is a type of German fresh cheese with creamy and soft texture. It is not easily available if you live outside Germany or non-German countries. Since we are living in Bangkok, we have no choice but to make our own quark at home. Many German cheesecake’s recipes will use quark instead of usual fresh cream cheese. For that purpose, we can’t really find a suitable substitution for quark. It is neither cottage cheese or yogurt because quark has its own distinct taste.

Luckily one of our Thai friends knows how to make quark. I was quite surprised to know that making quark was so simple because you just need two ingredients for that. There are many recipes to make quark which you can find on the internet. Some use lemon or buttermilk but for this recipe, my friend used sour cream as an agent to ferment the milk.

Ingredients: 145g sour cream, 2 liter milk

Direction:

1. Mix the sour cream and milk in a pot or a bowl. We used pasteurized milk hence simmering is not necessary. 
2. Leave the mixture for 36 hours at room temperature (30-35 Celsius).
3. After 36 hours, the milk mixture has turned to curd. Pour the curd into a cheesecloth. Strain and let it drain in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. 
4. After 8 hours, squeeze out any excess liquid and here you go… quark.

Besides using quark for the cheesecake, it can also be used as a spread or dip with slices of bread, potatoes or vegetables. We are going to make Pellkartoffeln mit quark or boiled potatoes with quark for dinner tonight. 🙂

Note: As I am not familiar with the taste of quark, my German husband has confirmed that our homemade quark has a taste just like a quark in Germany. I am happy that my friend’s recipe is reliable and working. 😉