Buttermilk Curds

This is a fresh, uncultured curd cheese set by pouring hot milk onto acidic buttermilk — no rennet, no press. The hinge is stillness: once the hot milk goes in, do not stir or the curd breaks into grains and will not knit.

• Buttermilk has changedWhen this was written, buttermilk was the sour, thin liquid left after churning butter, and its acidity is what sets this dish. Modern cultured buttermilk works, but choose a full-fat one; low-fat versions give a thin, chalky curd.
• "New milk"New milk means milk fresh from the cow that day — unhomogenised whole milk. Ordinary whole milk is the substitute. Skimmed or UHT milk will not give the richness the recipe assumes.
• "Till it relishes"An old phrase meaning until the milk tastes distinctly of the flavouring. Five to ten minutes at a bare simmer is enough; watch it, as milk with nutmeg in it scorches on the bottom of the pan quickly.
• Half a nutmegThat is half of a whole nutmeg, roughly a teaspoon grated — a very forward amount by modern taste. Half that quantity in the milk, with the rest reserved for the top, is more balanced.
• Broad basinA wide, shallow non-reactive bowl (glass, glazed earthenware or stainless). Width matters: the curd needs surface area to separate cleanly from the whey.
• The standing timeTwo or three hours at cool room temperature is what the original intends. In a warm kitchen, give it an hour to set and then move it to the refrigerator to finish separating, since this is milk sitting undisturbed at ambient temperature.
• DrainingA double layer of muslin or a clean cotton tea towel in a sieve does the job; hanging is not essential. Drain in the refrigerator for two to four hours for a soft, spoonable curd, longer for something firm enough to slice.
• Yield and servingFour and a half pints of milk gives roughly 2 cups of drained curd — four small servings. Serve cold, with pouring cream, caster sugar and nutmeg added at the table so the curd does not weep.