Kefir grains

[Lady Cosmos]

Anybody is using Kefir grains and has some recipes for me, please?

[Lady Cosmos]

[Emagggie]

Someone on freecycle was offering kefir grains, so I asked her for info. This is what she sent. Sounds good, hey?

Kefir grains are fermented in milk for 24 hours and makes a probiotic drink.
  It has more health benefits than plain yoghurt.  There are quite a few web
sites about Kefir, one is:
http://www.spiritualpath.co.uk/html/milk_kefir.html.  Have a read up about
it first to see if it would suit you.  Like plain yoghurt, it is an acquired
taste but quite palatable and once you have the grains, provided you care
for them, they will last years.  They multiply and then you will have to
find homes for them!

I have made curd cheese and cream cheese from the kefir milk and it knocks
bought stuff into a cocked hat.

[Lady Cosmos]

I know what it is , I use it for over 20 years. But I only drink it as milk or use it as thin or thick yoghurt.

Children have drunk the Kefir all their lives. It is very healthy. Much better than the stuff you  can buy in shops.

And so much nicer.

But I wanted some recipes to do something with it, as possible.....

I make about 4 litres a day, cost Euro 1.60 milk, and taste, unpayeble ;D ;D

But no idea what else you can do with it.

Please, some recipes..... thanks

[Emagggie]

Maybe if you Google you will find some, though there don't seem to be too many (other than flavouring it with this and that).
I found a couple on www.kombuchapilz.de/english/milkkefirrecipes.htm.

[Lady Cosmos]

Thanks Emaggie for the recipies, Can I have yours with the  curd cheese and cream cheese, please?????

[Emagggie]

Cheese

Half pint (250 ml) Fresh whole milk
248 ml carton Double cream
30 ml Freshly made kefir
Pinch of salt
Put everything into a container and whisk well. Put a lid on the container without making it airtight and allow to stand and ferment for between 18 and 36 hours depending on how tart you want the cheese to be. 24 hours is usual. Put a piece of cotton cloth such as a large handkerchief or cotton sheet or fine muslin inside a colander. Pour in the mixture and strain off the whey for several hours until the curd is firm and the whey is no longer dripping. The whey should be clear and slightly yellow. If it is milky, the mixture hasn't fermented long enough or the cloth isn’t fine enough. Transfer the cheese to a container and mix well until creamy. Make airtight and store in the fridge.

Creme Fraiche

284 ml carton Double or Whipping cream
15 ml Freshly made kefir
Put both into a bowl or blender and mix well. Return the mixture to the carton and put on the lid. Allow to stand and ferment for about 24 hours. Mix well and transfer to the fridge. Use in recipes calling for sour cream or creme fraiche.

Fromage Frais

You will need a pint or 500 ml of freshly made buttermilk (See below) Makes about 100g of virtually fat free smooth curd cheese. Put a piece of cotton cloth in a colander. Pour in the buttermilk and strain for several hours until the curd is stiff and the whey is no longer dripping. The whey should be clear and slightly yellow. If it is milky, the buttermilk hasn't fermented long enough. Transfer the fromage frais to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator.

Fromage frais is traditionally made from skim milk. This produces a curd cheese that is rather bland. For a fuller creamier texture, follow the directions for making buttermilk but use whole milk instead of skim and omit the skim milk powder.

Buttermilk

1 pint or 500 ml carton Skim milk
15g Skim milk powder (optional)
30 ml Freshly made kefir
Put everything in a bowl or blender and mix well. The skim milk powder is optional and will make the buttermilk sweeter and give it more body. If the buttermilk is for cheese, add a pinch of salt. Mix well. Return the mixture to the carton allowing a little space at the top. (Drink anything that won't go in!) Loosely replace the cap. The carton mustn't be airtight. Leave to ferment for between 18 and 36 hours depending on how tart you want the buttermilk. Tighten the cap. Give the carton a shake and store in the refrigerator.

Cooking with Kefir

You can use kefir foods for cooking and they make a wonderful addition to sauces and soups but remember that the important difference between kefir and ordinary dairy products is the wide range of favourable bacteria that are present. At temperatures approaching 100 degrees C these bacteria will be destroyed.

These are on original website in my first post, hope they are of use. ;D ;D

[supersprout]

This is fascinating emagggie and lady c, will experiment as soon as I find the kefir sprout! A whole new area of healthful tinkering about in the kitchen ;) ;D

[Emagggie]

You could be in luck again, SS. When I telephoned the lady to arrange collection of said sprout, she mentioned that she had spares!!!
If she has enough shall I send some your way?
Going Wed lunchtime.
M :D

[supersprout]

:D Yes please emagggie!
Thank you AGAIN ;D ;D ;D

[Lady Cosmos]

Thanks for the recipe.


I have more milk Kefir than we can drink and eat,
I use it already for a long time and I make at least 4 liter every day.
You are welcome to get some   FREE  of course...

[Emagggie]

Thankyou Lady C, I have aready told the lady on freecycle that I would have some of hers, but thanks for the offer, it is much appreciated.
Some advice about the dos and don'ts would be welcome though  ;D ;D ;D

[Meg]

Where do you get the grains from????

[supersprout]

If you google kefir, you can get it by post :)

Now, question for kefir drinkers - could I use it to make ice cream (like yoghurt ice cream) do you think? ::)

[OliveOil]

http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/Yorkshire-curd-tart.htm

I found this link for you Lady Chariot! Thought you might be interested!

Does anyone have any spare Kefir they cuold send me? I really want to try this stuff!

[OliveOil]

*A simple recipe for "Kefir-ice-blocks"

Ingredients

1 cup of a sweet kefir [not fermented for too long so it becomes extra sour]
1/2 cup of your favourite fruit juice, or 1 small banana [coconut milk is quite nice]
1 Tbs of honey [an option is to use a sweet fruit juice or chopped dry fruits instead]
1-2 Tbs of fresh kefir grains
1/2 tsp of natural vanilla essence [optional]

Method

Blend all ingredients well in electric blender, pour into ice-cube tray or ice-block form, then freeze to set. NOTE For optimal benefits regarding microbial viability, use before one month

[supersprout]

http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/Yorkshire-curd-tart.htm
I found this link for you Lady Chariot! Thought you might be interested!

Wow, Yorkshire kefir curd tart :o :P looks yummy!
Oo, I have just started with a few kefir grains - like a ginger beer plant, I will have spares in a month or so if you can wait that long (unless I chop them into a Tart ;))

[OliveOil]

Hi SS = I can wait :)

[OliveOil]

Yay - thanks to Maggie I have Kefir grains on the go!  Am hoping to get making cheese, yoghurt and that curd tart recipe i posted! Not sure i could stomach the milk though I'll try anything once!

[supersprout]

Bubbling sour lumpy goat's milk kefir oo, yum!  :o 
you live and learn! ::)
I'm hooked thanks to emagggie ;D

[Emagggie]

Just had a sneaky sip of the 1/2 coconut milk 1/2 milk mix. That's quite different. Salty and slightly fizzy !! mind- it could be because I washed the grains I had used with soya milk and used them. I'll make another batch and see how it affects me and if I'm sneezing I'll make a child drink it and report back. Might be nice with some honey?