Food I Remember...

...when growing up:

1.  Cooked/peeled potato with Quark
2.  Fried Herring
3.  Potato Salad with Herring
4.  Sweet and Sour Eggs with Mashed Potato
5.  Potatoes with creamed spinach and fried bacon bits.

YUMMY!

What made me think of this food again?  My mom is coming for a visit - 3 months visit - in October and I would love for her to cook some of that food.

Right now I am really craving the cooked/peeled potatoes with Quark.

Ha, I knew you are going to ask....What is Quark?

Quark is a cheese product and the word means “curds” and it is a cow’s milk cheese, almost identical to Fromage Blanc, but is whipped before packaging and has a slightly higher fat content. Quark can be eaten like yogurt, blended with fruit or jam. It is also a common ingredient used in filled pastries, savory and sweet sauces, spreads, souffles and cheesecakes. It is the best snack and tastes delicious. Unfortunately it has not found the way into the American supermarkets.

Here is a great recipe on how to make your own Quark:

German Quark Cooking Instructions
1. In a glass or ceramic bowl mix 50ml buttermilk (high fat) and 1 l milk; don’t use fat-free milk. The best is 2% and more, and preferably organic milk. Stir with a wooden spoon. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it stand at room temperature (20 C) for 24 hours. Do not move the bowl. The milk will become thick.

2. Next day pre-heat the oven to 50 C, turn it off and place the bowl uncovered on the middle of the oven; let it there for 45 minutes with closed door. The milk becomes similar to yogurt.
Now the whey splits from the quark. Don’t’ be surprised of the color, the whey is yellowish-green in color.

3. Line colander with cheesecloth or kitchen cloth and place it over  a big bowl. Pour clotted milk into cheesecloth; pull edges of cheesecloth over the top, tie it  Let it stand for 1.5 hours at a cool place or as long it needs to get the liquid out.

The quark will be in the kitchen cloth. Put the quark into a bowl – it is done.