Curd cheese is a very odd name: what cheese isn’t made from curds? If anything, it would give you the impression that the cheese is “lumpy”, as though can you see the curds in it, as you can in Cottage Texture, but in fact the texture is smooth.
Like cottage cheese, curd cheese is a fresh cheese made from skim milk, has a starter added to curdle the milk, has a slight sour tang to the taste, and is not aged at all.
It has a very light colour, and is soft and spreadable.
It is sold in tubs. The classic dish made from curd cheese is “Yorkshire Curd Tart”
This is very different from “cheese curd” as known in rural North America.
Even in the UK, curd cheese is getting hard to find at supermarkets (as of 2004.) Occasionally you will spot it at their dairy counters; more often, you will be able to get it at cheese shops.
Cooking Tips
To make: stretch cheesecloth over a bowl, held in place with an elastic round the bowl. Tip fresh live yoghurt into the cheese cloth and let drain for 6 hours.
Substitutes
Quark, ricotta, dry-curd Cottage Cheese, Fromage Frais. Or, more precisely, 1 part half-fat cream cheese and 1 part quark. Or, just cottage cheese pressed through a sieve (particularly for cheese cake).
Nutrition
Curd Cheese has a lower fat content than Cottage Cheese.
Equivalents
1/3 cup = 3 1/2 oz / 100g
Storage Hints
Store for a few days refrigerated.