Kesong puti is one of the trademark food of Laguna, particularly the urban municipality of Santa Cruz.
It has been considered as one of the world’s best tasting cheeses.
Kesong puti is indeed proudly Filipino. *And* Proudly from Laguna. 
Moreover, it has given the municipality enough exposure and enough income to develop a festival named after Kesong Puti.
KESONG PUTI FESTIVAL is an annual and a weeklong celebration which dates from April 1 to April 9.
Different activities lined up in this celebration that include trade fair, food festival, cultural shows, street dancing, painting contest, beauty pageant and with highlight on the kesongputi, made from carabao milk, fermented and wrapped in banana leaves. (reference: tourism.gov.ph)
How to Make Kesong Puti.
Unbeknownst to many, you don’t exactly need to milk a carabao or a goat by yourselves. For there would always be ingredients that are readily available in nearby groceries.
This are the do it yourself process, recipe and some invaluable tips on how to perfect Kesong Puti cooking. (from mix.ph.com)
Ingredients:
o 2 liters fresh milk (carabao, cow or goat’s)
o 2 tbsp DTRI coagulant/rennet extract*
o 2-3 tbsp heaping table salt
*Rennet is an extract prepared from a mixture of abomasum, glacial acetic acid, and salt.
Materials Needed:
o kettle (casserole)
o perforated plastic tray
o cheesecloth (“katsa”)
o basin
o ladle
o knife
o cheese wrappers (wax paper or banana leaves)
o kitchen thermometer (optional)
o 8 pieces cheese moulds (ex: open-end milk can)
Yield:
o Carabao’s milk – about 6 blocks (approx. weight of 200 g each)
o Cow’s or goat’s milk – about 4 blocks (approx. weight of 200 g each)
Procedure
1. Dissolve the table salt into the milk.
2. Filter the salted milk into a clean kettle.
3. Heat the milk to about 72° C for 1-2 minutes (at this temperature, vapor or steam is seem rising from the surface).
4. Immediately place the kettle of milk i a basin of cold or tap water and stir the milk until lukewarm (about 40 to 42° C).
5. Add the coagulant and stir for one minute. Cover and leave the milk undisturbed for 20-25 minutes. After this period, the milk should be coagulated (custard-like or has a texture similar to “taho”).
6. Cut the coagulated milk or coagulum across with the distance of one inch between cuts. Leave the cut coagulum undisturbed for 5-10 minutes.
7. Arrange cheese mould in a perforated plastic tray lined with cheesecloth. The tray should rest on a basin.
8. For carabao’s milk, scoop the cut coagulum (2-3 cm thick) into the cheese moulds.
9. For cow’s or goat’s milk, [a] stir the coagulum slowly for 10-15 minutes (avoid shattering the coagulum into fine pieces). [b] Remove about a liter of the liquid (whey). [c] Pour or scoop the partly drained curd into the cheese moulds. The thickess of the coagulum inside the mould should be about 2.5-3.0 inches.
10. Cover the moulds and drain the cheese for 3-5 hours at room temperature or 6-8 hours at refrigerated temperature.
11. After the draining period, lift the moulds leaving the cheese behind then wrap each cheese cake with waxed paper or banana leaves.
Tips:
o Soft or white cheese will remain acceptable within 2 days at room temperature and 5-7 days when stored in a refrigerator.
o Shelf-life of soft cheese or white cheese is longer if the amount of salt is doubled.
o The flavor and texture of the cheese are enhanced or improved 24 hours after its manufacture.
o If cheese becomes moldy within the predicted shelf-life period, do not discard, wash the surface of the cheese with water and it will still be acceptable.
I believe kesong puti is best served with monay, another proud product of Laguna.
But monay, with all its intricacy and relevance, is another article altogether.
And I just hope that products like this would not be forgotten for they are reminiscent of Pinoy country living and it transcends ages, so to speak. For its taste appeals to the young and to the young once.
images from:
delisyosa.blogspot.com
www.marketmanila.com
