Mexican-style fresh cheese (requesón), whole milk version

Pour the milk into a big pot and add a little buttermilk; when there is time, let it sit several hours to culture.

Dissolve a teaspoon of citric acid in a touch of water and stir it into the milk.

Heat over medium, stirring every couple of minutes, until the thermometer reads 195; the curds separate from the whey.

Turn off the heat and let stand about 5 minutes.

Line a colander set in a bowl with dampened cheesecloth and ladle in the curds.

Gather and twist the cheesecloth and press out most of the whey with a spoon.

Unwrap onto a dish, work in about a teaspoon of salt with a soup spoon and form into a cake.

Refrigerate at least a couple of hours, covered with plastic wrap; keeps five or six days.