2ozdried chicken fat boletesassorted slippery jacks, or other dried mushooms
½gallonhalf and half *see note*
2cupsbuttermilk
2teaspoonskosher saltplus more to taste
Instructions
Toast the chicken fat boletes in a 350 oven for 15 minutes, or until toasted and aromatic, then combine with the half and half and allow to infuse for an hour or so, or overnight if you have time.
After the mushrooms are re-hydrated, agitate them in the milk to remove any dirt or needles stuck to the cap.
Strain out the infused mushroom milk, reserving the re-hydrated mushrooms themselves.
Puree the mushroom milk in a blender until very smooth.
Transfer the puree to a pasta pot or something of similar size. Add the buttermilk and salt to the mixture, then heat, stirring occasionally.
When the mixture is beginning to steam, lower the heat--you don't want it to boil.
As the mixture heats you will begin to notice curds forming on top of the pot, this is your cheese. Wait about ten minutes, once it is firm enough to skim off the top of the pot, remove the cheese curds with a spoon, ladle, or whatever you like and transfer to a colander lined with cheesecloth, allowing it to drain overnight.
After the cheese has drained overnight it will firm up enough to handle. Transfer the cheese to a tightly sealed container and use within 5 days, it can also be frozen.
Notes
To improve the texture, you can blend the cheese in a food processor while it's still warm before refrigerating. Using cream will increase the yield of the recipe slightly, as well as giving you a much smoother, softer cheese, similar to mascarpone or cream cheese. You can use just milk too, but it will not yield as much cheese, since there is not as much fat. Whole milk is a fine substitute for the half and half, goat milk would make a nice cheese as well.