Arla Buko soft cream cheese was invented in Denmark more than 50 years ago. This is a curd young cream cheese with a special aroma and sour taste. Sometimes he is confused with another famous representative of dairy cheeses – Philadelphia. They are really similar in appearance and taste, but Buko is cheaper and has a longer shelf life.
The name of the product is due to two words of the Danish language, which designates a cow – “buh” and “ko”. Buko is made from the milk of Danish cows, this gives rise to its unique creamy aftertaste. Arla owns a prescription for boiling the product and actively sells it worldwide. The curd base does not require ripening, so Buko belongs to the so-called young cheeses. Buko’s recipe is simple. To get 1 kilogram of the finished product, you need 5 liters of milk, which is first pasteurized and then fermented by the addition of sour-milk bacteria. After that, the fermented milk is heated so that it is possible to directly isolate the cheese itself from the whey, salt and turn into a cream. Still hot Buko packaged in packaging, then cooled. All kinds of additives are introduced into some varieties of the product, which make these types of cheese unique.
The Danish dairy product is very healthy because it has a lot of vitamins and minerals. The standard components for milk – phosphorus and calcium, do not disappear anywhere from cheese, so its use has a positive effect on bones and joints.
Buko cottage cheese is usually eaten with sandwiches, but sometimes it is found in seafood dishes, pastries and desserts. By the way, cheese itself belongs to low-calorie varieties, so you should pay attention to this if a person follows a diet. However, for those who suffer from chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system and the gastrointestinal tract, the use of this product may be undesirable.
Available product varieties
At the moment, there are many varieties of this soft curd product. All of them are in demand, because with their help it is always easy to cook something incredibly tasty and unusual.
In addition to cheese with a standard fat content, Arla also patented the production of a lighter version with a fat content of only about 9 grams per 100 grams of product. This is a dietary type that will definitely appeal to those who monitor the calorie content of the foods they eat. The second and third types of Buco are herbal cheeses with regular and reduced calories. They contain dill, onions, spices and sweet paprika. Blueberry Buko is very unusual, the recipe for which includes fresh blueberry dressing. It is great for both desserts and breakfast. An Italian touch in the Buko line is the Tapas cheese with basil, paprika and olives, Arugula Pesto with arugula, basil, garlic and lemon juice, and Tuscany with eggplant, zucchini, tomato, thyme, onion and paprika additions. All these types of cheeses are quite aromatic.
More standard types of product include honey mustard recipe, cheeses with horseradish, pineapple and onion. In these products, 1-2 ingredients are additionally introduced, which help to set the flavor accents of those dishes where cheese is directly added.
Complex compositions of cheese with additives include such varieties as:
- “Garden herbs” with spices, onions, parsley and dill;
- “India” with turmeric, papaya, curry, chili pepper;
- “Rose and black pepper” with a fragrant pepper base;
- “Goat cheese” with the addition of 5% goat cheese to the milk.
All varieties of creamy Buko are incredibly popular in many countries, so manufacturers do not stop and constantly expand their range. When choosing curd cheese, you need to carefully study the composition of the product. The original product uses only milk and milk culture, cream and salt. There are absolutely no stabilizers and preservatives in it, although it is stored longer than its famous analogue – Philadelphia cheese.
Home cooking
All lovers of cream cheese can make it at home on their own. The caloric content of Buco in this case can be adjusted to your own needs, choosing milk of the appropriate fat content. In addition, you can add vegetables, herbs and spices to your home product to get the original flavor. Such cheese is very useful for snacking, and for use in recipes of other dishes it is better to make classic cream cheese. Just keep in mind that it is a creamy taste that can be obtained using milk with a fat content of at least 10%.
The recipe for homemade Buco requires strict compliance with all instructions:
- Milk needs to be heated to 30 degrees.
- Packing calcium chloride in 50 ml of boiled water and add to milk strictly in proportion – 1 teaspoon per 10 liters.
- Pour the live bacteria (leaven) into the milk, wait about 2 minutes and mix well.
- Cover the container with milk to ripen cheese and do not disturb it for about a day. Readiness to determine by a thin layer of whey over the entire surface of milk.
- To try the product for density – if the whey does not separate well, it means that Buco has not ripened, but it is also not recommended to keep aging, because the cheese may turn out to be sour.
- After ripening, the cheese is transferred to a colander, which is covered with cheesecloth, and left on the 2 hour for all the serum to drain. After that, the gauze is carefully suspended by the edges, and the cheese flows in air for about another 20 hours. At this time, it is best to add the finished product to your liking.
- To get a drier product, you need a longer drying time. After drying, the cheese must be mixed and smooth its consistency. In the same period, you can enter any additives – herbs, spices, pieces of vegetables and salted again.
The finished product is stored in the refrigerator under a lid for two weeks. As a rule, during storage, the cheese can be dried a little more and produce whey. To give a creamy consistency it can be thoroughly stirred each time before use.
Culinary masterpieces with Buco
Since Buko is the twin of Philadelphia cheese, it is not surprising that it is heavily used in Japanese cuisine. Sushi and rolls with such cheese are no different from the original ones, but they are stored and remain fresh a little longer.
Buco is used in Mediterranean cooking. Any seafood dishes are perfectly mixed with sauces and gravies based on this cheese. Meat baked under Buco cheese and herbs is also tasty.
Delicate cheesecakes are obtained from soft and elastic cheese. Buko is one of the best foundations for this dessert. The classic cheesecake recipe requires 600 grams of cheese, 400 grams of shortcake or dough, 200 grams of butter, 200 grams of cream, 150 grams of sugar, 3 eggs, vanilla, chocolate.
Cooking is very simple. First, the butter is melted, then a crumb of cookies or shortcrust pastry is added to it. To crush a cookie, you can chop it in a blender or crush it with a rolling pin. Mix the butter and dough into the mold. Refrigerate the mold. Buko is whipped with sugar, vanilla, cream and eggs, then this mixture is laid out on a mixture of butter and cookies. Melt a bar of chocolate in a water bath. Pour the cake and the filling into the mold with liquid chocolate. Wrap the mold so tightly that water cannot leak through it. Place the wrapped form in a larger form half filled with water. Both forms should be sent to the oven, heated to 180 degrees, for an hour.
When the cheesecake is ready, it should be cooled at room temperature, and then sent to the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Only after this dessert can be cut.
Soft curd cheese can serve as a festive table decoration or become a snack on weekdays. Being able to cook dishes with Buco is not difficult at all, but in its pure form this product is quite tasty and nutritious, so it is worth keeping it on hand to all lovers of fast but healthy food.