Homemade Hard Cheese

Pour the milk into a wide pot. Add the cottage cheese to the milk and start stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula to keep it from sticking. Bring the milk to a boil and continue cooking the cottage cheese in the milk for about 10–15 minutes. Keep the heat low so the cottage cheese doesn't stick or scorch to the bottom of the pot.

Next, take a fine sieve—the finer the better—and pour your mixture through it to strain. If your sieve is large, it's best to line it with a few layers of cheesecloth.

Wait for the whey to drain off. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pot and mix it with the egg and baking soda. Once the butter is well combined with the soda and egg, add the cooked cottage cheese from which the whey has drained.

Over very low heat, stir continuously and thoroughly to cook through the egg-butter mixture—about 5 minutes. If it starts to stick heavily to the pot, you can add a splash of whey (I did). When your cheese turns a pale golden color (the cottage cheese fully combines with the egg, soda, and butter), you can remove it from the heat.

Transfer the finished mixture into a mold—you can line it with cheesecloth first so the homemade cheese releases more easily, or put it back into the sieve. Pop it in the fridge.