Ingredients

• 12  cups whole milk
• 2  teaspoons salt
• 1/4  teaspoon cumin seed, crushed
• 1/3  cup lemon juice

Directions

1. In a 5-quart Dutch oven bring milk, salt, and cumin just to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. Let stand 15 minutes.

2. Line a large strainer or colander with several layers of 100-percent cotton cheesecloth. Strain mixture; discard liquid. Gently squeeze the cheesecloth to remove as much liquid from the curds as possible. Wrap cloth around curds. Place wrapped curds in a large strainer or colander and put a weighted bowl on top to help press out any additional liquid. Let stand, covered, in a refrigerator for at least 15 hours.

3. Remove curds. Discard liquid. Form curds into a flat rectangle or press into a large bowl to shape. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, until well chilled. Store in refrigerator, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 weeks. Makes about 1 pound (sixteen, 1-ounce servings).

To present this gift... Wash and dry the cheese server. Avoid touching the areas to be painted. Place masking tape around the bottom of the cheese server lid, approximately 1/2 inch from the bottom edge. Paint a white stripe at the bottom of the lid, using the masking tape as a guide. Let the paint dry. Paint stripes of yellow over the white to create a checkerboard effect. Let the paint dry. Use orange paint to paint a thin line just below the tape. Paint the rim of the server base as desired using the same technique. Let the paint dry. Bake the painted glassware in the oven if instructed by the paint manufacturer. Let cool. Tie a generous ribbon bow around the lid knob. Trim the ends, if necessary.

Also try this... Personalize the cheese server by painting a large initial on the side of the lid.

To present this gift you will need:
Cheese server with glass bottom or a glass plate
Masking tape
Small flat paintbrush
Glass paints in white, yellow, and light orange
Ribbon
Scissors