7 Comments so far

1. LG on December 17, 2009 11:07 am

   yes, you can use Quark as it is, you don’t have to add the creme, or use another type of goat cheese. The lasagna will be fine. Good luck!

2. dee on December 17, 2009 12:03 pm

   A substitute is called curd cheese or quark in England – the same in Germany
   It’s very easy to make your own ricotta cheese from a few simple ingredients.
   INGREDIENTS:
   1/2 gallon milk
   3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
   Salt
   PREPARATION:
   Combine the milk and acid (lemon juice, Champagne vinegar, or white wine vinegar) in a heavy pot and turn the heat to very low.
   Gradually bring the temperature to 180 degrees F. (At 7,000 feet, bring it to 172 degrees F.) It takes about 30 minutes. What you will notice is a ring of very fine bubbles around the edge of the pan. There will be some movement below the surface of the milk, which will be covered by a fine skin.
   When it reaches the desired temperature, turn off the heat, cover the pan, and leave it in a warm spot — an oven that has been heated briefly or has the pilot light on is perfect — for 6 hours.
   Line a sieve or a basket with a double thickness of cheesecloth or a coarse, porous towl, rinsed first in cold water, and set it over a bowl. Ladle the curds into the sieve and season them with salt, roughly a half-teaspoonful. (The whey, which will drain into the bowl, can be used for baking.) Refrigerate overnight or until the cheese is well drained. For a thicker, firm cheese, tie the ends of the cheesecloth over a wooden spoon balanced over a bowl and let it hang until all the whey has drained out.
   Fold back the top layers of the cheesecloth or toweling and turn the cheese carefully out onto a plate. The imprint of the cloth will be left on the cheese. This cheese will stay sweet and fresh for 5 to 7 days.
   Author’s notes: “Traditionally, ricotta is made with whey, a by-product from cheese making, but since that’s not usually available, this recipe uses milk. The same cheese is also called curd cheese or quark. Either whole milk or low-fat (2%) milk can be used. Whole milk yields a richer, creamier cheese.” –Deborah Madison

3. Lydia on December 17, 2009 1:02 pm

   Better to use creamed cottage cheese, or dry curd cottage cheese mixed with something else. Quark is closer to cream cheese.

4. THE UK WILDCAT FAMILY 09 on December 17, 2009 1:38 pm

   can u get cottage cheese if u can that is the perfect substitiue..

5. ellen d on December 17, 2009 2:35 pm

   I have used Quark in Lasagna before, I had to add A LOT of salt and Parmesan to it to get it to taste something like ricotta, because I found the Quark to taste like yogurt. I would try using cottage cheese as well, maybe liquidize it first.

6. kat1605n on December 17, 2009 2:53 pm

   You should definitely try cottage cheese – the German word for that is Hüttenkäse. But larger supermarkets usually sell ricotta too, and if you live in a smaller town and you shop doesn’t normaly stock it, you can ask them to order it for you.

7. goodbye on December 17, 2009 3:13 pm

   If they have cottage cheese just put it in the blender or food processer till smooth. I have always used cottage cheese in my lasagna. You can’t tell the difference.