IngredientsDairy & fat
Quarkfresh curd cheese
Fresh cheese from soured milk, drained and unripened. Tangy, lean, grainy rather than creamy.
It sits in Käsekuchen, in Quarkbällchen, in the herbed quark served with boiled potatoes, and in oil and quark pastry.
Warum der Käsekuchen anders schmecktwhy the cheesecake differs
German cheesecake is baked with quark, the American one with cream cheese. Quark has less fat and more acid.
That is why the German filling is paler, lighter and fresher on the tongue instead of heavy and rich.
Ersatzwhat to use
Put requesón into a cloth of manta de cielo and let it drain over a bowl for 30 minutes, then blend it smooth. That lands very close to quark in taste and in acidity.
For sweet dishes drained yogur griego works too. Both stay coarser than real quark, and you feel that on the tongue.
Wasserthe water
Draining is not a decorative step. Requesón carries whey, and whatever you do not let out ends up in the batter.
A cheesecake with too much water rises, sinks as it cools and stays wet in the middle. Drain longer rather than bake longer.
Vorsichtwatch out
Queso crema is too fat and faintly sweet; crema is too runny. Both give you a cake, just not this one.
Requesón is often sold salted. For sweet baking ask for the plain kind. Requesón is in every mercado; yogur griego in Chedraui, Soriana and Walmart.