Nope, we're not talking subatomic particles here. We're talking cheese! Fresh cheese! The original cream cheese, in fact. Ever had quark?
Quark is actually a bit thinner and creamier than cream cheese, landing somewhere between cream cheese and sour cream in consistency. Quark is still perfectly spreadable on bagels and crackers, but also gets some major points for versatility. It can be substituted for cream cheese, sour cream, or yogurt in any recipe, and its milk, tangy flavor makes a great addition to dishes like quiche, dips, sauces, and casseroles.
And yes, quark is naturally low in fat, making it very handy when we want to save a few calories without sacrificing flavor. Some quark producers will mix in cream to give the cheese extra richness, so check the labels if a lower-fat product is what you're after.
This is a fresh cheese traditionally made by adding acid to milk, though many commercial dairies now use rennet. The curds are stirred as they form, which gives quark its creamy texture. Afterwards, the quark is partially drained of whey to make it thicker. If it is fully drained of whey, quark takes on a more compact and crumbly texture closer to queso fresco or feta.
You're not likely to find quark at the grocery store, but check with artisan cheese producers at your farmers market. This quark will be uber-fresh and will keep in your fridge for about a week.
How do you cook with quark?
Related: Make Cheese at Home: Fresh Buttermilk Cheese
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This is an amazing recipe for German style cheesecake made with quark:
http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipes.recipeListing/filter/dianas/recipeID/2244/Recipe.cfm
The result is much lighter than a cream cheese based cheese cake. It calls for lots of whipping and beating, so it's good if you have an electic mixer of some sort to help you out.
My Czech mother uses quark in baking recipes...like cheese sweet rolls. Absolutely delicious!
I'm currently living in Germany and I see Quark at the market everyday, thanks for filling me in on it's versatility.
I visit Germany frequently, and during my last visit, finally bought the enigmatically labeled "quark". I found the plain stuff fairly insipid, but chive-flavored was very good in a quark-cucumber sandwich. Thanks for this interesting information.
My German mother always complained that she could never find quark in the US, and the first time she made cheesecake when we were visiting family I understood why. It's AMAZING. I was super thrilled to find it at my local organic grocery recently. Now I just have to dig the cheesecake recipe out of her old cookbooks. :-)
I don't care for it much although its popular where I live in Switzerland. There are many sweet varieties eaten like yogurts. I used to use it (unflavored) as a sour cream replacement, until I found actual sour cream. Quarkkuchen is the german answer to cheesecake, and I cannot say I am a fan. I have yet to find a way to use this, as I prefer Philadelphia spread or yogurt or sour cream to quark.
There's a famous columnist in Germany who - years ago - wrote a column called "I haven't been on a farm outside the US" in which he tries to find quark in a supermarket in L.A., failing miserably. I guess that's not a valid complaint anymore...:-)
I don't like the low fat varieties, by the way, 40% is the best - either sweet with vanilla and/or fruit or savoury with herbs.
It also use it instead of ricotta for ricotta pancakes.