...I bet you thought I was going to say "Got Milk?"

March 1, 2009 11:42 AM

Need lots of recipes that use a lot of milk, and not a lot much else....

So, I find myself with a lot of excess milk (weekend brunch party + the friend who offered to bring milk thinking I said I needed two GALLONS, and not two HALF-gallons, + lots of my guests suddenly falling sick at the last minute). Fortunately my roommate is also having people over today, and may kill a quart or so that way, but...still, that leaves a good gallon plus, and I'd like to knock things down to a much more manageable amount.

Ice cream I know I could make, or chowders or bisques...any other ideas? I'd prefer not to make something that would require I run out and get a lot of other pricey ingredients; I have a fairly decently-stocked pantry (some of this will go into a fish chowder with some fish I just got, in fact), but assume that we're just working with basics here (no lobster bisque, for instance; I'd have to get the lobster). Cheese is also out as I think it's ultra-homogenized milk, and that won't work for cheesemaking.

thanks.

posted by EmpressCallipygos to education (34 comments total)

Rice pudding, vanilla pudding, tapioca, flan, custard...
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:43 AM on March 1

You could take this another direction and make brownies and chocolate chip cookies. :)
posted by phunniemee at 11:44 AM on March 1 [2 favorites has favorites]

there are a thousand ways to make cheese. your milk will be fine. your cheese will be unique.
posted by peter_meta_kbd at 11:45 AM on March 1

Cottage cheese. Try this recipe, it's really easy and you can then use the cottage cheese in other stuff as well.
posted by anniek at 11:49 AM on March 1

If you have gelatine on hand: panna cotta. If you have eggs and pastry: custard tart.
posted by holgate at 11:50 AM on March 1

Yeah, cheese for sure.

Also.. anything involving a bechamel or Mornay sauce. So... Lasagna Bolognese (which is made with a bechamel, not tomato sauce), mac'n'cheese.

Make your own condensed milk for future use, maybe?
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 11:50 AM on March 1

Mac and cheese?
posted by scody at 11:51 AM on March 1

Paneer.

Bring the milk just to a boil. Remove from heat and add a few tablespoons of either lemon juice or white vinegar. The milk will separate into curds and whey. If the whey isn't pretty clear (i.e., if it looks like there's still a lot of milk solids in it), add a bit more acid.

Strain to separate curds and whey. Keep the whey if you want. Google for uses.

Dump the curds into some cheesecloth. (If you don't have any, a very fine colander/strainer will do, lined with coffee filters.) Put a weight on the cheese cloth and let the cheese sit for several hours, or until it reaches desired firmness.
posted by mudpuppie at 11:54 AM on March 1 [5 favorites has favorites]

Bechemel, to make a lasagna or to put on vegetables or to make a potato gratin type thing or any number of other uses. super easy. and for some reason 2 cups of milk makes less than 2 cups of bechemel, so it gets used up faster.
posted by ohio at 11:55 AM on March 1

I could have sworn you said two gallons! :-)
Corn chowder recipe follows:

throw in pot:
6 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 quart milk
1 lb frozen hash browns (the shreddy kind not the cakes)
2 cans creamed corn

Simmer, stirring frequently (so milk doesn't scorch) until potatoes are cooked.
Put a little sherry in near the end.

Makes Big Pot O' Soup
Best if eating with friends, as leftovers don't last too many days
posted by SaharaRose at 11:56 AM on March 1 [2 favorites has favorites]

Cheese?

Potato soup. Mmm.
posted by Night_owl at 11:57 AM on March 1

On review, I need to learn to read.
posted by Night_owl at 11:57 AM on March 1

Oyster stew.

Just a small pint of oysters, (boil separately then combine with a stick of butter, and the milk.) Also oyster crackers, which make it most excellent. Salt and pepper to taste. Yummmm.....
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 11:59 AM on March 1

Clafoutis is wonderful and can be adapted to whatever fruit is available. I'm linking recipes I've never tried before, but most recipes for clafoutis are similar.

Enjoy.
posted by sciencegeek at 12:00 PM on March 1

I could have sworn you said two gallons! :-)

No worries - I think I actually said "two of the biggest size they have" because I couldn't remember what it was called. I was THINKING half-gallon, but didn't say that, so I was a nimrod.

Anyway, I'm in luck -- it's not ultra-pasteurized, so I can use it for cheese after all -- and hey presto, I actually have a cheesemaking kit, so I can make a batch of fresh mozzarella and use up a gallon that way. That and a fish chowder and that should take care of it nicely.

Thanks!
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:03 PM on March 1

If you already have some yogurt, you could try to make some of your own.
posted by ekf at 12:05 PM on March 1

unless eggs and bread are considered expensive, french toast! make a loaf's worth and refrigerate the leftovers. Quick and tasty breakfast for days!
posted by Redhush at 12:25 PM on March 1

Dulce de leche!

It takes a ton of milk and turns it into something small and delicious. Plus it keeps pretty darn well in the fridge.
posted by magikker at 12:32 PM on March 1 [5 favorites has favorites]

Tapioca pudding, or any other pudding for that matter, is almost all milk. I bet you've got sugar and vanilla and an egg or two laying around. If you don't have tapioca, I highly recommend getting some. Nothing cozies up a cold winter evening like fresh, warm, homemade pudding.
posted by vytae at 12:41 PM on March 1

Also, although it's not what you asked - milk freezes really well.
posted by different at 12:56 PM on March 1 [1 favorite has favorites]

Homemade yogurt is fantastic and not too difficult.
posted by number9dream at 1:07 PM on March 1

FWIW, ultra-homogenized won't necessarily mean cheese is out of the question. Otherwise, the paneer & yogurt suggestions above (both are kinds of cheese) would fail. I've made cheese with such.

Yogurt, BTW, can be made into lovely smoothies. I do this all the time, a gallon at a time, for quick-carry breakfast I can "eat" in the car on the commute. Be sure to make the yogurt before adding the fruit & sugar, however, or you'll encourage the wrong sorts of bacteria, and end up with (bad-tasting) kumiss, instead of what you want.

(Kumiss can be nice enough, but this isn't the way to make it tasty...)
posted by IAmBroom at 1:10 PM on March 1

There is a Chinese recipe called 'almond jello', or something like 'xing lian dofu'. It's very common at Dim Sum restaurants. My mom's recipe apparently uses way more milk than anybody else's I can find quickly online (she believed that milk was very healthy for children), so I will present it to you instead:

You will need:

Half a gallon of milk
4 packets of knox gelatin
A cup of sugar
2 cans fruit cocktail
2 tablespoons almond extract
Some water (varies, not a lot)

Heat the water in a pot with the gelatin until the gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat, add water, almond extract, sugar, and milk. Stir. Put in a cool place (like the fridge) to set.

The next day, you cut it into cubes and add fruit cocktail (with syrup).

It's actually pretty easy, and pretty delicious.
posted by Comrade_robot at 1:31 PM on March 1 [4 favorites has favorites]

Kheer is tasty and requires not much more than cardamom pods, cardamom, rice, milk and sugar. Almonds are nice in this, but you can make kheer with any creamy nut, like pistachios (or without). The rose essence is nice, and will give a more authentic flavour, but you could just add a bit more saffron in with another extract of your choice and be OK.
posted by Grrlscout at 2:26 PM on March 1 [2 favorites has favorites]

My family makes egg cheese (sometimes called "sirok") around this time every year, and it's pretty simple/cheap:
1 dozen eggs
1.5 quarts of milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp vanilla
a pinch of salt

Beat all the ingredients together and cook in a pot/saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. When it gets to about the consistency of cottage cheese and the liquid separates, pour it into 2 pieces of cheesecloth. Tie it up and hang it over a sink, tightening the cheesecloth until most of the moisture has dripped off, then refrigerate overnight. Slice it up, sprinkle it with a little salt, and eat.
posted by specialagentwebb at 2:45 PM on March 1

Time to try and perfect you white sauce from scratch, you won't want to eat your first few tries.
posted by 517 at 3:22 PM on March 1

Rasgula. I was actually about to head to the store to buy some when I read this post. Yum!
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 3:39 PM on March 1

Pudding, chocolate milk, various soups.
posted by Black_Umbrella at 6:12 PM on March 1

Make chai. Milk, tea, sugar and spices, like cardomom and/or ginger or let your imagination run wild. You don't say what percent fat your milk is. IMO, chai tastes best with some fat, like anything from 1% to whole milk, just not skim milk.
posted by marsha56 at 6:15 PM on March 1

You could deadlift, and then just drink the gallon of milk.
posted by tiburon at 7:44 PM on March 1

How did we get this far without someone saying egg nog?
posted by whatzit at 6:01 AM on March 2

White Russians
posted by mandapanda at 9:03 AM on March 2

Make your own ricotta?
posted by the luke parker fiasco at 10:01 AM on March 2

I just made mozzarella and ricotta from one gallon. My roommate hosted a coffee hour for his research partners last night and they got through another quart or so, and I used a couple cups in some fish chowder. This has gotten things down to a much more manageable half gallon.

Thanks!
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:45 PM on March 2