Why is Cottage Cheese on an Innovative Tasting Menu at Osito?

Perhaps cottage cheese reminds you of a sad diet plate with canned pineapple or the trivia that served with ketchup, cottage cheese was President Nixon’s favorite lunch.  Well, it’s time to reconsider cottage cheese. We shared how chefs in Milwaukee are serving it, but it’s also making its way onto a West Coast menu.

Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese is possibly one of the oldest types of cheese. In Minnesota it was referred to as “Dutch cheese” starting in the late 19th century and was made to preserve milk that might otherwise turn sour. High in protein and calcium, it was promoted heavily during the first World War as a meat substitute. Consumption peaked in the United States in the 1970s as part of a diet craze but it lost market to share as yogurt became more popular. Could it be poised for a comeback? It may not be plant based, but it is still a good source of low fat and economical protein. It’s likely restaurants will be the ones to introduce diners to high quality versions of it, served in creative ways. 

Cottage Cheese on the Menu

Cottage cheese recently caught our eye on the 8-course tasting menu of Osito, Chef Seth Stowaway's inaugural restaurant, which opened in December 2021. Stowaway previously cooked at various spots in San Francisco including Michelin starred Mister Jiu’s. Located in the heart of the Mission District, it is San Francisco’s one and only 100% live fire restaurant. For the August menu Stowaway and his team leaned on culinary history for inspiration using old world techniques combined with new approaches to create dishes that are timeless and modern at the same time. But back to the cottage cheese. We spoke with Stowaway to learn more about it.

How did cottage cheese end up on the menu? 

To be honest one of our sous chefs said “It would be cool to do a dish called antelope and cantaloupe, ha ha.” It’s so catchy. Immediately I thought of my father eating cantaloupe and cottage cheese with black pepper when I was young. I loved it. So we set down the path to make that a delicious experience.

Anteolpe and Cantaloupe photo credit Molly DeCoudreaux

So what is the dish exactly?

We serve it alongside ribbons of smoked and peppered antelope and melon, with the whey as a float and a bit of mint oil.

What do you like best about cottage cheese? 
I love the big curds.

How and why do you make it in-house?
We make everything in-house.  This helps use the buttermilk from our butter making.

Our recipe

1940g skim milk
115g heavy cream
102g whole milk
83g buttermilk 
1 lemon
Salt to taste
Bring all the dairy up to a simmer in a pot.
Once simmering squeeze in the lemon and add the leftover fruit (editor’s note: the squeezed lemon). Let simmer until the curds separate. Pass through cheesecloth then season with salt.

Why do you think it isn’t as popular as other fresh dairy products like yogurt or ricotta?
People just don’t have experience with it, seems like something you hear about grandparents eating.

Any plans to use it in other ways in the future? 

Yes but not sure where.

Thanks chef, for introducing more diners to the joys of cottage cheese! We look forward to seeing more creative and enticing restaurant dishes featuring this cheese in the future.