How to make paneer, Eni-style

For those of you who are not massive fans of all things Indian, paneer is a sort of Indian cheese made by separating out milk curds using acid and then pressing them until they go solid-ish. The hard paneer is a bit like halloumi in texture, and is ideal for frying and using instead of meat in curries, though has relatively little flavour when raw. As it absorbs the flavour of the sauce, it's even better after sitting in curry sauce for a day!

I decided to experiment with making this wonderful invention. The results were...mixed.

( Paneer-making, Eni-style )

ETA: Flatmate's Indian boyfriend has since advised me that my mistakes are, in order:

1. Not being sensible and just getting him to come and show me how to do it
   
2. Using yoghurt not milk
   
3. Failing to boil the milk after adding lemon
   
4. Adding too much lemon
   
5. Using kitchen paper rather than fabric - there's a reason for the fabric, namely the lack of exploding

He is probably right, but I do so love madcap experiments!

---

In less messy news, a very happy happy birthday to menegroth and rivendell_elf!!

---

In an update to my queen bee saga, I gave her a male larva from the Naughty Box today (took me a while to get one out, was sneaking in with the forceps then hurriedly retreating a few times!) and she seems to have taken to it. Hopefully she'll still be lookig after it in the morning. Brood gives off pheromones that bring out bees' mothering instincts, I believe. With a bit of luck, it'll also remind her she's meant to be laying eggs and nesting! *crosses fingers*