Homemade kajmak – fresh milk cream (Kajmak)

1. Slowly bring the richest milk you can find (ideally farm milk, not homogenised) to the boil in a wide, shallow pan, then turn the heat to the minimum and keep it barely simmering for 15-20 minutes without stirring.

2. Carefully take it off the heat without stirring and cool rapidly in the wide pan, keeping it clean and loosely covered. Put it in the fridge within two hours at most so a thick skin forms on top.

3. Leave in the fridge at no more than 4 °C for 12–24 hours; the milk fat gathers at the surface and the skin thickens.

4. Carefully lift off the thick, creamy layer with a flat spoon or knife and layer it in a small bowl or jar, salting each layer lightly.

5. Keep the skimmed milk refrigerated and use for cooking or popara within two days of boiling.

6. Keep covered in the fridge and eat within two days of the milk's first boiling; this is fresh, not aged kajmak; serve with ćevapi, lepinja and urnebes.

Tip: Kajmak is the treasure of Serbian and Bosnian cooking – around Zlatibor and Čačak it's sold at markets from wooden tubs. If you don't have the time, a lightly salted 1:1 mix of mascarpone and soured cream is a good substitute.