Golden Seared Paneer with Honey Pears

Steps

1. Wash a large pot, colander, spoon and thermometer well, and line the colander with a clean, damp cheesecloth or thin kitchen towel set over a bowl.
2. Pour the whole milk and 2% milk into the pot and heat over medium, stirring often so it doesn't scorch, until steaming and about 190°F (88°C) on the thermometer.
3. Turn off the heat and slowly stir in the cider vinegar. Within a minute the milk curdles: soft white curds clump together and separate from thin, yellow-green whey. If the whey still looks milky, warm it briefly and stir gently.
4. Let the pot rest 10 minutes so the curds firm, then ladle the curds into the lined colander and let the whey drain off for about 5 minutes.
5. Gently rinse the curds with cool water to mellow the vinegar flavor, then sprinkle with the salt and toss lightly.
6. Gather the cloth into a flat, tight square, squeeze out excess whey, and press it under a heavy weighted plate in the refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below for 1 hour, until firm enough to slice. This yields about 300 g of paneer, roughly 75 g per serving.
7. Unwrap the pressed paneer and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes.
8. Wipe the pot dry, melt half the butter in it over medium-high heat, and sear the paneer cubes 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden. Toss them with half the cracked black pepper and set aside on a plate.
9. Melt the remaining half of the butter in the pot over medium heat, add the pear slices and cinnamon, and cook 5 to 6 minutes until tender and golden at the edges.
10. Stir the honey and walnuts into the pears and remove from the heat.
11. Toast the whole-wheat bread slices until crisp.
12. Top the toast with the seared paneer, spoon the honey pears and walnuts over it, and finish with the remaining half of the cracked black pepper.
13. Refrigerate any leftover paneer promptly in a covered container and use within 3 days; do not age it.