Ricotta
There is nothing in the world like fresh, creamy, delicious homemade ricotta cheese! Whenever I tell people that I’ve made ricotta cheese, they look at me like I’m crazy! It’s really not that hard, people! You boil some milk and cream, stir in lemon juice and then let the extra liquid drain out… Anyone can do it! And it’s sooooo gooooood!!!!! And there is an endless list of things that you can make with it! Lemon ricotta cookies, pound cake, lasagna, probably at least 5 different kinds of pasta sauces, gnocchi, ravioli, stuff it in pasta shells, bake it in eggs, slather it on toast or grilled peaches, drop in on top of your pizza…. Oh man, am I hungry now!!!
I cannot claim this recipe as my own. I found it at epicurious.com but it’s my go to recipe 🙂 here is the link http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fresh-Homemade-Ricotta-234282
Here is what you need:
- 2 quarts (8 cups) whole milk- you must use whole milk!
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt ( I think i accidentally put 1 teaspoon in this time and didn’t notice a difference)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed
You’ll also need a large sieve and fine mesh cheese cloth. This is very important. I’ve bought cheap cheese cloth from the grocery store and so much more escapes than you want and the cheese gets stuck in the mesh and it’s just a big fat disaster! Don’t skimp of this step, or if you forget that you are out of cheese cloth (like I did today) use a thin tea towel. It will take longer for all of the extra liquid to drain out but I actually really like how the cheese turned out this time! It was a little looser than what you’d buy from the store, but it reminded me of the kind of ricotta that New York pizza places put on their pies! Yummy!
Start by pouring the milk, cream and salt into a large 6 quart pot. Bring this to a rolling boil, stirring with a whisk often to prevent the bottom from scorching. Please watch this constantly! Once it begins to boil, it rapidly expands!!! I’ve had to scrub burned milk off of my stove way too many times because I walk away just at the wrong time…
When is comes to a boil, pour in the lemon juice, reduce to a simmer, whisking constantly for 2-3 minutes while the milk curdles. Then pour it into your prepared sieve and cheese cloth.
Then tie it up and leave it to drain.
Depending on whether you used cheese cloth or tea towel, this will need to drain for 1-2 hours.
Let me know what you use your ricotta for! I plan to use mine in some lasagna later!! Enjoy!
