ricotta

If you have never had fresh ricotta be warned, once you do, it will be hard to buy another plastic tub of it again. The texture is creamy, with a sweet mild flavor. It takes well to nearly any flavor ingredient you add and it makes nice with recipes from savory to sweet!

The texture will probably be the first thing you notice. Without the stabilizers that are added to other mass batch ricotta – there is no grainy gelatin texture. You can control how moist you want the ricotta by how long you leave it in the sieve.

The method is simple; heated milk and cream and an acid to cause the curd and whey to separate. I have tried others recipes that use lemon juice as the acid to varying degrees of success…actually they were not successful. The acid of the lemons were not enough to cause the reaction necessary. The yield of curd was less and much finer. There was a pleasant and mild lemon flavor – but overall not what I wanted for a full recipe of thick and creamy ricotta. Incidentally – the lemon recipes that I tried ended up in lemon ricotta pancakes! 

Ina Garten’s recipe is the best to achieve the kind of ricotta you would want for nearly all of your recipes. 

Ingredients

• 4 cups whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbs white vinegar
• a large piece of cheese cloth
• Large fine sieve

Steps

1. Line the sieve with a double layer of wet cheese cloth. 

2. Add the milk and cream and salt in a large pot stainless steel or enamel. Stir together over medium-high heat. Bring to a gentle boil. 

3. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar.

  

The vinegar helps the curd to form. It will be fine so try not to be like me and expect giant chunks to float to the surface. The first time I made it – I kept thinking I screwed up and kept adding more and more acid – and well just don’t do it. 

 

4. Let the mixture sit for about 2-3 minutes stir occasionally. 

5. Poor the milk mixture into the lined sieve. 

6. Allow it to drain for about 20 – 25 mins more depending on how firm you like your ricotta. 

Discard the liquid that drains off. I know – seems like a waste and trust me I searched for uses – but didn’t really find anything that made it worth saving. If you do please share because as I poured the liquid down the drain all I could hear was my Grandmother Mary saying, “that’s a sin!” Aw the guilt! LOL!

That’s it! It’ll keep for 4-5 days in the fridge.

Seriously easy – but the reaction when you tell people you make your own ricotta will be – well just do it and see!

Suggestions

Spread it on crostini with a drizzle of good flavored olive oil and sprinkle you’re your favorite herbs if you like.

  

You can add the herbs to the ricotta and a pinch or two of grated parm – OMG…gotta make more!

Enjoy Lolas!