We talked about cheese and rennet earlier today and how the rennin enzymes are key in most cheese-making. But not all cheese gets made with rennet - simple farmer's cheeses like paneer and ricotta depend on citric acid for their coagulation.
As we were getting into spring cleaning yesterday we found a whole quart of milk in the fridge that needed to be used up quickly. We couldn't really think of a quicker way to do this than to make fresh ricotta. It's easy - the milk heats slowly while you do something else (in this case, we cleaned our kitchen) then lemon juice or vinegar is added, and the milk instantly coagulates. See pictures below...
D.I.Y. Ricotta
makes about 3/4 cup
1 quart whole milk
1 lemon, juiced
1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)
Special equipment:
Candy thermometer
Fine cheesecloth
Prepare a colander in the sink and line it with cheesecloth, folded over several times so it's several layers thick.
Heat the milk slowly, stirring periodically to keep it from scorching. Heat until it hits 200ºF on a thermometer and stir in the lemon juice.
The milk will instantly curdle. Turn off the heat and let the milk sit for several minutes. Pour it into the colander lined with cheesecloth - the whey will run away immediately.
When the cheese has cooled a bit squeeze it in a ball and hang it over the sink faucet to drain. Let it drain for about an hour then stir in some salt, if desired, and refrigerate. This will keep for several days in the fridge; it can also be frozen.
fantastic!
I was just wondering where I was going to get super fantastic ricotta for a pasta dish.
The dish in question is from a Molto Mario show -- ricotta thinned with a little pasta water tossed with a coarsely chopped handful each of fresh herbs/greens - basil, arugula, fennel tops, chives, maybe mint. You add the hot cooked pasta, which wilts the herbs slightly and brings the dish together.
mmmmmmmmm. now to be made with the freshest ricotta yet.
view guido's profile
I can't wait to make this!! I ordered a mozzerella kit that should be coming in the mail any day now, so this will be the perfect warmup for my cheesemaking adventure. Thanks for sharing!
view cremarie's profile
Though I've made a similar recipe many times (and it's excellent!) this recipe is not actually ricotta. Ricotta is recooked whey (the stuff streaming out of the colander). What you have here is more like what's called farmer's cheese.
If anyone is interested, wikihow has an easy to follow recipe for real ricotta:
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Ricotta-Cheese
The only problem is that you need to get ahold of some whey.
view the cheesemonger's profile
the cheesemonger, that's not a problem at all! You just make this cheese first and keep out the whey from it.
view moiety's profile
I just made some last week but used a flour sack instead of cheesecloth. For some reason cheesecloth drives me crazy, it's expensive and you can't reuse it. I'm so happy I discovered flour sack cloths! I got my ricotta recipe here: http://onceuponatart.blogspot.com/2007/02/home-made-ricotta.html this one used buttermilk instead of the lemon.
view mgn's profile
don't throw away the whey - it tastes good and soothing as a drink (add a little salt or honey depending on your taste).
or as an addition to pasta sauces, soups, entrees (sauces, etc.).
view sassy's profile
I tried with lemon juice but somehow the milk did not curdle properly. I found out that a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar are a no-fail alternative and won't leave ant vinegar-y aftertaste.
view marcella from italy's profile