Homemade Ricotta
Description
Making homemade ricotta cheese is not that difficult. You will only need a few simple ingredients. Serve with herbs and sauce.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
1. Pour the milk and cream into a large pot, add salt. Attach a candy thermometer. Heat the milk to 87 degrees, stirring occasionally to prevent it from scorching. Turn off the heat. Remove the pot from the heat and add lemon juice, stirring slowly several times. Let stand for 5 minutes.
- 2
Step 2
2. Line the colander with several layers of cheesecloth. Place the colander over a large bowl. Pour the prepared mixture into the bowl through the colander.
- 3
Step 3
3. Leave the cheese in the cheesecloth for at least 1 hour—during this time you will get a tender, stretchy cheese. If you leave the cheese for 2 hours, it will be slightly firmer, almost like cream cheese. The ricotta will firm up as it cools. You can save the whey in the bowl for another use.
- 4
Step 4
4. You can serve the prepared ricotta right away or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it until needed.
- 5
Step 5
5. Ricotta is perfect for sandwiches. You can toast pieces of white bread, spread them with the prepared cheese, drizzle with honey, and sprinkle with sea salt, black ground pepper, olive oil, or a few drops of balsamic vinegar.