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EeezOfSteeez
"Homemade Ricotta Will Blow Your Mind"
Where gourmands come to meet/eat.
Ricotta is an Italian sheep milk or cow milk whey cheese.
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Rating:
I love ricotta cheese so much that this rating system fails me. It's super versatile, creamy, smooth and so delicious. You can use it in anything from blueberry pancakes to crostini to magical pastas to dessert.
+5
The difference between really great ricotta and Polly-O (or which ever Supermarket brand) ricotta is huge. I'd compare it to the difference between Artisinal Sourdough and Wonder Bread. Where I live in Brooklyn, it's impossible to find the good stuff. I decided to commit to making my own cheese, or not bothering at all.
The quality of ingredients does matter here. If possible, it's best to use the best milk you can find. In a hurry, if all you have are standard ingredients, the ricotta will still come out much, much better than a container of, say, Sargento.
What you'll need:
1 Gallon of Whole Milk
1 Quart of Buttermilk
Salt
Cheese Cloth
a Big Pot
a Strainer
Rubber Spatula
That's it! Now we're ready to get started.
Pour the gallon of milk and quart of buttermilk into a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Armed with your rubber spatula, gently scrape along the bottom of the pot , covering the full area, every few minutes until you feel some resistance or can see that curds have begun to form. It may take a few minutes for the curds to get going, but once they do, it happens pretty quickly. Once the pace has quickened, constantly scrape the bottom of the pot with the spatula to prevent the curds from burning.
What you're seeing now is the curds separating from the whey. As more and more curds develop, the liquid will go from an opaque milky color to a more translucent yellowish hue. When the liquids turns this new color, take the pot off the heat. Scrape the bottom once more to unstick the curds. Then add two ice cubes to the pot and stir a couple of times to incorporate. Then let it sit undisturbed for ten minutes.
While the ricotta is doin' its thang, line a strainer with two layers of cheese cloth. After the ten minutes is up, pour the liquid, curds and all, into the strainer. Let it sit for a couple minutes (up to 5), until it looks good. At this point, fold in a teaspoon or two of kosher salt.
Transfer your cheese to a container and keep up to 5 days, though it's best right away. Actually, before you do anything, grab a spoon and take a big ol' bite. It will be buttery beyond belief, silky, smooth, creamy, salty, melty, oozy, delicate, bombastic perfection. Make it once, and you'll never buy store bought again, I promise you that.
Bake it into a lasagna for the best casserole of your life, or spread it on toasted baguette with a slice of proscutto, fresh fig, and a drizzle of honey.
You can't go wrong!
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FoodDude
May 25, 2009
great review, I honestly did not think you could make cheese at home. It seemed one of those forever complex foods that are actually capable of being made from scratch with the right recipe. thanks for sharing
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Erin (EeezOfSteeez)
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About this food
What you'll need:
1 Gallon of Whole Milk
1 Quart of Buttermilk
Salt
Cheese Cloth
a Big Pot
a Strainer
Rubber Spatula
Directions:
Pour the gallon of milk and quart of buttermilk into a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Armed with your rubber spatula, gently scrape along the bottom of the pot , covering the full area, every few minutes until you feel some resistance or can see that curds have begun to form. It may take a few minutes for the curds to get going, but once they do, it happens pretty quickly. Once the pace has quickened, constantly scrape the bottom of the pot with the spatula to prevent the curds from burning.
What you're seeing now is the curds separating from the whey. As more and more curds develop, the liquid will go from an opaque milky color to a more translucent yellowish hue. When the liquids turns this new color, take the pot off the heat. Scrape the bottom once more to unstick the curds. Then add two ice cubes to the pot and stir a couple of times to incorporate. Then let it sit undisturbed for ten minutes.
While the ricotta is doin' its thang, line a strainer with two layers of cheese cloth. After the ten minutes is up, pour the liquid, curds and all, into the strainer. Let it sit for a couple minutes (up to 5), until it looks good. At this point, fold in a teaspoon or two of kosher salt.
Transfer your cheese to a container and keep up to 5 days, though it's best right away. A
Bake it into a lasagna for the best casserole of your life, or spread...
view wiki
1 Gallon of Whole Milk
1 Quart of Buttermilk
Salt
Cheese Cloth
a Big Pot
a Strainer
Rubber Spatula
Directions:
Pour the gallon of milk and quart of buttermilk into a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Armed with your rubber spatula, gently scrape along the bottom of the pot , covering the full area, every few minutes until you feel some resistance or can see that curds have begun to form. It may take a few minutes for the curds to get going, but once they do, it happens pretty quickly. Once the pace has quickened, constantly scrape the bottom of the pot with the spatula to prevent the curds from burning.
What you're seeing now is the curds separating from the whey. As more and more curds develop, the liquid will go from an opaque milky color to a more translucent yellowish hue. When the liquids turns this new color, take the pot off the heat. Scrape the bottom once more to unstick the curds. Then add two ice cubes to the pot and stir a couple of times to incorporate. Then let it sit undisturbed for ten minutes.
While the ricotta is doin' its thang, line a strainer with two layers of cheese cloth. After the ten minutes is up, pour the liquid, curds and all, into the strainer. Let it sit for a couple minutes (up to 5), until it looks good. At this point, fold in a teaspoon or two of kosher salt.
Transfer your cheese to a container and keep up to 5 days, though it's best right away. A
Bake it into a lasagna for the best casserole of your life, or spread...
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