Friday, July 26, 2013

Weekend Cooking: Creamy Ricotta

Last week I posted the recipe for Mini Calzones, which included ricotta.  And that gave me the idea...why not share my ricotta recipe?  (Well, it isn't MINE but I ripped it out of Food and Wine in November 2008 and it resides in my kitchen folder!)  Of course, it is convenient to buy your ricotta at the grocery store.  It tastes fine.  But sometimes it is fun to make your own and impress your friends and family.  It makes you seem so Martha Stewart.

And the funny thing is...it is insanely easy to do, and tastes so much better than store-bought.  So here you go.

Ingredients:

2 quarts whole milk, preferably organic
1 cup heavy cream, preferably organic
3 TBL white vinegar
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions:

1.  In a medium pot, warm the milk and cream over moderately high heat until the surface becomes foamy and steamy and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the milk registers 185 degrees.  Don't let the milk boil.  Remove the pot from the heat.  Add the vinegar and stir gently for 30 seconds; the mixture will curdle almost immediately.  Add the salt and stir for 30 seconds longer.  Cover the pot with a clean towel and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.

2.  Line a large colander with several layers of cheesecloth, allowing several inches of overhang.  Set the colander in a large bowl.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the curds to the colander.  Carefully gather the corners of the cheesecloth and close with a rubber band.  Let the ricotta stand for 30 minutes, gently pressing and squeezing the cheesecloth occasionally to drain off the whey.  Transfer the ricotta to a bowl and use at once, or cover and refrigerate.  Ricotta can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

   














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16 comments:

bermudaonion said...

I bet that is delicious!!

Darlene said...

Yum! I prefer fresh over store bought so I may try this!

Serena said...

That sounds great...

JoAnn said...

You make your own ricotta?? I am both impressed and inspired.

rhapsodyinbooks said...

Like JoAnn said! I'm just shaking my head!

ds said...

Wow. Who knew?

Heidenkind said...

I've been thinking about making some of this lately! So easy and it tastes great.

Cecelia said...

I'm impressed, too! I've just read a book about cheese, so I knew it was as easy as milk, but I guess I didn't realize it was THAT easy. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

caite said...

it never occurred to me that you could make your own. copying that down to try it out!

(Diane) bookchickdi said...

I love buying the freshly made ricotta at our local Italian grocery, but I never thought of making it myself.

Teddyree said...

Yum! I made my own goat cheese once, it didn't yield much lol but I'd love to give the ricotta a try. Thanks for sharing :)

Beth F said...

I haven't made ricotta in ages. It tastes so much better than storebought.

Col (Col Reads) said...

I imagine the taste is heavenly. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Joy said...

I had no idea that you could do that at home. How cool!

Joy's Book Blog

Laurie C said...

Can you buy organic milk and heavy cream at the supermarket, I wonder? I don't know if I'll ever try this, but it does sound kind of easy! My ricotta always goes bad before I finish the container, so I'd have to be sure to use all of my yummy homemade stuff right away.

Julie P. said...

Yum! I guess yours probably tastes better than the fat-free ricotta I buy at my store! LOL!