Homemade Ricotta Cheese

My Mother's Day treat to myself was to take a cheese-making class at a local home brew shop in my area. My friends rolled their eyes because it was just another instance of "what is your time worth, cheese is cheese".

It was a neat experience but my first solo attempt at mozzarella cheese was a failure and costly because I ran out to to find unpasteurized raw goat's milk which is difficult to find and expensive!  I don't fail too often so once I had the time and brushed my self off, I did a little more research to find out that there are many methods of making cheese that made more sense to me.  I also have a sweet Italian neighbor that explained her method of making cheese, and from the half of the explanation that I could actually understand, the method that was demonstrated in the class I attended, may have worked for the demonstrators but was just one of many. 

So about a month or two ago, I tried to make ricotta cheese...way easier!  And so good!  If you have never had fresh ricotta cheese, you are missing out on a real Italian delicacy.  The cheesy paste that comes in the plastic containers at the grocery store does not compare to the real deal.  Hey, I have used the store bought many of times, but this is a real easy process and will cost you the same amount of cash.  Simple ingredients and just makes a neat Sunday afternoon foodie project....sort of like Sunday sauce.  Plus the whey that remains has many uses!  I use it to make whey crepes that in turn I use with my homemade ricotta to make manicotti.  (See below for recipe for whey crepes)

Thus far, the recipe that I like the best is a average of many recipes I have found in my searches.  I tweak it every time now just to see how different milks and forms of acid effect the taste and texture.  The first time I tried using all lemon juice for the acid and found the ricotta to taste more like a lemon dessert.  

This is best used fresh, so have a few ideas of dishes you want to make and the ingredients ready to go.  But seriously, you could just grab a spoon and a baguette and level this in one sitting.

You will also need cheese cloth to make cheese...imagine that.  A candy or oil thermometer that you can attach to the side of your pot is needed to watch the temperature of your milk.  A slotted spoon or ladle with a more upright handle is also helpful.  The nifty little basket in the photo above is an actual ricotta strainer basket that I purchased at the home brew shop.  You can get them at such a place or an on-line supplier. But really the cheese cloth draped in a large fine mesh strainer will do just fine. It is really cool how easy it is to make ricotta cheese, definitely try it and experiment with different recipes!

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Makes about 1/2 lb of ricotta
(after you do this once and see how easy it is you will want to double this recipe!)

• 3 1/2 cups whole milk (make sure it is fresh)
• 1/2 cup half and half  OR heavy cream (more rich tasting, a little smoother texture)
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1t citric acid diluted in 1/2T of unchlorinated water
• 1T white balsamic vinegar
• 2 1/2 t freshly squeezed lemon juice, preferably organic lemons

Pour the milk, cream and salt into a 4+-quart nonreactive saucepan. Attach a candy or deep-fry thermometer. Heat the milk to 190°F, stirring it occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom. A gentle up and down motion with a slotted ladle is suggested.
Remove from heat and add the acid, vinegar, and lemon juice, then stir it once or twice, gently and slowly.
Let the pot sit undisturbed for 10 minutes.  You will see the curds and whey start to separate, it looks a little funky but that's okay.

Line a fine mesh strainer or colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl (to catch the whey). Slowly and carefully, pour the curds and whey into the colander and let the curds strain for at least an hour. If you have overhead cabinets above your work space, I do suggest gathering up the corners of the cheese cloth, give a twist and with string, tie the curd bag tot he cabinet handle so the bottom of the bag is suspended in air to allow it to drain better.  After an hour, you’ll have delicate, smooth ricotta. The longer it sits at room temp the firmer it will become because it is cooling down and drying out.  I didn't let mine sit out longer than the 2 hours but according to my Italian neighbor, it can be out longer.  You can either discard the whey, or, feed your tomato plants, or put it in a container, save it and make whey crepes another day during the week.  

Eat the ricotta right away or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Use within 3-4 days of making to ensure the freshest taste, do not freeze.  If you use it as part of a filling for manicotti, stuffed shells, gnudi or ravioli- you may freeze the final product.

Whey Crepes

Makes about 18 crepes

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons melter butter
• 1 1/2 cups whey

1. Crack eggs into a blender. Dump flour on top, followed by butter, whey
2. Blend until smooth. Chill for at least an hour and up to two days.
3. Lightly buttered 5-6" nonstick pan.  With heat on medium to med-high to start, use a mini ladle or serving spoon size to add a dollop of batter.  Swirl the batter around to cover the bottom of the pan.  Flip the crepe when the edges peel away from the pan and cook a few more seconds on the other side. The crepes will not stick to one another if you pile them up on a plate.  You may need to brush some more butter or oil on the pan if the crepes are sticking.  Reduce the heat if they are browning.
4. Fill after cooled or store in the frig for a day.  For future use, they freeze very well.  When storing in freezer make sure to separate each crepe with wax paper to prevent sticking during thawing.