Fresh Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Submitted by KathyP53

"I found this recipe in Food and Wine Magazine. It really is wonderful! It's easy too!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 3
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 2 quarts whole milk
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• salt

directions

1. Line a colander with moistened cheese-cloth and set it over a large bowl.
2. In a large saucepan, bring the milk to a gentle boil. Add 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice and cook over low heat; stirring gently, until curds form and rise to the surface, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes; the curds will firm up slightly.
3. Using a slotted spoon with small holes, gently scoop the curds into the colander; discard the liquid. Let the ricotta drain for 15 minutes, then gently lift the cheesecloth to flip the curd and let drain for 15 minutes longer. Transfer the ricotta to a bowl and season with salt.
4. Ricotta can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
5. Serving suggestion: Spread ricotta on toasted baguette slices, top with radish slices and chopped arugula.

Reviews

[cpenry]

I needed some ricotta for a recipe I was making and I didn't want to go to the store. I found this recipe and thought what the heck I'll give it a try. I am so glad I did. I cut it in half because I needed 1 cup. i don't buy whole milk so I only had 2% on hand. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly and that was the best tasting ricotta. I will be using this recipe from now on instead of buying my ricotta. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Petri Dish]

Hey, Kathy: this is not actually ricotta, which is made from whey (from cheese-making!), but rather something I know as paneer and make every so often for certain Indian dishes. Anyway, this is a great cheese that can be even deep-fried for, say, Matar Paneer. Try (sour) yoghurt as the acid for even better-tasting paneer! <br/><br/>(I then use the whey in soups and bread.)

 

[adopt a greyhound]

So easy but so good. I had 1 qt. of milk and used 2 T. lemon juice, it was so good. I tried it by itself before using in Recipe #749. I drained it in a yogurt strainer I had rather than cheesecloth.

 

[Jostlori]

This is going to be a great addition to my "back to basics" collection. I used just one liter of milk and two tablespoons of lime juice. Lemons are hard to find (and expensive) here, so went with what I had. It does taste a bit "limey', but just a tad. Next time will try with white vinegar for a - hopefully - more neutral taste. Thanks, Kathy!

 

[THERESA W.]

Absolute perfection! I just bought 10 gallons of milk for $1 each - I'll use 1/2 of it to make more of this!