Easy Homemade Ricotta
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(Photo, iStock)
Make this fresh Italian cheese at home. Plus, four variations to suit your taste buds.
Ingredients
2 L 3.25% milk, at room temperature
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt, (Kosher salt is best, as the iodine in table salt can make ricotta taste bitter)
2 tbsp 35% cream
Instructions
Line a large fine-mesh metal strainer with a triple layer of cheesecloth large enough to hang over the edges. Set over an 8-cup measuring cup.
Pour milk into a large, very wide saucepan and heat over high.
Stir often until milk becomes steamy and frothy around the edges or reads 185F on a thermometer, about 8 min. Turn off heat. Stir in lemon juice and salt. Let stand until the liquid turns a yellowish colour and milky-white curds float to the surface, about 2 min. Gradually pour mixture into the prepared strainer. Let sit, stirring curds very gently once or twice, until about 7 cups of liquid has drained off, about 5 min. Discard liquid.
Transfer cheese into a bowl. Refrigerate until chilled. Just before using, stir in cream. Ricotta will keep well, refrigerated, up to 1 week. Makes 1 3/4 cups.
Nutrition (per ¼ cup)
Calories 132, Protein 8g, Carbohydrates 1g, Fat 11g, Sodium 112mg.
Four ways to switch it up:
- Low-fat ricotta Omit cream. Ricotta will be less smooth.
- Olive oil ricotta Stir in 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil along with cream.
- Herbed ricotta Stir in 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley, chives or thyme along with cream.
- Lemon ricotta Stir in 1 tbsp lemon zest along with cream.
Four ways to use it:
- Roasted-tomato crostini Easy hors d’oeuvres become a gourmet treat with homemade ricotta. Get this recipe here.
- Ricotta dumplings Serve with any simple tomato sauce. Get this recipe here.
- Creamy olive and herb pasta Toss cooked bow tie pasta with herbed ricotta chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Get this recipe here.
- Honey-berry tartlets Sweeten lemon ricotta with a little honey, then spoon into baked tart shells. Get this recipe here.
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