Homemade Ricotta

The recipe below makes a very simple homemade ricotta. It had a mild taste with a consistency of cream cheese. You could use this as it is but I wanted to give it some more flavor. I added roasted garlic, thyme, lemon zest, and salt and pepper to the ricotta. You can use this cheese as a spread on toasted bread, as a filling for ravioli, or as a flavoring for a pasta dish.

For the photo above I served plain ricotta with balsamic vinegar, roasted garlic, and fresh cut chives. I plan to make this cheese for my next party as an app because it can be made ahead of time and everyone will be impressed that I made my own cheese!

This cheese will last in the fridge for about a week. Use your nose to see if it smells bad or not before eating.

Ingredients:  (Makes about 1 cup of ricotta)
3 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:
1. Pour the milk, cream and salt into a 3-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.

2. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, then stir it once or twice, gently and slowly. Let the pot sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.

3. Line a colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl (to catch the whey). Pour the curds and whey into the colander and let the curds strain for at least an hour. At an hour, you’ll have a tender, spreadable ricotta. At two hours, it will be spreadable but a bit firmer, almost like cream cheese. (It will firm as it cools, so do not judge its final texture by what you have in your cheesecloth.) Discard the whey, or, if you’re one of those crafty people who use it for other things, of course, save it. Eat the ricotta right away or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.