One of the other MIFS contributors, the fabulous Liss of Frills In The Hills, has a great tutorial about making one's own ricotta cheese from scratch - but I thought it would be good to have it right here, too.
This is how I made mine:
David Lebovitz's Ricotta Cheese
Simply Recipes
Makes 2 cups
2 quarts (8 cups) whole milk
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
In a large pot, bring milk, yogurt, heavy cream, vinegar and salt to a boil. Gently boil for one to two minutes until milk is curdled.
Line a strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth and set it over a deep bowl.
Pour milk mixture into the strainer and let it drain for 15 minutes. Gather cheesecloth around the mixture and squeeze gently to extract any remaining liquid.
Can be refrigerated up to 3 days.
And that's it! Easy, right? My only suggestion is to ensure you have a very deep bowl. I started the draining using a trifle bowl, my deepest vessel that was not a stock pot, and it broke from the hot liquid. Therefore, I recommend using a deep enough heat proof bowl or pot right off the bat to avoid my silly mistake.
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How does it taste? I've never seen a recipe for ricotta calling for anything except milk & the acid (vinegar or lemon), so I'm intrigued at this recipe. I'm thinking it will taste a bit richer than the basic recipe I know.
ReplyDeleteI found that yes, it was a bit richer than store bought ricotta, but I preferred it! It had great texture, too, and worked fabulously in my lasagna.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you do with the left over liquid? Can it be used in a recipe, water the plants, or do you simply pour it down the drain?
ReplyDeleteIs it cheaper for you to make it versus buying it? Milk & cream are pretty high in my area so I'd have to break the costs down before making this a regular kitchen endeavor but it does sound like a fun project. Educational for the kiddos too!
One more question: Can I substitute 2% milk for the whole milk? I make this swith in lots of recipes without affecting the flavor or texture of the dish but I don't know if it would work in making a cheese.
Thanks Rina for a great kitchen project!
I put the leftover liquid down the drain this time, but haven't thought about what to do with it otherwise! Good point! I don't know - must do some research.
ReplyDeleteIt was cheaper for me to make it, in my opinion. Ricotta is about $6-$8 for a small container in my grocery store, and making my own cost about $6 or so.
I think you can sub in the 2% milk - it might not be as thick but you could let it sit longer to drain out more liquid, in that case.