Homemade Ricotta

Don't be nervous, this is such a simple thing to make and it is SO DELICIOUS.  I make it to use straight away, it wouldn't last long anyway! It's great in salads, on pizza, on toast with honey, on its own... its damn delicious!!!

Apparently this is a very similar way to making paneer cheese (Indian Cheese) so if you give that a go let me know!

Please excuse the crappy photo!!

Homemade Ricotta

Ingredients

2 litres full cream milk

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons cream

4 tablespoons white vinegar or lemon juice 

(I prefer to use vinegar for this one, just gives a little bit more of a bite than lemon juice)

Method

Place the milk, salt and cream in a saucepan and heat until almost boiling (it needs heat to curdle properly).

Then add the vinegar and stir it once or twice very gently just to distribute the vinegar. Do not constantly stir, just leave it be.

Simmer for 1-2 minutes and then allow to sit for 10 minutes and most of the ricotta curds will float to the top leaving the whey at the bottom.

Line a pasta drainer with cheesecloth (I used a very thin brand new pillow case as I didn't have cheesecloth, which worked well) and place it over a large bowl to drain.

Gently pour the ricotta mixture through the cheesecloth and the whey will separate at the bottom in a clearish yellow liquid and the soft and creamy ricotta will sit at the top.

You can mold the ricotta into a ball by holding all the sides of the cloth, twist the cloth so the cheese is in a ball at the bottom. This will also help to drain out any excess liquid.

Your ricotta is now ready to use! If you want a more solid ricotta, drain for an hour or overnight. 

Keeps for 2-3 days in the fridge in an airtight container, use a little bit of the whey in the container to keep the cheese moist.

Happy Cooking (from scratch!)

Erica xx