Homemade Rich Fresh RICOTTA Cheese

Jangomango's Note:

This is delicious and easy - it almost makes itself. Use it wherever ricotta cheese is called for - in pies, in phyllo, in lasagne etc. Sweeten it with honey for a yummy spread. I got this from Molly O'Neill, who wrote the food section in the NYT for many years. Basically you mix the ingredients, cook for a couple of minutes, and then it drains for half an hour. Then it's done.

• Total Time: 12 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 2 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 3 cups

• 12 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups whole-milk yoghurt
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch nutmeg (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large pan, combine the milk, yoghurt and cream and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
2. Boil for 2 minutes, or until the milk is very curdled.
3. Line a large mesh strainer with a damp kitchen towel or several layers of damp cheesecloth, making sure the cloth extends well over the sides of the strainer.
4. Place the strainer over a deep bowl and pour the milk through the strainer.
5. Drain 30 minutes, making sure the strainer does not rest in the liquid.
6. Gather up the loose ends of the cloth and twist gently to extract more liquid.
7. Transfer the curds to a bowl and stir in the salt and nutmeg.
8. Discard the liquid (whey).
9. The cheese will keep, refrigerated, for 3 days.

Reviews

[jilkat25]

Great recipe! But, don't discard the whey. It makes a wonderful substitute for the liquid (water) you would use to bake yeast bread (by hand, bread machine, or with a heavy-duty stand mixer.) Nice tangy flavor and good texture. Don't be afraid to taste the whey before using it. (I was, the first time I had it.) You can add a little bottled (chlorine-free) water or something (beer? eggs?) if you need more liquid for your recipe. Some of my best breads were made with a fresh whey base. I make dense Greek-style yogurt all the time by simply letting inexpensive regular plain yogurt (16 ounce carton) strain through a cheesecloth-lined china cap strainer set over a bowl for several hours. I hate to let the whey go to waste since I usually end up with about 1 1/2 cups of whey from a large carton of yogurt.

[Chef #1203828]

Thank you so much for posting this! I am a lactose intolerant cheese lover, but I'd never considered trying to make my own before. I used lactose-free milk, yoghurt and heavy soy cream (since lactose-free wasn't available at my supermarket) and it turned out great! I can eat lasagne again! Thanks!

[Missy Wombat]

I scaled this recipe down to make 2 cups of ricotta. The amount actually made tallied with the amount predicted :-) I used a thick Greek yoghurt and the cream I used actually was a UHT thick cream but this made no significant difference once the milk was actually boiling. Tastes good too!