We were all totally surprised to learn how easy it was to make ricotta. Anyone can do it. And while we used citric acid from Rebecca’s cheesemaking kit, you could just as easily use lemon juice (there are plenty of ricotta recipes using lemon juice).
So here’s the deal. To make ricotta, you will need:
A candy thermometer to track the temperature of the milk
A large pot (enough to hold a gallon of milk)
Cheesecloth and a strainer
Another large pot to strain the milk in
Citric acid (or lemon juice)
1 gallon of milk
Salt
In a large pot, add the salt and the citric acid to the milk.
Once mixed, warm the milk on medium until it reaches 195 degrees Fahrenheit. You need to stir constantly so it doesn’t scorch on the bottom. At this temperature, the curds and the whey separate.
Once the mixture cools to room temperature, pour the whole shebang in a colander lined with cheesecloth and suspended on top of a pot.
Let the liquid separate from the curds for a half an hour and then you have ricotta. It’s crazy easy.
We were so excited about our ricotta success, we made a date to make mozzarella so we could have some more! Why? Well, the word "ricotta" is Italian for “cooked twice.” This is because ricotta is often made from the whey of mozzarella. Two for the price of one!
Other homemade cheeses on the list are paneer, feta, and chevre. Check back for more!
And PSST…anyone have a good supplier for organic sheep’s milk?
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1 comment:
This is seriously the year of citric acid and it's many many uses. also handy for cleaning hard water scale off of things, and for decalcifying various things. Get it at a micro brew/home wine making shop, $4 for PLENTY (it's also used to add zestyness to homemade wine)
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