Homemade Rich Fresh Ricotta Cheese Food

HOMEMADE RICOTTA

Steps:

• Set a large sieve over a deep bowl. Dampen 2 layers of cheesecloth with water and line the sieve with the cheesecloth.
• Pour the milk and cream into a stainless-steel or enameled pot such as Le Creuset. Stir in the salt. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar. Allow the mixture to stand for 1 minute until it curdles. It will separate into thick parts (the curds) and milky parts (the whey).
• Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined sieve and allow it to drain into the bowl at room temperature for 20 to 25 minutes, occasionally discarding the liquid that collects in the bowl. The longer you let the mixture drain, the thicker the ricotta. (I tend to like mine on the thicker side, but some prefer it moister.) Transfer the ricotta to a bowl, discarding the cheesecloth and any remaining whey. Use immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The ricotta will keep refrigerated for 4 to 5 days.

FRESH RICOTTA

Steps:

• Combine milk, cream, and salt in a 4- to 5-quart pot, and warm mixture over medium-high heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon to prevent scorching, until mixture registers 195 degrees on a candy thermometer. It should take about 15 minutes.
• Add lemon juice, gently stirring until just combined. Remove pot from heat and let stand 5 minutes. The combination of the acid and the residual heat in the mixture will cause it to coagulate, or curdle -- separating into a soft mass (curds) and a cloudy liquid (whey).
• After lining a mesh colander with a triple layer of cheesecloth and placing it inside a deeper, slightly larger bowl, gently pour curds and whey into colander. Let mixture stand, pouring off whey occasionally, until most of whey has drained from still-wet curds, 20 minutes.
• Gather up ricotta in cheesecloth and turn it out into a bowl. Serve within a few hours, or refrigerate up to 4 days. For a denser ricotta, which can be preferable for baking, hang it to drain for another hour. Repurpose whey or discard it.

HOMEMADE RICH FRESH RICOTTA CHEESE

Steps:

• In a large pan, combine the milk, yoghurt and cream and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
• Boil for 2 minutes, or until the milk is very curdled.
• 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.
• Place the strainer over a deep bowl and pour the milk through the strainer.
• Drain 30 minutes, making sure the strainer does not rest in the liquid.
• Gather up the loose ends of the cloth and twist gently to extract more liquid.
• Transfer the curds to a bowl and stir in the salt and nutmeg.
• Discard the liquid (whey).
• The cheese will keep, refrigerated, for 3 days.

HOMEMADE WHOLE MILK RICOTTA CHEESE

Steps:

• Run a double layer of cheesecloth under warm water to dampen, then gently squeeze to remove any excess water. Line a colander with the cheesecloth and set in the sink.
• Combine the vinegar and lemon juice in a small bowl.
• Bring the milk and cream to 190 degrees F, over medium-low heat, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, stirring frequently to keep the milk mixture from scorching on the bottom. Add half of the vinegar mixture and 1 tablespoon salt and stir for 10 seconds (you'll see the milk mixture begin to slightly curdle). Remove from the heat, cover the saucepan with a lid and let sit for 20 minutes.
• Remove the lid and you'll see that the milk mixture has separated into small curds. Now stir in the remaining vinegar mixture and the milk mixture will continue to curdle. Stir for a few minutes. Pour this entire mixture into the prepared colander in the sink.
• Let drain until the desired texture, about 15 minutes for soft ricotta, 20 minutes for firm and creamy and 30 minutes for firm and slightly dry. For soft ricotta, serve warm or chilled in a small decorative bowl. For firm ricottas, gather the excess cheesecloth and shape the ricotta into a ball or disc and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
• Serve the ricotta with your favorite things, like a drizzle of honey and cracked black pepper, fresh or dried fruit, fruit preserves, crackers or fresh bread.

CHEF JOHN'S HOMEMADE RICOTTA CHEESE

Steps:

• Line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth and set over a deep bowl or pot.
• Combine milk, cream, and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally in a "figure eight" motion, until it reaches a temperature of 195 degrees F (90 degrees C). If you don't have a thermometer, this will be right before it starts to simmer. You'll see steam rising from the surface, and tiny bubbles forming around the edges of the pan.
• Turn off the heat, pour in the vinegar, and stir slowly in a "figure eight" motion for 3 or 4 seconds.
• Let the mixture sit, untouched, for 6 minutes.
• Carefully ladle into the cheesecloth-lined mesh strainer so that the dripping whey drains into the pot or bowl. Let the ricotta drain into the pot for between 20 and 45 minutes, depending on how soft or firm you want your cheese. The longer it drains, the firmer the texture will be once chilled.
• Grab the ends of the cheesecloth and lift the drained ricotta out of the strainer and place in a bowl. Let cool on the counter to room temperature, then wrap and chill thoroughly.
• Remove cheesecloth and serve. Ricotta usually needs an additional pinch of salt when serving.

EASY AND DELICIOUS HOMEMADE RICOTTA CHEESE

Steps:

• Pour milk into a saucepan set over medium heat. Heat milk until it registers 194 degrees F (90 degrees C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Stir lemon juice and salt slowly into warmed milk. Let stand until milk curdles, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl. Pour milk mixture carefully into the lined strainer. Let stand until most of the liquid has drained off the ricotta, about 15 minutes. Discard drained liquid.

CREAMY RICOTTA CHEESE (HOMEMADE)

Steps:

• Combine the milk and cream in a pot over medium high heat. Using an instant-read thermometer, warm the milk until it reaches 185 degrees (the surface will become foamy).
• DO NOT LET THE MILK BOIL.
• Remove the pot from the heat and add the vinegar. Stir gently for 30 seconds (the mixture will curdle almost immediately).
• Add salt and stir another 30 seconds. Cover the pot with a towel and let stand at room temp for about 2 hours.
• Line a large colander with a few layers of cheesecloth (allow for some overhang). Set the colander over a large bowl or over the sink.
• Transfer the curds to the colander with a slotted spoon.
• Gather up the corners of the cheesecloth and secure with twine or a rubber band.
• Let the ricotta stand for about 30 minutes, occasionally gently pressing and squeezing the whey out of the cheesecloth.
• Transfer the ricotta to a bowl or use immediately.

HOMEMADE "RICOTTA"

Steps:

• Pour the milk and cream into a wide, heavy-bottomed nonreactive saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice and salt, and allow to cool without stirring for 5-10 minutes: you will see curds forming.
• Line a strainer or colander with a single layer of cheesecloth and place it in the sink. Gently scoop the curds out of the saucepan into the lined colander. (Don't simply pour everything at once, as you don't want to break up the curds that have formed.) Once you have scooped all of the curds into the colander, let the ricotta drain until it is no longer runny, but a thick, spoonable consistency, 15-20 minutes.
• The warm ricotta can be served right away. If you are serving it later, or need it to be drier (e.g., for ravioli filling or cheesecake), lay a wooden spoon across the colander. Lift the corners of the cheesecloth and tie them around the spoon, creating a bundle. Place the wooden spoon over a bowl so the ricotta bundle hangs suspended over the bowl, allowing additional liquid to drain away. Place the draining ricotta in the refrigerator overnight, or until it reaches desired consistency.

HOMEMADE RICOTTA CHEESE FROM WHEY

Steps:

• This recipe is so simple that it was difficult to get it published here as there is a requirement of a minimum of 3 ingredients.
• There is no requirement for the chives or even the salt, but I was required to have 3 ingredients. All you really need is how ever much whey you have left over from your cheesemaking session.
• In a stainless steel pot, heat the whey until it reaches 200 degrees. Do not stir. You'll notice a film that will start forming on the top of the whey. This is your ricotta starting to form.
• When your whey reaches 200 degrees, take it off the heat. You'll know when you have reached this temperature as bubbles will have formed around the edges. Using a slotted spoon or ladle, scoop the layer of thickened ricotta that formed on top of the whey into a cheesecloth-lined colander over a bowl. Continue scooping the ricotta until all that's left is the clear whey.
• Grab all 4 corners of the cheesecloth and tie into a ball. Place a string around the top of the cheesecloth/ricotta bundle and hang to drain over a bowl.
• For moist ricotta, hang for 2 hours.
• For more dry ricotta, hang for 8 hours.
• Remove ricotta from cheesecloth and store in a mason jar or plastic tub. It's now ready to be used in recipes or add salt & herbs and it becomes a wonderful cheese spread.
• Enjoy!

HOMEMADE FRESH RICOTTA CHEESE

Steps:

• Line a large strainer or colander with 4 layers of cheesecloth. Place lined strainer in a large bowl and set aside.
• In a heavy bottom 4 quart saucepan, heat milk and 1 teaspoons salt to boiling on medium high, stirring occasionally to prevent milk from scorching.
• Stir in lemon juice; cover and remove from heat.
• Let stand 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, gently transfer curds from the pan to the lined strainer. Drain 3 minutes. Discard whey in bowl.
• If not using right away, transfer ricotta to a clean bowl, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
• Reduced Fat Ricotta:.
• Substitute 4 cups reduced fat milk(2%) for 4 cups of the whole milk, and follow recipe as above.
• Makes about 2 cups.

FRESH HOMEMADE RICOTTA CHEESE

Steps:

• Line a colander with moistened cheese-cloth and set it over a large bowl.
• In a large saucepan, bring the milk to a gentle boil. Add 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice and cook over low heat; stirring gently, until curds form and rise to the surface, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes; the curds will firm up slightly.
• Using a slotted spoon with small holes, gently scoop the curds into the colander; discard the liquid. Let the ricotta drain for 15 minutes, then gently lift the cheesecloth to flip the curd and let drain for 15 minutes longer. Transfer the ricotta to a bowl and season with salt.
• Ricotta can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Serving suggestion: Spread ricotta on toasted baguette slices, top with radish slices and chopped arugula.