You know that moment when you eat something you’ve made from scratch for the first time? That moment when the first bite hits you senses and the flavors you never new existed dance across your taste buds? That moment when suddenly you shouting out loud “Oh my goodness!!! How have I been missing out on this my whole life?!?!?” In that moment all you care about is how to get the next bite in your mouth as soon as possible?
I experienced that moment this past weekend while standing over a bowl of warm, freshly made, ricotta cheese. If you would also like to experience this same moment follow the instructions below 🙂
Homemade Ricotta Cheese
Makes about 4-1/2 cups of Ricotta Cheese
Ingredients:
1 Gallon Whole Milk
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
1/2 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
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Special Tools :
Cheese Cloth
Candy Thermometer
Directions:
In a large heavy pot set over medium low heat bring the milk and cream up to 190 degrees F. Stir the pot occasionally to make sure the milk on the bottom doesn’t scorch.
Meanwhile place a couple of layers of damp cheese cloth over a strainer fitted over a very large bowl.
When the milk and cream have reached 185 degrees stir in the salt. Then as soon as the milk reaches 190 degrees remove from the heat and slowly stir in the 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice. Stir gently to form the cheese curds for about 2-3 minutes then ladle the curds into the strainer lined with cheese cloth set over another large bowl.
Strain the cheese for at least 30 minutes for a soft ricotta cheese and upto 24 hours for a denser, dryer ricotta cheese.
I strained my ricotta cheese for about 45 minutes then topped with Red Hawaiian Sea Salt, Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, Lemon Zest, and a Fruity Olive Oil. Serve with crusty bread, crackers, or just eat it by the spoonful when no one is looking.
The whey leftover from making the cheese can be strained and reserved for other uses. For example, replacing the warm whey for warm water in you favorite bread recipes.
I used some of the warm leftover whey to make some crusty loafs of french bread.
Then made a dinner of toasted bread, ricotta, crispy pancetta, and fresh tomatoes.
Life is good.
I love making ricotta, too, and you are right to add cream as that makes a huge difference.
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Thanks Stefan!! A little cream always makes everything better in my book 😄
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Wow, Melody! This looks amazing…and impressive. 🙂
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Thanks Tonya 😄
It’s really easy to make and goes great with a good bottle of vino.
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Wonderful post in all it’s deliciousness!
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Thanks Teresa!!
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I have been wanting to make my own ricotta for some time. Thanks for sharing! It looks amazing 😀
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Thanks Antonia!! It’s super easy to make your own ricotta and totally worth it.
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OMG Mel, you have just transformed me! I can’t wait to try this! I probably won’t do the bread as I suck in the baking department, but your bread looks just as yummy. 🙂 xoxo
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Thanks Kathryn!! This ricotta honestly falls in the category of best things I’ve ever eaten. While I don’t know that I would take the time to make this for something like a lasagna or stuffed pasta dish I would definitely make this as a appetizer for a girls night with a good bottle of vino. As for the bread it was actually easier than I though it would be… Plus I learn my oven would pre-heat to 550 degrees…. That was a little nerve wracking.
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Ugh it looks so delicious! I’ve never been daring enough to make my own cheese. You’re inspiring me…. 🙂
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Thanks Rachel 😊
You don’t have to be daring to make this ricotta it was just that easy and totally worth it. Cheese and toasty bread it hard to go wrong with.
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A great recipe, Mel, with a tasty result. I started making ricotta this way a few years ago and haven’t bought a tub of it since. It was my “gateway” cheese and I’ve since added a few others to my arsenal.
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Thanks John!!
I’m not sure I could go back to the tub stuff either. What other cheese have you started making since the ricotta?
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I’ve made mascarpone, goat and cream cheeses, feta, and 2 types of mozzarella. Here’s a link to them all on my blog. http://fromthebartolinikitchens.com/category/2-misc-recipe-collections/make-it-yourself/home-made-cheeses-home-made-ingredients. (If you prefers others not post links in your Comments section, just delete it. No worries.) For general info on cheese making at home, check out my CHEESY STUFF page. 🙂
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Impressive!!
Learning to make homemade mascarpone would be handy since it’s not always available here and homemade mozzarella would be a dream 🙂
Thanks for sharing John and I will do some reading up on the cheese making tonight.
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It’s a lot of fun and the mascarpone is really good. If you have any questions, I’m here to help. G00d luck, Mel! 🙂
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OK, put me in the camp of people who have never had homemade ricotta- and this looks so inviting. You’ve made it look do-able too Melody! and you can use ricotta so many ways! thanks for the recipe!
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Thanks Rhonda 😀
I was amazed at how easy homemade ricotta was to make. In fact I would say the hardest part was use finding the cheesecloth… I had to go to 3 different stores. Ah well.
Hope you enjoy!!
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Hmmmm… and where did you find it? a fabric store? This will be fun…
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I found it at bed, bath, and beyond. 😀Although sure any kitchen supply store would carry cheese cloth I was hair surprised that no local grocery stores carried it.
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thanks Melody–we have Bed, Bath and Beyond about every half mile around here. I’ll let you know how it comes out…
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Sounds delicious
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Thanks Lina 🙂
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