Homemade Ricotta

I crossed a life goal off my list this weekend: making cheese. It was so easy it felt like cheating. A pot full of hot milk and buttermilk was transformed into a firm bundle of cheese in about 30 minutes. It took me longer to half-heartedly scrub a few lines of grout in my bathroom than it did to make cheese, which, you know, can come as a bit of a surprise. Now, granted, we're talking about fresh cheese, but still. Even creme fraiche takes longer than this!

Here's the thing, though. Ricotta made with cow's milk basically just tastes like cottage cheese or farmer cheese. I followed the article's lead and loosened the block of it with some milk before sprinkling it with herbs, salt and olive oil for a nice little pre-dinner snack spread of toasted bread gently rubbed with garlic. And it was just fine - everyone seemed quite happy with it (I think the pink Champagne we served might have helped). But unless you're using sheep's milk, you can forget about this tasting like real Italian ricotta.

Still, it's a great alternative for American recipes calling for ricotta - you'll be far better off using homemade than the stuff that comes in a tub at the grocery store. If anyone knows how to get their hands on some fresh sheep's milk, though, let me know. I'm finding it surprisingly difficult to track down, but I'd like to attempt this again.

I've been wallowing in a swamp of homesickness for Europe lately, the ache lodged in my chest like an unchewed piece of bread. We booked our annual flight to Italy last week, so I now find myself in the strange position of hoping to savor summer's hot days while simultaneously wishing desperately that the weeks fly by so that the last week of August gets here just as soon as it can. I'll be mixing the leftover ricotta into a plain tomato sauce with pasta tonight and eating it, hopefully without crying, to remind me of all the good things to come.

Fresh Ricotta
Yields approximately 2 cups

2 quarts whole milk
2 cups buttermilk

1. Line a wide sieve or colander with cheesecloth, folded so that it is at least 4 layers thick. Place in sink. 

2. Pour milk and buttermilk into a heavy-bottomed pot. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently; scrape bottom of pot occasionally to prevent scorching. As milk heats, curds will begin to rise and clump on surface. Once mixture is steaming hot, stop stirring.

3. When mixture reaches 175 to 180 degrees on a candy thermometer, curds and whey will separate. (Whey will look like cloudy gray water underneath a mass of thick white curds.) Immediately turn off heat and gently ladle curds into sieve.

4. When all curds are in sieve and dripping has slowed (about 5 minutes), gently gather edges of cloth and twist to bring curds together; do not squeeze. Let drain 15 minutes more. Discard the whey.

5. Untie cloth and pack ricotta into airtight containers. Refrigerate and use within one week. 

Ricotta Crostini with Fresh Thyme and Dried Oregano
Serves 6 to 8

About 8 slices (about  3/4-inch thick) crusty bread such as ciabatta or levain, chewy and substantial but     not very sour
Extra-virgin olive oil to taste
Kosher or table salt, to taste
2 cups fresh ricotta, at cool room temperature
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 peeled garlic clove

1. Heat a grill or broiler to very hot. If bread slices are very large, cut in half or thirds. Brush bread slices on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with table or kosher salt.

2. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a bowl, whisk ricotta and milk together until light and fluffy. Add 1 teaspoon kosher or table salt and mix well. Transfer to a shallow serving bowl and sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, thyme and oregano. Drizzle more olive oil on top, about 2 to 3 tablespoons.

3. Grill or broil the bread until toasted all over and lightly charred in places. Lightly rub each slice on one side with the garlic clove. Serve hot, with ricotta mixture on the side.

Comments

[Maryann]

Fresh ricotta is a beautiful thing ;)

[Lynn D.]

Do you think goat milk would work? That's easier to find.

[deb]

I'm having a quintessentially blogger moment right now because I've got the buttermilk, milk and cheesecloth all ready to go for tonight (well, last week, but I never got to it) and you got to it first!

But I'm thrilled you did. It looks wonderful, and I'm happy to know in advance what to expect. Now, if you don't terrifically mind, I'll be posting the same thing this week as it is far too unbearable out this week to "cook" anything but this.

[victoria]

I am going to pitch a fit if you don't amend this and add your recipe for pasta with ricotta that you sneaked into the post about Sara Jenkins' Penne with Sheep's Milk Ricotta and Mustard Greens. It is wonderful; it is delicious; it is perfect; and it is YOURS!!!! It is absolutely one of my favorite pasta dishes now, and I make it whenever I can get my hands on delicious ricotta. And when this year's tomatoes are gorgeous in August, whoa, baby, especially now that I will try this out and make my own ricotta. I'm going to work on finding sheep's milk.

[Ganda]

Have you tried the woman who brings lamb and Shushan Snow cheese at the Union Square Greenmarket on Saturdays? I bet she'd be amenable to bringing in some sheep milk for you. I also wonder if the folks at Saxelby Cheesemongers could help.

[Molly]

How do you think goat's milk would work for this? Far easier to come by than sheep's milk.

[shauna]

Oh my dear, what are you doing to me? i'm six weeks away from having a baby, with a book manuscript to work on too, and now all I want to do is make fresh ricotta!

That's okay. This baby has been craving cheese for the past seven months. one more kind couldn't hurt.

thank you. you make it sound so easy.

(And I loved your description of your longing for Italy. So perfect.)

[Luisa]

Lynn and Molly - goat's milk has that barnyardy (for lack of a better word) taste that gives goat cheese its wonderful funk, but it's just not right for ricotta, which is meant to be delicate, milky, and almost (almost!) sweet. If you can track down a wedge of the imported stuff from Rome at Buon Italia in Chelsea Market you'll know what I'm trying to describe. But perhaps, if sheep's milk proves totally elusive, I'll give goat's milk a whirl.

Deb - great minds, and so on! You should think of something to make with this ricotta, it's just too bland to eat on its own... I know you must have about 10 bookmarked recipes calling for ricotta, no? :)

Victoria - ok! I will post about it this week, I promise. :)

Ganda - those are both great tips. I never go to the Greenmarket on Saturdays as it's just far too insane, but this might be worth the crowds. And Saxelby's is a place I've been meaning to go to for so long...

Shauna - 6 weeks! Hooray!

[Lisa (Homesick Texan)]

They sometimes have it at Fairway. Good luck with your quest!

[jenny]

i, too, thought of karen weinberg of 3 Corner Farm. she's not back at the greenmarket yet (she takes april-june off), but will be soon. i would definitely talk to anne saxelby--she could probably get some for you, and would be delighted to do so. and yes, fairway has sheep's milk quite often. and if you go early, the greenmarket's not a problem, at 7-7:30, say.

[Susmita]

Yum! Sheep'milk would be great, but have not found any here in WA. I have made it with raw cow's milk and it is really good. I make Paneer (Indian fresh cheese) using raw milk too, and it is a lot sweeter than with pasteurized milk.

[EB]

All I can say is: You go girl!! Seriously. You make your own cheese fer chrissakes!

[Kristin]

Wow...this is sooo cool. I might just have to try this myself!

[krissy and beth]

we tried making cheese for the first time this week, too! yours looks much better than ours...congrats!

[KatyBelle]

I'm wondering, would a mixture of goat and cow's milk work?

The goat's milk would give some personality, and the cow's milk would probably cut the barnyard-ey flavour of the goat milk.

Any thoughts, anyone?

[Honeybee]

Oooh, I want to make this. I do believe sheep's milk is available at the large supermarkets over here.

[We Are Never Full]

Thank you for expressing how easy it was to make. I think that I would normally wait for a lazy Saturday to try my hand at something like this, but you've made me feel like this could be a weekday thing! Looks really thick and delicious. There is nothing like fresh ricotta. Thank you again for this post.

Oh and I know I don't know you but am I allowed to tell you that I'm seething w/ jealousy and I may secretly hate you b/c you mentioned a yearly trip to Italy!?!??!? I'm SOOOOOOO jealous!!!

[deb]

Ha! I was going to make that simple tomato-ricotta pasta you referenced in another entry a while back and embarrass you by calling it Luisa's Spaghetti ... should it ever return to tomato-simmering weather, I just might. :)

[Luisa]

Katybelle - that's an interesting idea! If you try it, let me know.

We Are Never Full - seething with jealousy? Secretly hating me? Please don't. I'm just visiting my mom. Lucky for me that she's in an idyllic place, unlucky for me that she's so far away.

Deb - I'm honored that you named it after me! (Though I think it's better with penne than spaghetti..:)

[ann]

The problem with goat's milk and sheep's milk is the quantity. So many of the farmers only have a few goats or a few sheep, so it's not cost effective for them to jump through all the regulatory hoops and over the hurdles demanded of them by the state and federal governments to be able to sell them directly to consumers. I guess that's why you see so many goat/sheep cheese makers at the farmer's market, but none of them sell their milk. *sigh* I'm glad you made this though, isn't it delicious?

[mbbored]

Could you substitute sour milk for the buttermilk?

[Erin @ The Skinny Gourmet]

Gah! This has long been on my "to do" list as well. And you make it seem so simple. now that I have finally tackled souffle, perhaps this will be next...

I wonder if any of the local farmers at the market might have sheep's milk connections. Chicago is so close to Wisconsin, we must have some farmer's sheep milk available somehow.

[Luisa]

Ann - that's interesting and makes a lot of sense, actually.

mbbored - you know, I don't know. Perhaps? I would imagine so, but...

Erin - oh, this is so much easier than a souffle and far less stressful, too. You can do it! You don't even need that candy thermometer (I didn't), as you can pretty much see when the curds and whey separate as you stir.

[sharona May]

That is wonderful!!! Homemade Ricotta ~ so many things you can make with that!!!

My husband just made Mozzarella Cheese this past weekend. He has wanted to make cheese for some time now after reading the book by Barbara Kingsolver. It seemed like a lot of work, large cost for a little really great cheese.

Sharona May of BirdFood

[Moriah]

Ah! I've been meaning to try this recipe! Yours looks so good. I get cow's milk on Fridays at the Union Square Greenmarket, which I think I'll use when it's finally time for me to make ricotta. I could swear one of the greenmarket vendors sells sheep milk (or did I see that in a dream, or Whole Foods?), so I'll keep a lookout next time I'm there.

[NO'C]

Hop on the Metro-North to the Greenwich,CT farmers market. The Beaver Brook farm from Lyme, CT sells all sorts of sheep related products...including milk.

The Greenwich farmers market takes place right in the train station parking lot on Saturday's from 9:30a-1:00p.

[Edward]

We had this with fresh peas and pasta the other night, very good. (Peas u-pick from Rowe's in Ypsilanti, MI; milk delivered by Calder Dairy from Carleton, MI).

[Jan Huk]

Hello, thanks for the wonderful article, recipe and pictures.

I just wanted to mention that what you made in the ricotta recipe, is actually a fresh cheese, which is delicious, too. A proper ricotta would be made from the whey that you discarded. Ri-cotta means re-cooked, or boiled again, so you would basically repeat the process again. Here is a simple and fully illustrated method http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/Ricotta/RICOTTA_00.HTM
But I suspect you know all this anyway, so please do not take it bad from me. I genuinely love your articles and recipes!

Kindest regards
Jan

[Luisa]

NO'C - that's a great tip, thanks.

Jan - this is so interesting, thank you for the link! Perhaps with sheep's-milk and the process of recooking you've linked to, a better-tasting cheese can be found!

[Danielle Perissi]

Hi, Luisa.

I've been reading your blog for many months now and have really enjoyed your stories, recipes and tips. So, thank you!

I can completely sympathize with your homesickness for Europe. I just returned from a long holiday in Spain, where the produce is so fresh and beautiful -- it has completely spoiled my love for my regular farmer's market here at Abingdon Square in the West Village.

When I saw your ricotta recipe I thought some freshly-made cheese might be the perfect solution to my post-Spain food doldrums, and I was right! This was simple and delicious, especially with a (heavy) drizzle of olive oil.

In turn, I'd like to share another simple cheese recipe with you. Indian Paneer is another cheese that is absolutely horrid when packaged (and many restaurants use the packaged variety). This recipe is from a cookbook called "Indian Every Day" by Anjum Anand, and I've made it several times and really enjoyed it. Just refrigerate the cheese in a container in water (much like tofu) and you can have fresh paneer for all manner of curries and sautees.

Enjoy!

PANEER

For 2-3 servngs:
2 pints milk
3.5 ounces low-fat yogurt or 2 tbs lemon juice
salt

Bring the milk to boil in a heavy pot. Once it begins boiling ad the yogurt/lemon and salt. Stir gently and it will start to curdle and separate. Once the whey begins to appear clear and slightly green, remove the pot from the heat. (If the whey is not reaching this desired colour, you can add another tablespoon of yogurt or a teaspoon of the lemon juice, whichever you are using.)

Line a large sieve with muslin or cheesecloth and place this either in you sink or in a large bowl. Pour the cheese in and strain for 10 minutes. Then wrap the cheese in the cloth, place a heavy weight on top (such as a water-filled pot) and drain from an additional 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese flattens and forms a block.

You can cut it in cubes or crumble it. Since it does not need to be cooked further, it can be added at the final stages of a dish. Or you can pan-fry or deep fry it for a crispy exterior.

[Amanda]

Awesome! I made my first try at homemade cheese and came out with something similar to cottage cheese, myself, but I found it to be much tastier than anything for sale at the grocery.

In my reading on cheesemaking, I discovered that a better product is made from raw milk, which is very difficult to obtain... however a good approximation can be made by mixing milk made from dry milk with heavy cream--it supposedly yields better results than regular store-bought cow's milk. I plan to give that a try next time.

[Honeybee]

I made the ricotta tonight! It turned out great and I loved it - thank you! You can find my post on it at http://beurreetpain.blogspot.com/2008/07/making-cheese.html

[Edward]

There's a German fresh cheese, Quark, which looks suspiciously similar to this; I'll see if I can dig up a recipe.

(This makes me want it to be June again for fresh peas. What fall food would you have ricotta with? The fall pairing I always think of is mozzarella + tomato + basil.)

[REW]

I recently made ricotta and, leaving it to drain overnight, found myself with paneer the next morning (which was delicious nonetheless). I'm grateful you pointed out the difference using sheep's milk makes in the taste of the final product. Your photos are beautiful. A recipe for ricotta using just milk and lemons can be found at http://foodworthy.wordpress.com/