Weeknight
Homemade ricotta
Three ingredients, one sieve, twenty minutes. Warm, milky curds that make shop-bought ricotta feel like an apology.
My first time making it and I could not believe it worked. Eat it warm, with olive oil, salt and good bread.
Method
- 01
Line a sieve with two layers of muslin and set it over a deep bowl.
- 02
Pour the milk, cream and salt into a heavy pot. Heat slowly over medium heat, stirring now and then so it doesn't catch, until it reaches 85°C — steaming hard, small bubbles at the edge, but not boiling.
- 03
Take the pot off the heat. Add the lemon juice and stir once, gently. Twice at most.
- 04
Leave it completely alone for 10 minutes. The curds will separate and float in cloudy, greenish whey.
- 05
Ladle the curds gently into the muslin. Drain 10 minutes for soft and spoonable, 30 minutes for firm, an hour or more for a ricotta you can slice.
- 06
Season, and use within three days. Keep the whey — it is wonderful in bread dough, in soup, or for cooking rice.
Keep cooking
