Make it at Home
Ricotta BY KATHLEEN NORTON PHOTO BY KATIE ZHAO I didn’t know what ricotta was until I was 12. When I discovered it’s creamy, versatility, my life changed forever. And when I realized that I could make it myself at home, I felt like a magician— pulling curds out of whey is just like pulling a rabbit out of a hat, right?
200 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir it occasionally with a wooden spoon to help prevent scorching.
to add additional acid. Set up a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl. Pour your curds and whey into it.
Follow these 5 steps for your own “housemade” ricotta.
Take the milk off the heat and splash in ⅓ cup of lemon juice. You can substitute any other acid for this step, like vinegar or maybe lime juice (let us know how that one turns out). Add a pinch of salt and stir to combine.
Let the curds drain for as long as you like— ten minutes will leave you with wet ricotta, good for spreading on toast, and sixty will give you a drier cheese, better for baking.
First things first, start by heating a quart of whole milk and a cup of heavy cream over medium heat. We’re looking for a rolling boil, but if you’re fancy and have an instant read thermometer, heat it until it reaches
Sit back, relax, and let your milk curdle for ten minutes. At this point, it’ll look pretty gnarly. You’ll see white curd clumps and yellow-ish whey. If a lot of the milk still hasn’t separated (i.e. it’s still milk), feel free
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penn appétit
Dress this ricotta to impress with high quality olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and a few flakes of sea salt, form it into pillows of savory gnudi, or throw it into a batch of pancakes for a fancy brunch. Eating it straight out of the bowl with a spoon is perfectly acceptable too!