make your own cheese, no seriously!

I want to share this recipe for homemade ricotta cheese not only because it is incredibly delicious (SO much better than what you buy at the store) but also because of the sense of pride I know you will feel from making your own cheese. Its way more simple than you think!!

So to make your own ricotta you will need a couple things you probably don't have lying around at home....

Citric Acid - you can find this at Whole Foods or any healthfood store. Just make sure it is FOOD GRADE citric acid. If you don't have a whole foods or independent health food store in your area check your local grocery store or order it online.

Cheesecloth - you should be able to get this at any grocery store

So after you round up these two things the rest is easy.

In a large pot over medium heat combine 2 quarts of high quality (preferably organic) buttermilk, one gallon of 1/2 and 1/2, 2 tablespoons of citric acid, and a fat pinch of salt.

See I told you it was easy!

Now, you wait. Make sure the mixture never boils and just warms slowly. If you have a thermometer you can suspend it in the center of the pot. You are looking for the center to reach about 180 degrees. But, if you don't have a thermometer that's okay. You will see the curds beginning to form at the top of the pot. Once the curds have formed a "raft" covering the entire top of the pot or your thermometer has reached 180 remove from the heat and let the cheese rest for about 15 minutes.

Line a colander or other perforated pan with cheesecloth and suspend over a larger (non perforated) bowl/pan. Very carefully remove the curds from the whey using a slotted spoon or a fine mesh skimmer put the curds into the cheesecloth lined colander and allow to drain for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight. What your left with is a light, fluffy, tangy, delicious cheese.

This recipe yields about 3 or 4 cups of ricotta (I'm guessing a little here) you'll have a lot of whey waste but its totally worth it once you taste the cheese!

Once your cheese is drained you're ready to season it. For me, I usually think the cheese needs more salt. Black pepper is fabulous with ricotta and a drizzle of high quality olive oil is all you need.

Use the ricotta in lasagna, stuffed shells, or your favorite recipe. I'll share 2 of my favorite recipes using ricotta in another post!

So seriously TRY THIS its so simple and quick and the result speaks for itself.

Oh, and you can brag to your friends that you make your own cheese!

Happy cheesemaking!

Love, vanessa