Fresh, Homemade Ricotta Cheese

If you enjoy ricotta cheese in all kinds of recipes, you are not going to believe how easy it is to make fresh ricotta cheese at home. With just a few ingredients, you can make the tastiest ricotta you've ever had. No plastic-y pasteurized influence at all!

What is Ricotta Cheese?

Ricotta is a fresh cheese, rather than an aged cheese, made from the whey portion of milk. In Italy, sheep or goat milk is often used, while in America it is more common to use cow's milk. The Italian ricotta cheese is a bit nuttier in taste but American ricotta is more neutral in flavor and suitable for all types of recipes.

Nutritionally, 1 cup of whole milk ricotta cheese has 430 calories, 28 grams of protein and 32 grams of fat. Ricotta cheese is extremely versatile and is used in both savory recipes, like lasagna and manicotti, and sweet recipes like cakes and cannoli. Sometimes it is just mixed with sugar and topped with fruit for dessert. Being fresh, ricotta cheese is quite perishable and will only keep in the fridge for a few days.

The Basic Homemade Ricotta Cheese Recipe

Try this easy version for your first attempt at making fresh ricotta cheese. Pour a half gallon of whole milk into a
heavy-bottom saucepan, add a teaspoon of salt and bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat. You don't want to boil the milk, just get it to a good simmer or about 170 degrees. Stir gently to make sure it isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Stir 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice into the simmering milk, turn the heat down a bit and quit stirring. In a few minutes, curds will form and come to the top. You don't want to break them up by stirring, so just be patient while they form. Meanwhile, line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth or a piece of muslin and set it in the sink.

When the curds are formed, skim them out of the pan with a slotted spoon and put into the colander to drain. (I actually just poured the whole pan of milk slowly into the colander and it worked fine.) Let the fresh ricotta cheese drain for 10 minutes or so and then pull up the corners of the muslin and twist together to make a bag. Secure with a rubber band and hang the bag of ricotta cheese from the kitchen faucet with a piece of string or yarn. If you don't have a faucet you can hang the bag on, hang it from a wooden spoon laid across the sink. Let the bag drain for 1.5 - 2 hours.

Open the bag and you will be delighted with beautiful fresh ricotta cheese! Put in a container and refrigerate. Use within a few days.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese Recipe Variations

Naturally, home cooks like to add their own touch to their favorite recipes and making fresh ricotta cheese is no different. Try some of these ideas to see what you like best:

Variation one: Use a cup of buttermilk instead of lemon juice to make the curds.

Variation two: Add a cup of heavy cream to the basic ricotta cheese recipe for a creamier version.

Variation three: Alter the basic homemade ricotta cheese recipe by using 2 teaspoons of white vinegar instead of lemon juice and add a cup of plain, whole-milk yogurt.

Once you see how fast and easy it is to make homemade ricotta cheese you won't want to use store-bought again. Start collecting ricotta recipes and enjoy this fresh, flavorful cheese.

Sources:
"Ricotta Cheese", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricotta
Meyer, Daniel, "Discovering Ricotta", http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/discovering-ricotta/