Ricotta from Whey
Use whey directly from the cheese pot at the time of draining .. The fresher the better.
Heat without agitating to 160° F .. at this point 5-12% of fresh milk may be added to improve the richness and yield.
Continue heating to 170° F. Add 1/2 tsp. of salt per gallon of liquid and mix in quickly.
Continue heating without agitation to 185° F.
Mix 1/2 tsp. of citric acid per gallon of liquid. The citric acid should be dissolved in 1/2 cup water. Add quickly the pot and stir briskly for 5-10 seconds.
Watch the curd forming small flakes and gradually larger curd masses.
Add a bit more more citric acid solution if necessary.
NOTE.. If too much acid is added, the curds will sink to the bottom and the cheese will not be sweet. The correct amount of acid will produce a clear separation of white curds and bright green whey.
As the curds rise, use a perforated ladle to gently move them from the sides to the center of the pot. These clumps of curd will begin to consolidate floating on top of the liquid.
Let the curds rest for 10-15 min. *** This is very important because this is the point where the final Ricotta quality is assured
Ladle the curds gently into draining forms (No cheese cloth should be needed if you were patient in the previous step). Let the curds drain for 15 min up to several hours.
For a fresh light ricotta, drain it for a short while (until the free whey drainage slows) and chill to below 50F. For a rich, dense and buttery texture allow it to drain for an extended period of time (several hours). before chilling overnight
Move to a refrigerator or cold room. Consume within 10 days
Ricotta from Whole Milk
Use whole milk .. The fresher the better
Add 2 tsp of citric acid per gallon of liquid (dissolved in 1 cup cool water). Add 1/2 of this Citric Acid solution to the milk (save the rest of the citric acid). Stir briskly for 5-10 seconds.
Add 1 tsp salt
Heat the milk slowly on low to med stirring well to prevent scorching
At 165-170F watch for small flakes forming in the milk and the separation of small curds.
If after a few minutes you do not see the flakes forming, add more of the Citric acid until they form (do this in small 1 Tbsp increments to avoid over acid milk).
Continue heating to 190-195F then turn the heat off
As the curds rise, use a perforated ladle to gently move them from the sides to the center of the pot. These clumps of curd will begin to consolidate floating on top of the liquid.
Let the curds rest for 10-15 min. *** This is very important because this is the point where the final Ricotta quality is assured
Ladle the curds gently into draining forms (No cheese cloth should be needed if you were patient in the previous step). Let the curds drain for 15 min up to several hours.
For a fresh light ricotta, drain it for a short while (until the free whey drainage slows) and chill to below 50F. For a rich, dense and buttery texture allow it to drain for an extended period of time (several hours). before chilling overnight
Move to a refrigerator or cold room. Consume within 10 days
Here is a fun link on making Whole milk Ricotta
Ricotta Salata ... a high salted dry form of Ricotta that can be aged
Following the gathering step in either of the above recipes:
Let drain for an extended period of 24-36 hours
After the first 6-8 hours place a weight on top of the cheese .. 2-4 lbs would be about right
At the end of draining demold Ricotta onto a plate or bowl that will catch the extra whey. Every day for at least the first week sprinkle about 1 tsp. of salt over the outside of the cheese and wrap with plastic returning it to the refrigerator.
Please pour off the whey that will begin to weep out of the salted cheese
As the cheese starts to firm up and lose less whey you can salt less often until it is pretty firm (at least a week and a half if not two or three). Keep the mold under control by wiping with a light brine as it appears
The final result may be anywhere from a firm table cheese at 4-6 weeks or a very dry grating cheese at several months
To make your own fresh ricotta cheese, you'll need the following basic equipment:
• a 3-quart or larger stainless steel, glass or enamelware saucepan - don't use aluminum or copper
• a candy thermometer (not absolutely essential, but very helpful)
• a slotted spoon
• a colander
• a clean dishtowel and some string
• a large bowl (optional)
The following three ingredients will yield about a pint of ricotta:
• 1/2 gallon whole milk. You can use lowfat or even skim milk, with varying results. The one thing You cannot use is ultrapasteurized milk, the kind that is sold unrefrigerated in cardboard boxes.
• 1 teaspoon salt.
• 1 teaspoon powdered citric acid. I found citric acid in the bulk section at my local organic market. If you can't find citric acid locally, you can order it online from cheesemaking supply shops like the New England Cheesemaking Supply company. Or you could use any of a handful of other curdling agents: lemon juice seemed the most popular, followed by rennet (another specialty shop item), buttermilk, and even white vinegar (though the folks who had used vinegar seemed less often happy with their results).
Once you have everything assembled in a clean workspace, begin heating the milk over a moderate flame. You'll need to stir almost constantly to prevent scorching - a great job for little helpers. Add the salt right away. Dissolve the citric acid in a little water, and add half of that solution right away, too. Reserve the rest of the citric acid solution in case you have trouble getting the milk to curdle. (The lemon juice and buttermilk folks seem to wait until the milk is hot before adding their ingredients.)
If you're using a candy thermometer, gradually bring the milk up to about 185°F. Without the thermometer, you'll have to judge by how close it seems to boiling - it should never reach a simmer, but it should start to seem close. (If you're using lemon juice or buttermilk and haven't added it yet, now's the time.) Hold the temperature at that level without boiling until the milk begins to separate. Here's where the rest of that citric acid solution might be necessary, if the milk just doesn't want to curdle.
Once it begins to curdle noticeably, remove it from the heat and let it rest for at least 15 minutes. You'll get a greater yield if you're patient and wait 20 or 30 minutes. When you're done waiting, the subtle curds will have grown larger, and be floating in a liquid that is now visibly different from the milk you started with. The liquid is whey, and it's distinctively more translucent than milk, with a pronounced greenish tinge.
The next step is to separate the curds from the whey, using the dishtowel and colander. Place the colander in the large bowl or sink, rinse the dishtowel in cold water, and line the colander with it. Slowly pour your curds-and-whey mixture into the colander, allowing the whey to run through while the curds collect in the dishtowel. (You'll recall that Paola found my cheese too dry. Because I had saved the whey, I was able to soften the cheese by mixing some of the whey back in later.)
When it's all in the colander and most of the whey has flowed through, gather the corners of the dishtowel and tie them together, leaving the cheese in a ball. Hang the ball of ricotta (or just leave it in the colander) to drain for around 15 minutes; when that time's up, it's ready to eat. What will you make with it? We paired our ricotta with Easy, Fresh Pasta and made a homemade lasagna. If you're looking for a delicious dessert, you could try Monica's Ricotta Mousse (look for the recipe next month). Or maybe you'll just take a cue from Paola's father, drizzle it with honey and eat it with a spoon!
