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Thursday 11 August 2011

Rich Homemade Ricotta Cheese

I never knew we can make cheese at home until one day I happened to stumble upon a recipe and using her homemade ricotta cheese.  I surfed the web and most of the ricotta cheese made with just whole milk but I wanted my cheese to be a little richer in taste and finally I found one that I would like to give it a try.



This rich homemade ricotta cheese adapted from SmittenKitchen

Ingredients needed :
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pour the milk, cream and salt into a non-reactive saucepan. Attach a candy or deep-fry thermometer. Heat the milk to 80°C, stirring it occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom. (If you do not have a thermometer, once you see the edges of your pot bubbling arises, turn off the heat).
Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, then stir it once or twice, gently and slowly. Let the pot sit undisturbed for 5-10 minutes.

Line a colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl (to catch the whey). Pour the curds and whey into the colander and let the curds strain for at least an hour. At an hour, you’ll have a tender, spreadable ricotta. At two hours, it will be spreadable but a bit firmer, almost like cream cheese. (It will firm as it cools, so do not judge its final texture by what you have in your cheesecloth.)
Discard the whey, or, if you’re one of those crafty people who use it for other things, of course, save it. Eat the ricotta right away or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Verdict:  I spread this ricotta cheese on my toast, and..........oh...it is so delicious!  I have to go and get baguette next.