Homemade Ricotta

Source

http://www.cheapethniceatz.com/2009/11/29/homemade-ricotta-and-mascarpone/ with some omissions

Can be used for Ricotta Pancakes

Taste 2 (out of 5)

Difficulty 1 (out of 5)

Ingredients

- 8 cups 2% fat milk - 1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste) - 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Makes about 300g of cheese

Instructions

1. Line a large strainer or sieve with cheesecloth and place the strainer over a large bowl.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring milk and salt to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to keep milk mixture from scorching.

3. Add lemon juice, reduce heat to low and simmer, gently stirring, for 1-2 minutes. The mixture will curdle immediately.

4. Pour the mixture in into the lined strainer and let drain for an hour. Discard the liquid and refrigerate the ricotta or use immediately. If you want it really dry, wrap it back up with the cheesecloth, leave it in the strainer over the bowl, weight it down with something heavy, and refrigerate overnight.

Afterthoughts

It turned out quite bland, compared to the farmers’ cheese where the acidic ingredient is buttermilk or yogurt. But maybe that’s a more ricottish taste...