My husband and I have a favorite local restaurant where we like to go and have a special lunch together. Even though it is quite indulgent, we cannot go without ordering the fresh ricotta cheese appetizer. It is seasoned with lemon and served with warm bread. Irresistible.
I knew that making homemade ricotta was an easy task but had never tried to make it. I’m a little bit worried that now that I’ve finally done it because I’ll be making it all of the time! 🙂 I brought it to serve as an appetizer at a party to spread on slices of sourdough baguette… but- wow- it would also be amazing over pasta with a little drizzle of olive oil.
This recipe was adapted from Bon Appetit, contributed by J.J. Goode. I added lemon zest (like at my restaurant!) and coarse salt, to taste. I found the consistency was perfect after straining for just twenty minutes. It was beyond creamy, rich, and fabulous.
Yield: about 1 cup
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt, plus more for seasoning, to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or distilled white vinegar
- zest of 1/2 a lemon, or more, to taste
- Bring milk, cream, and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil in a medium saucepan.
- Remove from heat. Add lemon juice; stir gently until mixture starts to curdle. Let stand 5 minutes.
- Pour mixture into a fine-mesh sieve lined with 2 layers of cheesecloth set over a medium bowl.
- Chill until cheese is spreadable, at least 20 minutes and up to 12 hours (the longer it strains, the thicker it will be). (I recommend the consistency after about 20 minutes.)
- Cover and chill cheese up to 3 days. (If it lasts that long!)
Note/Update: This ricotta was absolutely delicious in Spinach & Ricotta Pappardelle. Wonderful!!
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