Fresh Ricotta Cheese

I knew I had to try this recipe when I saw Ina make it on a Barefoot Contessa episode and then, I saw Gwyneth Paltrow blog about it here.  I never want to buy store bought ricotta ever again after seeing just how easy this is to make. 

The main ingredients are heavy cream, milk, good white wine vinegar (I used rice wine vinegar because it is really mild and it came out perfect), and salt.

I prepared the sieve with a dampened cheese cloth and large bowl underneath to collect the liquid whey.

This is a picture of the heavy cream, milk, and salt in my dutch oven.

I turned on the stove to medium and waited for the mixture to bowl as I stirred frequently.

As soon as the boiling starts, turn off the heat and add the vinegar.  Wait 60 seconds.

You can see the curds forming on the wooden spoon in the picture below.  As soon as the 60 seconds of waiting time is up, pour the liquid in the sieve.

Wait 20 to 25 minutes for the cheese to drain.  I waited about an hour because I wanted the ricotta to be thicker.



Look at my BEAUTIFUL cheese!!!

 

I added a huge dollop on my buckwheat pancakes with fresh strawberry jam and maple syrup.  Yummers!  The only thing I would change to this recipe is that next time I'm going to use 2% milk vs whole milk to lighten up the ricotta cheese.  I also want to try this in my lasanga recipe next time!