Top | Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta Cheese

(recipe, Deborah Rosen)

Introduction

You can make as little or as much as you like of this cheese. The first time I made it I was testing how it's done so I used 16 oz. milk and 1 oz. vinegar, which netted me about 1/3 cup of cheese.

Ingredients

1. 16 parts milk
2. 1 part vinegar - any kind is supposed to be ok as long as it's 5%. I used white vinegar.

Steps

1. Line a colander with cheesecloth and set aside. Set out a spatula and, if you want a fine-texture cheese, a whisk. Cut a length of kitchen twine so you can hang the cheese over your sink (or over a bowl).
2. Heat milk over medium-high heat, stirring so the bottom doesn't brown, until it comes to a boil. Turn off heat and add vinegar. The milk molecules will start to cling together, so you must stir or whisk it until they settle down. If you want large chunks the size of cottage cheese, use the spatula; if you want a smooth texture, use a whisk.
3. Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined colandar and allow to drain. When it looks mostly drained, gather the ends of the cheesecloth together and tie closed; hang over sink to drain.
4. When drained, open the cheesecloth and gently scrape cheese into bowl. You'll probably have to unfold the cheesecloth and scrape the cheese off each layer.
5. Season as appropriate for its intended use.