31 Days of MOO 2017 No. 15 MOO Ricotta
One of the most useful cheeses to have in the fridge, it's also one of the easiest ones to make right in your very own kitchen.
Ingredients:
1L whole milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
salt
Method:
On the stovetop, heat the milk over gentle heat (gentle is important), stirring occasionally to ensure even heating. Add salt to get the milk to the desired saltiness (I like my ricotta quite salty, but if you are going to use it for desserts, then don't add too much salt). When the milk starts to get close to boiling, a vapour will form over the top, and bubbles will appear on the surface of the milk. I waited until there were quite a lot of bubbles, but you don't want the milk to boil.
Now, remove the milk from the heat and add in the first tablespoon of vinegar and stir for ~2 mins to allow the curds to form. Rest for 10 mins then add the second tablespoon and stir again for 2 mins. Cover with a teatowel and leave for 2 hours (or I left it overnight) at room temperature.
Strain the curds out through 2 layers of chux cloth (or you can use muslin or cheesecloth). Leave to drip, or squeeze to remove the excess liquid (I squeezed to get my cheese quite dry, but you could leave yours wetter if you prefer).
Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge!
Ingredients:
1L whole milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
salt
Method:
On the stovetop, heat the milk over gentle heat (gentle is important), stirring occasionally to ensure even heating. Add salt to get the milk to the desired saltiness (I like my ricotta quite salty, but if you are going to use it for desserts, then don't add too much salt). When the milk starts to get close to boiling, a vapour will form over the top, and bubbles will appear on the surface of the milk. I waited until there were quite a lot of bubbles, but you don't want the milk to boil.
Now, remove the milk from the heat and add in the first tablespoon of vinegar and stir for ~2 mins to allow the curds to form. Rest for 10 mins then add the second tablespoon and stir again for 2 mins. Cover with a teatowel and leave for 2 hours (or I left it overnight) at room temperature.
Strain the curds out through 2 layers of chux cloth (or you can use muslin or cheesecloth). Leave to drip, or squeeze to remove the excess liquid (I squeezed to get my cheese quite dry, but you could leave yours wetter if you prefer).
Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge!