Recipe Instructions:
Step One: Assemble Supplies
Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vinegar, lemon juice, or citric acid
Step Two: Get Cooking (10 Minutes)
In Italian, ricotta literally means “re-cooked,” the first time having been when the milk was pasteurized. Add the milk and salt to the saucepan, and heat over low to medium heat, giving it a slow, gentle stir. “If it gets too hot too fast you’ll scald it,” says Molier, “and nobody likes a scalding.”
If you have a thermometer, you’re looking for the milk to come just short of boiling, about 190 – 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you’re proceeding without a thermometer, you need to look for signs that the milk is ready, and there are plenty of visuals to guide you. “You can watch it for when it gets to a shimmery
surface, or forms little bubbles around the edge,” Molier advises. “A yellow film or covering and you’re in the ballpark. That slight discoloration is the butter fat.”
Step Three: Acidification and Curd Development (20 Minutes)
So far your ricotta process is exactly like how any other cheese begins. The next step in the process is acidification. “With the proper introduction of heat to the milk, you are changing the PH and causing it to naturally acidify, which is amplified with the citric element or vinegar,” Molier says.
Once you add the acid, which will cause the milk to start to coagulate immediately, you want to turn the heat way down.
“It will instantly start to separate,” says Molier. You’re now starting to see curds, and the remaining liquid part is—wait for it— the whey. You literally learned about this in nursery school. “You can tenderly agitate it a little bit, and let it continue to curdle for about 20 minutes.”
Step 4: Separating the Curds from the Whey
Once your baby curds have been born, the next move is to separate them from the whey. Molier recommends a gentle process, to maintain as much fluff in your curds as possible. Rather than dumping all the curds and liquid into the awaiting colander, “it’s nicer to use a slotted spoon and ladle out the nice fluffy curdles.”
If you have a small mesh strainer, it can also help you lift out the tiniest curds. But if you’re impatient or lack a slotted spoon, simply pour out the contents of the pot into the colander as gently as possible.
Step 5: Drain (20-60 Minutes)
Here you have some say in what you want your final texture of ricotta to be. “If you want a spreadable ricotta, don’t let it drain for more than 20 or 30 minutes tops,” advises Molier. “For a denser, crumbly ricotta, let it drain longer.”
Step 6: Store and Enjoy
“The great thing about fresh cheeses is that you can have them right after production. For impatient dairy queens, fresh cheese is the way to go!” says Molier. Enjoy your still warm ricotta with crackers or toast with a drizzle of honey for immediate satisfaction.
If you want to store it in your refrigerator for later use, note that fresh cheese doesn’t have the shelf life of aged cheeses. Molier recommends keeping it for no more than three to five days, “So make plans for that ricotta.” A simple recipe, and a simpler directive.
