Fresh Ricotta
- Total Time
- About 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1quart whole milk
- ½cup heavy cream
- ¼cup plain whole yogurt
- 1½teaspoons lemon juice
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
174 calories; 13 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 239 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Line a colander with a quadruple layer of cheesecloth and set it over a bowl.
- Step 2
In a large pot over medium-high heat, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Bring to a simmer and heat until the mixture just begins to curdle. Pour mixture into colander. (For a drier ricotta with bigger curds, continue to simmer 1 to 2 minutes longer until mixture completely separates.)
- Step 3
Stop draining when mixture begins to look like ricotta, 5 to 15 minutes, depending on how dry you like it. Transfer to an airtight container and store for up to two weeks.
Private Notes
Comments
According to J.Kenji Lopez-Alt, this recipe would perform better with a distilled white vinegar, as it's pH is consistent; the pH of the lemons differ from lemon to lemon, yielding potentially uneven results. Also, he uses much more acid: 1/4 cup vinegar to one cup milk.
This is called Paneer in Hindi. I just don't add the heavy cream when making Paneer. Also the leftover liquid, whey, is delicious and can be added to rice as a broth.
Yes, you can use a large coffee filter instead. I used cheesecloth the first time I made this, but have used coffee filters the every time after that --- worked great!
This is not true ricotta—this is formaggio di primo sale, which translates to ‘first salt cheese’. Also known as curd cheese. Ricotta means 'recooked'. True ricotta also uses animal (or vegetarian) rennet in the first ‘cook’. My modified recipe, garnered from information across multiple sources (including this NYT recipe): 1. Add milk, cream, yogurt, & salt to (room temp, stainless steel or enameled cast iron) pot as directed EXCEPT—RESERVE 1/4 of each ingredient (dairy) in a separate container (put back in fridge until ready to use); stir pot gently (with a whisk) to combine 2. Dilute animal rennet as directed on bottle (bottle will show ratio depending on strength, dilute using cool, non-chlorinated water) 3. Add diluted rennet to pot; stir to combine 4. Turn on heat to medium and gently stir pot occasionally to heat evenly. Heat to about 185F, or just until the mixture begins to curdle 5. Turn off heat and let sit for ~30-45 min 6. At this point, the mixture should have “solidified”. Use a knife to cut into cubes, then stir gently to break it apart (dipping & twisting the whisk, rather than rotating around the pot) 7. Drain as directed, except I found a triple rather than quadruple layer of cheesecloth worked better 8. Return whey to pot & combine with reserved ingredients. Add 1/2 tbsp lemon juice & combine 9. Heat on medium, gently stirring occasionally, until ~185F, or until mixture starts to curdle 10. Remove from heat; let sit 15 min 11. Drain as directed again
easy peasy. followed the directions EXACTLY and voila---delicious, light and tasty!!! will never buy again buy the gloppy ucky ricotta
This was my first ’fail’ of the hundreds of NYTimes recipes I’ve made. I wish I had read the comments first. Following the multiple suggestions from others I salvaged the mixture before I discarded the whole batch. MORE ACID! And, as someone pointed out lemons vary in acidity, vinegar is more predictable. I used white wine vinegar and it didn’t impart any ‘vinagary’ taste. As also suggested, MORE HEAT! Boil it (gently) into submission I used two white ‘tea towels’ as I knew them in Ireland or ‘flour sack towels’ as some call them here (because I haven’t bought paper towels in four years and no coffee filters as I don’t drink coffee.) After using the hints from others, I now have ricotta!