Cheesery
Has it really been a whole week since my last post? Sheesh! Work has been so crazy that I can't find 10 minutes to do anything and then I'm tired on the weekend and don't want to do anything. Funny how that works.
Well, I guess that makes this project pretty well overdue for posting. I'd seen blogs all over the place of people making their own ricotta and when I finally found a recipe for a low-fat ricotta, well, I figured I may as well join the party.
Surprisingly, this is actually one of the easier things I've tried to make.
You just pour everything into a stock pot, turn the heat way up, and stir a bit until you get it hot enough. Then you ladle out the curds with a slotted spoon into several layers of cheesecloth and let it drain.
I like this photo. You can see me reflected in the faucet like a funhouse mirror image. Or maybe I've been horribly disfigured in some freak accident but haven't wanted to tell anybody yet because I haven't accepted the reality of the situation.
It could be true. I have secrets too.
And then, once all the good stuff is out of the pot, all you're left with is the "garbage" liquid, a yellowish whey. You can't really do anything with this but pour it down the drain. Oh well.
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I don't know that making your own ricotta is necessarily cost effective (it's not), but it sure is tasty! So it's more of a luxury thing to do, like for a special dinner, because the buttermilk alone is more costly than a container of ricotta. Go figure.
Just that lovely cheesecloth imprint is so beautiful, isn't it? I felt all rustic and whatnot.
My recommendation is to use it right away though. Once it chilled in the fridge for a few days, especially being low-fat, I found it much harder to mix with the other ingredients we were using to make stuffed shells. Lesson learned. (A tasty lesson.)
Low-fat Ricotta
From bitemekitchen.com
Ingredients
- 1 gallon 2% milk
- 5 cups low-fat buttermilk
- 1 tsp. salt
Directions
Stir both milk & the buttermilk in your stainless pot over medium-high heat. The milk is cold, so you need the heat up pretty high. You do not want to boil, but you DO want to start heating it up. Heat milk, stirring gently and occasionally until it reaches 170' (about 20-30 minutes).
Once it reaches 170' STOP STIRRING. This will allow the curds to form.
When the milk reaches 190-195' remove it from heat and line your colander with cheesecloth (1 large sheet folded into 4 layers), place your colander over a large bowl and move it near your pot.
Using a slotted spoon or skimmer, gently remove the curds from the top of the pot (the curds will be floating on the surface, the yellowish whey is beneath). Discard whey.
Drain curds in colander for 5 minutes.
Gather up corners of cheesecloth and tie at top forming a little purse. Hang over the kitchen sink (i tie mine onto the faucet) and let drip for 15 minutes or so. You want to get most of the moisture out by hanging.
Untie cloth and put Ricotta in a bowl, toss gently with salt & a fork and let come to room temperature.
Use or cover tightly and refrigerate up to 4 days.