How to Make Ricotta

There's a reason cheeses like ricotta get dubbed "farmer's cheese" -- little more than fresh milk and years of know-how goes into making them.

Inspired by Jennifer Perillo's uber-precise recipe for Creamy Homemade Ricotta, in the video below Amanda takes a swifty and dirty stab at this "re-cooked" Italian staple, with a method that uses only lemon juice (see below for Jennifer's perfect recipe, which relies on buttermilk).

Creamy Homemade Ricotta by Jennifer Perillo

Makes 2 cups

• 4 cups whole milk

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 3/4 cups buttermilk

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

• Add the ingredients to a 4-quart pot. Bring to a very gentle boil over medium heat. Meanwhile, line a sieve or fine mesh strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a deep bowl or pot.

• Once the curds begin to separate from the whey (you'll see little specks of white bob to the surface), stir gently and set heat to the lowest setting (see NOTE). Cook for 2 more minutes, then remove pot from heat and set on an unlit back burner for at least 30 minutes, and up to one hour. (this will help the curds further develop).

• Gently ladle the curds into the cheesecloth-lined strainer (this helps produce a fluffier, creamier curd, than pouring it into the strainer). When all the curds have been spooned into the bowl, pull the cheesecloth up the sides to loosely cover the ricotta in the strainer. Let sit for 10 minutes to drain (this will yield a very moist ricotta. If using for a cake recipe, you may want to let it drain longer for a drier consistency).

• Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

• NOTE: After making one to two pots of ricotta for a year, I've learned it likes to be left alone to produce the highest yield, so resist the temptation to stir it frequently once the curds begin to separate from the whey. One stir is enough, and if you're curious, you can dip the spoon in the pot once or twice to see how the curds are developing.

• (Save and print the recipe here.)
  
  Now that you've braved home-cheesemongering, why not put your work to good use with some end-of-summer tomatoes? Try TheRunawaySpoon's winning Baked Ricotta and Goat Cheese with Cherry Tomatoes.

This week's video was once again shot and edited by our videographer Elena Parker (who now produces our bi-weekly Dinner & a Movie column as well!).