A question about a recipe: Creamy Homemade Ricotta

I have a question about step 2 on the recipe "Creamy Homemade Ricotta" from Jennifer Perillo. It says:

"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). "

gasgirl
  • Posted by: gasgirl
  • April 2, 2012
  • 3356 views
  • 4 Comments
Creamy Homemade Ricotta
Recipe question for: Creamy Homemade Ricotta

4 Comments

hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour April 2, 2012
The buttermilk is the acid source. I'm assuming for whatever reason (probably some regional variation in dairy products) the buttermilk didn't have enough acid. The recipe has gotten good reviews from multiple people so in theory it should work.
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour April 2, 2012
If you really didn't get good curds, I'd try adding a little more acid in the form of either lemon juice (1T at a time) or citric acid (1/4 t at a time). Once the curds separate the whey should look translucent and be yellowish to bluish in color (depends on the milk.)
 
gasgirl
gasgirl April 2, 2012
the recipe called for no acid..unless it was the buttermilk...very few curds so I assumed the recipe was inaccurate....
 
HalfPint
HalfPint April 3, 2012
I would crank up the heat. The first time I made ricotta, I had the same problem. No curd formation. I added more lemon juice and nothing happened. So I turned the heat up, not to boil, and that's when I saw the curds starting to form.
 
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