Use for over-acidified milk (aka ricotta failure!)

I am curious about why you are using cream to make ricotta. Ricotta, which means re-cooked, is traditionally made from whey left over from making pecorino (sheep) cheese. The liquid is definitely not creamy. Also sheep's or goat's milk is used in Italy, and that prodeces a sweeter, tastier ricotta. If you have a local sheep or goat herd, it would be worth making friends with their owner for future ricotta and cheese making efforts.

Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing against high-quality fats, but if you want ricotta, you might have better luck with a different recipe. Should you have extra cream again, perhaps try making quark--I use whole milk for that, but I know there are full fat quarks, so that might be a good experiment.

You don't need raw milk (in fact, you may be less happy with that) -- look for pasteurized or vat pasteurized -- it is the ultra-pasteurized that is the problem. Think of pasteurization as a spectrum, with vat pasteurized on one end (lowest temp/longest time) pasteurized in the middle and ultra pasteurized on the other end (highest temp/shortest time). It should say on the package (although you may have to read the fine print on the back) if it is ultra-pasteurized. Most organic in our area (Seattle) is simply pasteurized. Made cheese just last night (very successfully) with organic, vat pasteurized. Don't give up! Oh, and just know that your cheese will periodically fail. Another time, in a rush, used chlorinated water (distilled is the correct ingredient). You'll still get curds, but not necessarily the cheese you were expecting. Sometimes it will fail and you'll never know why -- but you usually end up either with a buttermilk (good ideas for use, ChefSusie!) or a thin sour cream. So, sometimes you just have to be creative on how you are going to use this not-quite-the-cheese-product-you-were-expecting, but still something that is edible and has uses...just different uses than originally planned!

thanks chef susie -- I ended up tossing it but I think you're right about the cream. It was unhomogonized but it was pasteurized so it may have be super-heated. I am on the hunt for raw milk near me -- I want to be able to make all kinds of cheese and I don't think it's possible with the products that are readily available at the grocery store.

This information came from a cheese making site gilttaste.com: you absolutely can’t use ultra-pasteurized milk/cream, which basically rules out most commercially available organic milk. (It’ll say if it’s been ultra-pasterized or UHT treated on the package.) Milk with that designation has been rapidly brought to a very high temperature (about 280°F) to kill bacteria and extend shelf life. This process completely changes the structure of the milk proteins in a way that makes them unable to form curds.

Unfortunately, nearly all cream-heavy or whipping is pasteurized. (there a couple out there that don't in my area) Also, sometimes, if you are using fresh lemons the level of acidity varies. This can change the outcome.

Pancakes? Buttermilk bread? Any baking recipe that calls for buttermilk? Are we talking mouth-puckering or strong tang? If its too strong...perhaps its best to toss it. Good luck!