Curds & Whey Biscuits with Infused Honey & Ricotta Spread

Directions

1. Homemade Ricotta and Infused Honey
2. FOR THE RICOTTA: Remove 2 ½ by 2” strips of peel with minimal white pith from one of the lemons, and set aside. (Feel free to zest the rest of the lemons to save the zest for another use.) Juice the lemons, and strain the juice to remove pulp.
3. Heat the milk and salt in a stock pot over medium high heat to 185º F. This will take about 10 minutes, and the milk will start to steam as it approaches 185º. Scrape bottom of pot with spatula fairly frequently to prevent scorching. Once the milk is hot enough, remove from the heat. Stir in 3 T of the lemon juice and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. If the whey is still white, add another T of lemon juice and wait an additional 5 minutes. Repeat once more if needed. The whey will become translucent yellowish or bluish when it is ready. Let the curds and whey rest in the pot for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Line a strainer with 2 layers of cheesecloth, and set strainer over a bowl. Use a slotted spoon to gently scoop curds from whey into the strainer. Once curds have been transferred use rubber spatula to gently toss the curds until no visible pools of whey remain. Scoop out ¼-cup of the curds at this point and transfer them to a 2-cup glass measure. Fold cheesecloth over remaining curds in strainer, and gently squeeze to remove more whey (for this application it's best if they are a little drier than typical ricotta.) Transfer curds into container, tightly seal, and refrigerate. Pour ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon of whey from the bowl into the 2-cup glass measure containing the ¼-cup curds you'd previously set aside. Cover and refrigerate. (if desired save the rest of the whey you've created, there are some great food52 ideas for it's use!)
5. FOR THE HONEY: Remove the leaves from rosemary, and lightly crush with the side of a knife to help release the flavor. Tear the lemon strips in half. Mix honey and water in microwave safe container (I used a coffee mug). Heat to boiling (about 30 seconds.) Stir in rosemary, lemon peel, and lavender. Tightly cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 8 hour or overnight.

1. Curds & Whey Biscuits and Infused Honey & Ricotta Spread
2. FOR BISCUITS: Heat oven to 450º F with rack in center of oven.
3. Cut stick of butter into quarters length-wise, then into approximately 1/4” thick pieces. Return to fridge. Combine ricotta & whey mixture with barley malt syrup and sugar using a stick blender or small whisk (if you use the whisk some tiny pieces of ricotta will remain - this is fine, but the biscuits will be freckled when they come out of the oven.) Return to fridge.
4. Combine flours, salt, and baking powder in bowl of food processor with blade attachment. Pulse 6 or 7 times to combine. Scatter cold butter over flour mixture. Pulse to combine (12 to 14 1-second pulses.) Pour whey mixture evenly over surface of dough. Pulse until clumping together, and very little dry flour remains (3 to 5 1-second pulses.) Dump dough onto lightly floured counter, and knead several times just until dough is cohesive. Form dough into a rectangle, then roll out to approximately ½-inch thickness. Try to make it so you can make 6 3-inch biscuits. Cut out biscuits. Briefly knead remaining dough, and shape so you can get 2 more biscuits. You should have very little if any dough remaining when you are done. (NB: alternately you can form the dough into a ½-inch thick round and cut it into 8 wedges.) Place biscuits on unlined baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, just until lightly brown. Remove from oven and serve hot, split and slathered with the Honey-Ricotta spread.
5. FOR HONEY & RICOTTA SPREAD: While biscuits are baking, wash bowl and blade from food processor. Shake out excess water. Place reserved ricotta and salt in bowl of food processor. Turn on food processor. Strain honey through mesh strainer into ricotta mixture while running, adding honey little by little till you get the consistency you're looking for. Scrape down sides of bowl, and process until smooth and creamy. Transfer to serving bowl. (Will keep for several days, just make sure it's tightly covered or it will pick up off flavors!)