Homemade Ricotta Cheese - Little Sunny Kitchen

Cook Time 25

Resting Time 25

Total Time 50

To a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the milk, heavy cream, and salt.
Make sure that you keep stirring once every minute to prevent scorching, and allow the mixture to reach 195°F/90°C, (a candy thermometer is very helpful here) but it’s very important that it does not boil. This takes about 25 minutes in an enameled dutch oven.
Add the lemon juice or vinegar, give it a stir, and turn off the heat. Now leave the mixture to rest and separate into curds and whey for 5 minutes WITHOUT stirring.
Then prepare a bowl with a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Strain the mixture and let it sit undisturbed for 20 minutes for a light creamy texture (great for serving on crusty bread or crackers), or an hour for a firmer texture (this is suitable if you want to use the ricotta as a filling in ravioli, lasagna, or cooking in general).

Yield: This recipe will yield approximately 1 ¼ lb, or 2 cups of ricotta cheese.
Use nonreactive cookware. You don't want your tools or equipment to react to acidity, so avoid cooking with aluminum, uncoated cast iron, or copper when making cheese. Stainless steel is always a good non-reactive choice, as is an enameled dutch oven.I also like glass mixing bowls.
Use full-fat milk and cream. Your milk should be "whole", or at least 3.25% fat, and cream should be at least 35% milkfat. Choose "heavy cream" over whipping cream.
Check your dairy products. Heavy cream and whole milk can sometimes be treated to be ultra-pasteurized. These products won't set into cheese.
Don't stir while the curds are forming. This is very important! Stir in the lemon juice, then walk away for 5 minutes and let the ingredients do their magic.
For an even creamier ricotta spread, stir in an additional ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream after the cheese has been strained.
If you plan to cook with this cheese or use it as a filling for pasta, lasagna, or cannoli, you'll want to be sure that you let it drain for at least an hour. Watery ricotta will not work well in these recipes.
To Store: You can keep fresh ricotta for up to 1 week in the refrigerator in a well-sealed container. Ricotta can also be frozen for up to 1 month.