I ordered a kit from The Cheese Queen at cheesemaking.com to make my own ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. Inspired by Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I’m done with the plastic tubs and rubbery flavors of store-bought cheeses. And as seen in my previous posts, cheese is a staple in this house. I was shocked at how easy it was to make my own ricotta - I can’t see ever buying it again. As soon as I can track down a neighbor with a microwave, I’m going to give mozzarella a shot.
Full instructions come with the kit (which I strongly recommend), and are also on the Cheese Queen’s website, but here’s a quick overview of what I did. It’s so easy. Pour a gallon of whole milk (just make sure it’s not ultra-pasteurized) into a large, non-reactive pot, stir in 1 tsp cheese salt and 1 tsp citric acid, and bring the mixture to 195°, stirring frequently to make sure the milk doesn’t curdle.
Because I used a slotted spoon and stirred like the dickens, my ricotta curds were pretty small. I would imagine that less stirring would give me a thicker curd. Next time!
When the curds and whey begin to separate, turn off the heat and let the mixture sit untouched for 10 minutes. Ladle the curds and whey into a colander lined with butter muslin. Save the whey, as it can be used in place of buttermilk or sour milk in cooking - nothing goes to waste, and the pancakes tomorrow will be heavenly! If you don’t use the whey in cooking, they say that it’s a good plant food. Tie the cloth into a bag and hang it for about an hour, or until it drains to the consistency you’re looking for.
Voila! Ricotta that you can eat with a spoon - so good! It keeps in the refrigerator for 2 weeks, and can also be frozen, so I divided it. Some for tomorrow’s ricotta pancakes (made with whey), some for baked pasta later. Hooray for DIY.
