Kitchen Adventures: Ricotta

my very own homemade ricotta: yum!

Last week I read an article in the NY Times about how Suddenly, Ricotta's a Big Cheese. Ever since, I've been fantasizing about that bland creamy delicious blank palette of a cheese that is ricotta. Naturally, I had to try the seemingly simple recipe for, I kid you not, homemade ricotta.

I can proudly report that I did a load of laundry and made cheese before 8:00am this morning. Making soft cheese is a bit like printing black and white film: simultaneously chemical and magical as one waits for something to emerge from a swirling liquid mass. I loved watching the steaming curds bubble to the surface of hot milk while that little red line on the thermometer climbed to 175 degrees. The process is indeed simple:

Pour 2 quarts of whole milk and 2 cups of buttermilk into a heavy-bottomed pot. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently; scrape bottom of pot occasionally to prevent scorching. When mixture is steaming hot, stop stirring; wait and watch patiently until mixture reaches 175 to 180 degrees on a candy thermometer. Curds and whey will then separate.

Immediately turn off heat and gently ladle curds into a sieve lined with 4 layer of cheesecloth. I have to admit that this is the first time I used cheesecloth for its namesake purpose.

When all curds are in sieve and dripping has slowed (about 5 minutes), gently gather edges of cloth and twist to bring curds together; do not squeeze. Let drain 15 minutes more. Untie cloth and pack ricotta into airtight containers. Refrigerate and use within one week.

Truly amazing: fresh cheese in the time in takes to consume one's morning cup of coffee. I'm thinking Greek yogurt is next.

Fresh ricotta recipe adapted from the super suave Michael Chiarello's "Casual Cooking." Michael, I dig your Napa style.