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Housemade Ricotta Rocco Restaurant, Rochester Thanks to Sandra Koon This is served as an appetizer at Rocco's and is really good. 1 gallon best quality whole milk (in Rochester, Pittsford Dairy) 2 cups heavy cream 6 Tbsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. salt Bring cream and milk to a boil, add lemon juice to curdle, strain and cool. Drizzle with olive oil and pepper to serve as an appetizer on fried (in olive oil) or toasted focaccia. For further clarification: How to Make Homemade Ricotta Cheese www.thekitchn.com Yield: 2 cups ½ gallon whole milk, not UHT pasteurized (see Notes) ⅓ cup lemon juice (from 1½ to 2 lemons), ⅓ cup distilled white vinegar, or ½ tsp. citric acid (available from cheese-making suppliers) 2 tsp. salt, optional In a 4 quart pot warm the milk on medium heat. Let it warm gradually to 200o, monitoring the temperature with an instant read thermometer. The milk will get foamy and start to steam; remove it from heat if it starts to boil. Remove the milk from heat. Pour in the lemon juice or vinegar and the salt. Stir gently to combine. Let the milk sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. After this time, the milk should have separated into clumps of milky white curds and thin, water, yellow-colored whey - dip your slotted spoon into the mix to check. If you still see a lot of un-separated milk, add another tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar and wait a few more minutes. Set a strainer over a bowl and line the strainer with cheese cloth. Scoop the big curds out of the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the stainer. Pour the remaining curds and the whey through the strainer. (Removing the big curds first helps keep them from splashing and making a mess as you pour.) Let the ricotta drain for 10 to 60 minutes, depending on how wet or dry you prefer your ricotta. If it becomes too dry, you can also stir some of the whey back in before using or storing it. Fresh ricotta can be used right away or refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week. NOTES: While whole milk is the favorite for making ricotta, 2% milk can also be used, although it won't be quite so rich and creamy. Avoid using skim and nonfat milks; these don't separate as easily in to curds and whey. Pasteurized milk is fine but avoid UHT (Ultra High Temperature) pasteurized milk as it changes the protein stucture of the milk, preventing it from separating. Particularly check organic milk; that is often made UHT. And if you want to add heavy cream, don't use the ultra pasturized version. Leftover Whey can be used in place of water in any baking recipe, whizzed into smoothies, or drunk on its own over ice. |
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