Home Made Cheese

[The Shrew 17]

Homemade Fresh Ricotta Cheese in 15 minutes :) ~Frisky

INGREDIENTS
4 cups whole milk
One cup buttermilk
1/3 cup heavy cream
Coarse salt

DIRECTIONS
1. Line a fine mesh strainer with several folds of cheesecloth and set it in your sink.
2. Combine milk, buttermilk and cream in medium heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil until cooking thermometer registers 185 degrees...if you don't have a thermometer, keep an eye on it to see when the curds (the solid white parts) are mostly separated from the whey (the cloudy liquid). This will take about 10 minutes...stir a couple of times during the boiling process.
3. Remove from heat and using a slotted spot, scoop spoonfuls of the curd into the cheesecloth-lined strainer, sprinkling with a little salt every few spoonfuls or so.
4. Let the ricotta drain for about 5 minutes and then taste to check the consistency. If you like it drier, then let it drain a little more. If you like it moister, stir in a tablespoon or two of milk. This ricotta is best used right away, but will keep for a day or two in the fridge.

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Thanks Shrew for sharing this. I did similar recipes before, but used vinegar instead of buttermilk. Plain natural yogurt can also substitute buttermilk. I guess heavy cream would make it taste better, but also high in fats.

Btw, what is the yield of your ingredients? 1 cup of cheese, or more?

[The Shrew 17]

Ya know in all my ramblings with the cheese I did not note the yield. I don't worry about fats. I live by the motto of eat what you like in reasonable amounts and be very active. That means all the food groups for me though and to me fat is part of a food group. LOL