0 Homemade Lemon Ricotta

Making Ricotta from scratch turned out to be so easy!  And it tastes ridiculously fresh and creamy.  It will be hard to go back to store bought.  It made the perfect filling for ravioli, but would be great in baked goods, Spinach Nudi, etc.

Recipe:

(from Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 Teaspoon lemon zest

Cheesecloth

1.  In a large pot add the milk, cream, and salt.  Heat to 190 degrees, using a candy or deep fry thermometer to measure the temperature.  Stir occasionally to keep from scorching on the bottom.  

2.  Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, stir one or two times and then let sit undisturbed for 5-10 minutes.

3.  Line a colander with cheese cloth and place over a bowl.  This will catch the whey that strains off.  You can either use the whey later if you are crafty like that, or discard.

4.  Pour the curds and whey into the colander and let strain for 2 hours.  You will have a soft cream but it will set over time to a firmer consistency. 

5.  After it has strained and set, stir in the lemon zest.

Note:  I made this a day ahead which worked out great.  Keep refrigerated!  And it only lasts for about 2-3 days.  When in doubt give it the sniff test first.