Fresh Homemade Ricotta

By dette

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sea salt (untreated) - Trader Joe's is a great resource
• 2 c water
• 1 gallon whole milk
• 1 16 oz heavy cream
• 1/3 c lemon juice from 2 lemons (or 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar)

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Mix the sea salt and water, until mostly dissolved.
In a large stock pot, add the milk, heavy cream and sea salt water.
Heat over medium-low heat until the milk begins to boil softly. this can take some time, make sure to keep an eye on it or it can scorch.
Add the lemon juice and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. watch for the curds to come to the surface. once you have a thin layer of curds, remove from the heat and let sit undisturbed for 10 minutes.
Place a double thickness of cheese cloth (you can buy this at the local fabric store) in a colander set in the sink. with a slotted spoon, skim the curds off the top and place in the colander. what will remain will be a yellowish colored water. you can feed this to your chickens and cats like it as well, or you can toss it out.
Gather the cheese cloth corners and tie them around a long utensil set over the sink and let drain for 20-30 minutes or until the desired consistency...the longer you hang it, the dryer the cheese. it can be stored in the fridge for only a couple of days so make sure you can use it up. this recipe
Makes about 4 cups