Freshly made ricotta is so good, you’ll want to eat it by the spoonful. With so few ingredients, the quality of each is very important. The better your milk and cream, the better your cheese will be. I always use raw, grass-fed milk and cream. A high-quality sea salt will also make a difference. If you’d like to make a little less, the recipe is easily halved.
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Ingredients
- 1 gallon whole milk raw
- 1 cup heavy cream raw
- 1 tbsp flaky sea salt I use Maldon
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice strained
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Line a colander with 3 to 4 layers of lightly dampened cheesecloth, and set it in a clean sink or large bowl.
- Clip an instant-read or candy thermometer to the side of a heavy-duty 7 to 8 quart pot.
- Put the milk and cream in the pot and slowly warm over medium heat. Stir occasionally with a silicone spatula until it’s 185F, about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the salt, then slowly pour the lemon juice over the surface of the milk.
- Stir gently for 1 to 2 minutes to encourage curds to form.
- Gently ladle the curds into the prepared colander. Fold the ends of the cheesecloth over the curds to loosely cover.
- Drain until it reaches your desired consistency, 30 minutes for a soft ricotta and up to 24 hours for a very firm, dry, dense ricotta. Refrigerate if draining for more than a couple of hours.
- Transfer the drained ricotta to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
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