Homemade Ricotta Cheese on Toasted Sourdough Bread drizzled with Fresh Honey and Topped with a Thyme Sprig

Homemade ricotta is so easy to make and there are so many different ways to be creative with it. Smear on top of toast and drizzle with honey, or olive oil. Serve it in a bowl as part of a cheese platter with crudite. Place a heaping dollop on top of spaghetti, or just use it to make lasagna or stuffed shells. Making ricotta is easy, but there are several versions on how to make it. Some recipes use lemon juice and others use vinegar. I prefer the recipe using fresh lemon juice. It is the acid in the lemon juice that actually makes the milk coagulate into the curds and the whey. Other recipes use just whole milk, some add cream. I prefer the texture that results from the full fat so I use a combination of milk and cream here. Whatever dairy you use, do not use ultra pasteurized milk as it will not curdle. The creamy curds are strained to the consistency that you want through a cheesecloth and how creamy you want your recipe to be depends on how long you strain it. Letting your freshly made ricotta drain 20 minutes will give you a nice consistency to spread on toast. For a firmer ricotta like one you would use in lasagna and stuffed shells, let your ricotta drain an extra 10-20 minutes.

Top your ricotta with a good rich olive oil, a thick balsamic syrup or top it with honey. I love to spread the ricotta on the toast points, then add the sliced pears that have been poached in spiced red wine or some freshly made chunky apple sauce. The red wine pear recipe is on this website. The ricotta is truly good on its own, alone and can just be spooned on top of anything.

Save the liquid that separates (the whey) as it is good to spray on your vegetable plants in the garden to deter pests.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Sitting and Straining Time: 20-40 minutes

Ingredients:

8 cups whole milk

1 ½ cup heavy cream

1 tsp salt

¼ cup lemon juice, juice from two lemons

1 cheesecloth for straining

Honey or Olive Oil for topping

Sliced Red Wine Poached Pears, recipe on blog (optional)

Directions:

Pour the cold milk and the cream into a small stockpot over medium to medium high heat. Slowly bring to a simmer. If you have a thermometer then bring it to 195 degrees. Do not boil. Add the lemon juice and turn off the heat. The curds will start to separate. Wait for 5 minutes. Do not stir. Large curds are prepared. Place a strainer lined with a cheesecloth over a bowl. Pour the liquid through the strainer into the bowl. For a thin, spreadable ricotta, wait 20 minutes. For a thicker ricotta, wait another 10-20 minutes.

Use to top toast, drizzle with the honey or the olive oil and serve as appetizer. Or serve in a bowl on a cheese platter for dipping.