Homemade Lemon Ricotta
If you’ve never had homemade ricotta, it’s time to give it a try. It’s super easy to make and it’s about one million times better than store bought!
Growing up, ricotta was never really appealing to me. Mainly because I related it to lasagna, which I’ve never necessarily loved. See, my mom is Italian so every Sunday we had some sort of red sauce dinner. Now, I’ve come to appreciate the traditional red sauce as I got older but I’ve never really come around to lasagna. The ricotta always felt dry in the lasagna and never seemed to add anything so it was never really appealing to eat on it’s own. Then, I tried homemade ricotta, and life has never been the same;) Seriously though, not only is ricotta a perfect addition to baked goods, it’s also so creamy and delicious to eat on it’s own, spread over warm bread with honey, or as a base with fruit and granola.
Entertaining tips:
This keeps for up to a week in the fridge, so make it ahead of time so it’s ready for however you decide to serve it.
Recipe
Makes: 2 cups
Ingredients:
8 cups whole milk
2 cups half and half
1/3 cup lemon juice + 1 Tbsp
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon zest *optional
Directions:
In a large sauce pan, gently heat milk and half and half over medium heat.
When the milk is foaming at the top and steaming, but not yet boiling, remove it from heat. Milk will be about 200 degrees.
Gently stir in lemon juice and salt and let sit for about 10-15 minutes, or until milk starts to separate.
Note, the milk will begin to curdle and start to separate leaving clear(-ish) liquid which is the whey. If your milk is not fully separating, add another tablespoon of lemon juice.
Line a strainer with 3-4 layers of cheese cloth and place strainer over a large bowl.
Gently pour milk (curd and whey) over into the lined strainer to drain.
Depending on your consistency preference, let ricotta drain for 5-15 minutes. The longer you let drain, the drier the ricotta will be.
For extra lemon flavor, add 1 tsp to zest to ricotta.
Ricotta can be served immediately or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Enjoy!
