a really rich Thai mushroom soup sans cream. A nearby vegan eatery that enforces a no-waste policy on its guests served me something such this. I made the soup again when I got home since I really liked it. It is wonderful and extraordinarily easy to make. Additionally, I should point out that the soup is best paired with a dense piece of bread for dipping. I think spicy bread or olive bread go well together.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 35 mins |
| Additional Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 55 mins |
| Servings: | 20 |
| Yield: | 5 cups |
Ingredients
- 1 gallon whole milk
- 1 quart buttermilk
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 18-inch squares cheesecloth
Instructions
- Line a large colander or sieve with 4 layers of cheesecloth. Set aside.
- Heat milk, buttermilk, heavy cream, and salt in a large, heavy, nonreactive saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for the first 10 minutes. Continue heating, without stirring, until the temperature reaches 190 degrees F. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour. The mixture will be separated into white curds and clear whey.
- Using a slotted spoon, ladle approximately 1/4 of the curds into the cheesecloth-lined colander. Gather up the corners of the top cheesecloth and secure closed with a zip tie. Repeat with the rest of the curds, cheesecloth, and zip ties. Use the last zip tie to thread all of the cheeses together. Suspend the cheeses over a large wooden spoon over a large bowl, and let drain for 2 hours.
- Place the four cheeses, still in cloth, in a bowl in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, cut zip ties, and transfer cheese to an airtight container.
Reviews
Fantastic! I’ll never buy commercial ricotta again.
i had a bit less than a half gallon of milk left over, and about a cup of buttermilk. made the recipe anyway, and added a tablespoon of white wine vinegar (to make up for the lack of acid from the buttermilk). i didn’t have cheesecloth or flour sack cloth (this was a spur of the moment decision to find a way to use the milk and buttermilk, which were nearing their life-end), so i used a colander lined with paper towels, which worked perfectly! i also stopped heating it at 180 (it continued to 183), because the curds were already forming. it turned out beautifully. tasted great. ate it on kalamata/rosemary bread, with a tiny bit of chopped lemon basii and a sprinkling of pepper. also tried it on whole grain bread with a drizzle of olive oil. both utterly delicious! to the person who used powdered buttermilk and got no curds, i think it’s the acid in the buttermilk that’s important. if at any time, insufficient curds form, i would bet that the addition of of acid would solve the problem. add lemon juice, white wine or apple cider vinegar, a tablespoon at a time, and stir a bit to spread it, until you see curds start to form, then stop and let it sit.
I love this recipe. My Grandpa made cheese and none of the cousins have his recipe. I make this with lactose free milk, and leave out the heavy cream if it ‘s just for me, because I have a sensitivity to lactose. If it’s for a holiday a leave in the heavy cream and have had no problems eating cheese, raviolis or cannolis to my heart’s content!
Absolutely delicious, never buying store bought again.
This ricotta is by far the most amazing thing I’ve ever eaten. I’ll never buy commercial ricotta again.
Did not set up at all. I live in the Caribbean, and fresh buttermilk is not available. Used Bob Red Mill powdered buttermilk and reconstituted according to the package directions. Did everything else exactly as written and not a single curd. Will follow a recipe like the one on Taste of Home next time. An expensive mistake.
This is so much better than store bought and WAY better than the milk and vinegar recipes that I see all the time! The cheese itself is very delicious, not bland. And there is zero hint of vinegar taste, even in the whey itself, which I used in place of buttermilk (since the whey is cultured, or “sweet” rather than “acid”) in the Classic Bran Muffins recipe.
No changes will definitely make again!
I followed directions and created a very delicious, creamy ricotta cheese. Not grainy like store bought. I’ll use this recipe again and again.
Made half a recipe. Delicious. I will never buy store ricotta again.
This came out so smooth and creamy! I love it! I did add the juice from half a lemon to make sure I got as much curd possible. And I love having the whey to use for bread
very good! i added 1/4 cup of lemon juice to promote curdling better, omitted the buttermilk, and used 2% milk. i tried this version without the lemon first and it just didn’t curdle as much as it does when the lemon is added (for me at least!). can’t wait to have this with the french bread i am baking 🙂
I made the this recipe. It tastes so much better than store bought. Very easy to make.
Do NOT ever make this. Or you will never, ever, ever, ever, EVER be able to eat the store bought again. Make sure you use a pot that is way bigger than the liquids you are putting into it-to avoid spillover, and do not cook on too high a temperature, or stop stirring or scraping the bottom or you will have a burned taste and brown bits in your ricotta. Keep in mind that the whole idea behind this is that it’s the fat cells that curdle and create the cheese. If you substitute lower fat milk, etc. in the recipe, you will just get less ricotta with the same fat content. Also, if you don’t have cheesecloth, a simple strainer will do. (The longer you drain it, the thicker and drier it will get. All depends on preference.) You might miss a little of it, but it works just fine. Also, it freezes pretty well. (Don’t believe anyone who tells you it doesn’t .) Thaw it naturally, not in a microwave, and stir any liquids back in. BTW, the liquid leftover is called whey and is GREAT for cooking and baking (sub anything that calls for milk) and your dogs and cats WILL LOVE it. It’s so good for them! Make this. Trust me. It will change your life.
Very creamy with wonderful flavor. I will use for canolli but would be great in lasagna and other dishes.
I made this as the recipe called for and couldn’t believe how easy and delicious it was! After using most for my recipe, I ate a little and drizzled honey on top. It was delicious both ways.
Absolutley delicious. Just like in italy.
Fantastic recipe! Straight forward, simple and delicious. Definitely a keeper 😀
very easy to make. nice because you can adjust the salt. store bought ricotta is usually fairly bland. I made ricotta gnudi with mine and it was so good! I only made a half-recipe of the ricotta. the division by two in the recipe worked well. I didn’t have any heavy cream, but I did have the box of heavy cream from Trader Joe’s. it is a shelf stable whipping cream and it worked very well.
This turned out perfect! It tasted just as good, if not better, than the local Italian store’s freshly made ricotta. I will definitely make this again, many times. It is delicious in crêpes, with fresh fruit, too!
I make this all the time, we use it for just about everything..Wife absolutely refuses to buy commercial made, If I want to mess with her I’ll suggest getting store bought.