you're making mealtime meaningful.
Have you ever made your own cheese? It’s not as intimidating as it may seem, and fresh, homemade ricotta cheese will become one of your new favorites. Charcuterie boards are still very much on trend. Something about these “adult Lunchables” keeps these large (or small) snack boards of meat, cheese, brined veggies, and crackers that are just so intriguingly enticing. A social gathering these days isn’t complete without at least one charcuterie. To avoid a cliched charcuterie, I’m making my own cheese and chili jam for this delightfully delicious cheeseboard.
Of the many things we might think to make from scratch, I bet cheese is probably at the bottom of the list. But not anymore! Homemade Ricotta Cheese is surprisingly easy. It pairs beautifully with the chewy-crunchy crostini that I’ve got in the oven and offers a cool, creamy contrast to the heat from the chili jam.
Two types of milk, whole milk and heavy cream, and lemon juice. I like to use heavy cream here because of its higher percentage of milk fat which will yield more ricotta in the end. The two are combined in a pot and brought to just boiling. The heat is turned off and lemon juice is stirred in and then the mixture rests for about two minutes. This will help facilitate the separation of the curd from the whey.
An awaiting cheesecloth draped over a large bowl will drain the liquid and leave the cheese behind. This process takes about 20-30 minutes, depending on your preference for the consistency of the cheese. Transfer the cheese to a serving dish and top with salt, pepper, and a swirl of olive oil to garnish.
A slice of toasted crostini served with freshly made ricotta cheese and topped with chili jam – now this is a memorable cheeseboard to serve to family and friends. I encourage you to fight the urge to buy these at the grocery store and instead try your hand at a homemade, from-scratch cheeseboard, you’ll love it! Enjoy this with our Chili Jam & Crostini.
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Homemade Ricotta Cheese
Yield(s): Makes 2 cups
10m prep time
10m cook time
30m inactive
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 lemons, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Olive oil, to garnish
Preparation
- Prepare a mesh sieve over a fitted bowl with 2 pieces of cheese cloth for draining the whey.
- In a large stainless steel pot, heat the milk and cream over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Turn off the heat.
- Add in freshly squeezed lemon juice and stir to combine. Let mixture stand undisturbed for 1 - 2 minutes. The curd will separate from the whey.
- Drain the mixture over the cheese-clothed mesh sieve and let sit until your ricotta has drained, around 20 - 30 minutes, depending on your preference for the thickness of ricotta. Enjoy!
- Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and olive oil. Enjoy!
