R.O.D.-Home Made Ricotta Cheese

Home Made Ricotta Cheese

 

1 gallon 2% reduced-fat milk
5 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preparation

Line a large colander or sieve with 5 layers of dampened cheesecloth, allowing the cheesecloth to extend over outside edges of colander; place colander in a large bowl.

Combine milk and buttermilk in a large, heavy stockpot. Attach a candy thermometer to edge of pan so that thermometer extends at least 2 inches into milk mixture. Cook over medium-high heat until candy thermometer registers 170° (about 20 minutes), gently stirring occasionally. As soon as milk mixture reaches 170°, stop stirring (whey and curds will begin separating at this point). Continue to cook, without stirring, until the thermometer registers 190°. (Be sure not to stir, or curds that have formed will break apart.) Immediately remove pan from heat. (Bottom of pan may be slightly scorched.)

Using a slotted spoon, gently spoon curds into cheesecloth-lined colander; discard whey, or reserve it for another use. Drain over bowl for 5 minutes. Gather edges of cheesecloth together; tie securely. Hang cheesecloth bundle from kitchen faucet; drain 15 minutes or until whey stops dripping. Scrape ricotta into a bowl. Sprinkle with salt; toss gently with a fork to combine. Cool to room temperature.

Note: Store in refrigerator up to 4 days.

Yield

About 3 cups (serving size: 1/4 cup)

writeNutrient(); Nutritional Information

CALORIES 115(48% from fat); FAT 6.1g (sat 3.8g,mono 1.8g,poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 11.5g; CHOLESTEROL 23mg; CALCIUM 250mg; SODIUM 191mg; FIBER 0.0g; IRON 0.0mg; CARBOHYDRATE 3.5g

Micol Negrin , writePublicationAppearance(); Cooking Light, APRIL 2005

Curious as to "other use" of the whey........

Thanks Dawn, I will try this next week.

LISA 

Here's one way to use the Whey.......

http://terristable.blogspot.com/2011/02/what-to-do-with-whey -after-making.html

And this:

When you make cheese, you end up with a lot of whey; that nutritious liquid left over from curdled milk when the curds are removed. I'm sure you've wondered what to do with this whey. You can't just throw it out (well some of you can, but I can't). Whey contains the water-soluble proteins, vitamins, and minerals in the milk, so it's a shame to pour it down the drain. There are many things you can do with this leftover whey. You can use it in bread baking and soup stock. It is wonderful to cook pasta or beans in (increase the cooking time slightly). You can feed it to your pig or chickens (don't feed it to the dog if you let her come in at night, 'cause you will have to keep letting her out to pee, ask me how I know). It can be used to water plants, but if it is whey that you have added vinegar to, only use it to water acid-loving plants, such as junipers or roses. You can even drink whey plain or sweetened. And in a pinch it can be used to ripen your cheese if you're out of culture (you cannot use whey that has been used for Ricotta of Panir for this). I use whey as the liquid in reconstituting falafel mix ands other veggie burger type things.