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Ricotta al Limone (Rich Lemony Ricotta)

Ricotta al Limone (Rich Lemony Ricotta) is a traditional Italian recipe for a classic method of preparing ricotta cheese by souring hot milk with lemon juice and draining through muslin. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Italian version of: Rich Lemony Ricotta (Ricotta al Limone).

prep time

10 minutes

cook time

20 minutes

Total Time:

30 minutes

Makes:

250ml

Rating:

Tags : Milk RecipesCheese RecipesItaly Recipes

Ricotta is Italian for "twice cooked" or "to cook again" and is traditionally made with the whey byproduct of making another cheese, such as mozzarella or a hard cheese. The whey is heated, with or without additional vinegar, and the new ricotta is strained and seasoned. Whole milk is never used. This version of ricotta, however, uses whole milk and just a touch of cream to eliminate dry curds. So it's nowhere traditional... but it is really lovely! You also get a really smooth (not crumbly) ricotta with a lemony tang that makes an excellent spread direct on bread... Just top with smoked salmon for an indulgent breakfast. Of course, you can also use this in any recipe that calls for ricotta.

Ingredients:

875ml (3 1/2 cups) whole milk
125ml (1/2 cup) double cream
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method:

Pour the milk, cream and salt into a 4l nonreactive saucepan. Attach a candy or deep-fry thermometer the heat the milk to 88°C (190°F), stirring it occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom. Turn off the heat, take the pan from heat and add the lemon juice, then stir it once or twice, gently and slowly. Let the pan sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.

Line a colander with a few layers of muslin (cheesecloth) and place it over a large bowl (to catch the whey). Pour the curds and whey into the colander and let the curds strain for at least an hour. After an hour, you’ll have a tender, spreadable ricotta. After two hours, it will be spreadable but a bit firmer, almost like cream cheese. (It will firm as it cools, so do not judge its final texture by what you have in your cheesecloth.)

Discard the whey, or, if you’re one of those crafty people who use it for other things, of course, save it. Eat the ricotta right away or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

This ricotta usually keeps for about 5 days in the refrigerator for me, but times will vary depending on how often you open your fridge and other factors.