"Ricavito" > wrote in message
...
>I tried my hand at cheese making last weekend. For the first try, I
> decided to use the easiest recipe I could find, one for a homemade
> ricotta type cheese to be eaten within a week.
>
> I used unpasturized, unhomogenized, whole raw milk. Raw milk is a
> little hard to find in the US but can be had at some markets. From
> what I've read, homogenized milk sometimes is iffy for cheesemaking in
> this way because the even fat distribution means the cheese won't
> break properly. If one can't find unhomogenized milk, it is suggested
> to use non fat milk b/c there's less fat to interfere with the
> breaking.
>
> To break the curds, some recipes call for lemon juice, some white
> vinegar, and some just suggest adding live yogurt or buttermilk. I
> used apple cider vinegar (with the mother) and lemon juice, and I
> added some left over buttermilk. I'm the belt and suspenders type.
>
> I heated the milk in a large nonreactive pot with a teaspoon of salt,
> stirring constantly until it reached 200F. I then removed it from the
> heat and immediately stirred in a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
> and a tablespoon of lemon juice. I left it alone for a half hour and
> when I took a look, it had broken nicely, with large creamy curds
> floating in yellow whey.
>
> I tried a couple of methods to separate the curds from the whey, and
> the easiest was using my drip Melitta coffee pot with a paper
> filter. It can be very creamy or somewhat dry, depending on how long
> you drain it. I got about a cup and a half of cheese and a lot of
> whey.
>
> We ate some of the cheese right away and it was good, although a bit
> bland. I think it is better for cooking, and today I added a quarter
> cup along with some whey to a big pot of vegetable soup I pureed for
> our dinner. It was so good, I think I will make soup again
> tomorrow.
>
> Next I'm going to try making feta.

I've only used Ricotta for a few things. Lasagna or eggplant rollatine, or
in mixed with a little sugar and flavoring like orange and marbled in
brownies.