Post Derby experiments...

As I said in the previous post, we were fortunate enough to get to try an awesome appetizer at the Kentucky Derby party we helped cater this last Saturday. One of our new friends made homemade ricotta cheese while we were puttering around prepping for pizza time. It was great, and seemed quick and easy, and I stole the recipe, no, not really, Bob was very willing to share. So, yesterday (Sunday) afternoon we decided to make it ourselves. I love to try new things and experiment. I had a little leftover dough so I rolled it into 6 mini loaves, let it rise and threw it on the stone to bake. In the meantime, we started the ricotta. Here's the recipe:

1 gal whole milk
8 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 t salt
and the zest of said lemons...(we used 6 lemons, but could have done it with 3-4, better to have more than enough, though)

Heat the milk (add salt) on medium, stirring occasionally until it reaches 185°, add the lemon juice, take off the heat and let sit for 5 min or until curds form. Strain through a sieve lined with cheesecloth (or a thin cotton towel). If desired, strain over a large bowl and save the whey. We tasted it and it was pretty good actually, so we saved it. I have yet to use it, but my buddy Bob told me that his dad used to save it to cook the pasta in (which I plan on doing tonight). So, the longer you drain it, the thicker it will get. Keep an eye on it, 5 min is very soft, and 10 is a little better. We actually left it for 15-20 min, and while it was awesome, I think I would strain it 10 min next time. We cut the fresh bread, put some ricotta on it, a little salt and olive oil, then topped it off with some lemon zest. Very nice and refreshing.

The "pre-cheese" milk

Lemon zest

Fresh lemon, fresh bread, fresh cheese...kitchen smells great. *Notice the 11 halves, yup, that's our math for you...

Curds

Curds after straining

Leftover whey

Finito il pane!

Formaggio finito!

Finished product, seconds before being devoured...

Buon Appetito!