Pass the Cheese, Please

Happy Thursday lovely readers! So today I've been craving pizza (no surprise), and as we've discussed, pizza dough falls into the baking category. But today's post isn't about the dough; no no, it's not at all; today's post is about the CHEESE. A stretch from baking? Sure, but important nonetheless. Here are a couple recipes for homemade ricotta cheese, to elevate your home pizza from fabulous to fabulous AND amazing!

Homemade Ricotta Cheese
Rhoda Boone

Ingredients

• 8 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

1. Line a large colander with 2 layers of cheesecloth and place over a large bowl.
2. In a 5 to 6 quart pot over medium heat, heat milk, cream, and salt, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching, until mixture foams and comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add lemon juice. Simmer, stirring, until mixture curdles, 2 minutes for small curds. If you'd like a larger, dryer curd, continue to simmer an additional 2 minutes.
3. Pour mixture into cheesecloth lined colander and drain 10 to 15 minutes or until desired texture is achieved. Empty liquid from bowl if necessary to ensure proper draining. Reserved whey can be used in smoothies or soup. Chill ricotta until ready to use.
4. Serve spread onto crostini with a drizzle of olive oil, dollop over pasta or pizza, or stir into scrambled eggs. Ricotta will keep in the fridge for 1 week.

Homemade Ricotta
Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 4 cups whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons good white wine vinegar

Directions

1. Set a large sieve over a deep bowl. Dampen 2 layers of cheesecloth with water and line the sieve with the cheesecloth.
2. Pour the milk and cream into a stainless-steel or enameled pot such as Le Creuset. Stir in the salt. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar. Allow the mixture to stand for 1 minute until it curdles. It will separate into thick parts (the curds) and milky parts (the whey).
3. Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined sieve and allow it to drain into the bowl at room temperature for 20 to 25 minutes, occasionally discarding the liquid that collects in the bowl. The longer you let the mixture drain, the thicker the ricotta. (I tend to like mine on the thicker side, but some prefer it moister.) Transfer the ricotta to a bowl, discarding the cheesecloth and any remaining whey. Use immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The ricotta will keep refrigerated for 4 to 5 days.

And if that weren't enough, here's a video for you visual learners!

Happy cheesing!