Kate Johnson of Briar Gate Farm in Boulder, Colorado is a farmstead artisan cheese maker, cheese making instructor, dairy goat breeder, and 4-H leader. She has been teaching classes at her small farm for years, and it has been so successful that she will soon be opening a school in the arts & entertainment section of Boulder. She has just launched a campaign to get the (cheese) ball rolling! Got Milk? Make Cheese!
Note: We have many recipes for ricotta in our book (Home Cheese Making), on our website (Jim's detailed recipe) and in the archives of this very blog. So, whether you use those or the one below, you will have the right ricotta for your mousse.
Ingredients:
1 gallon whole or 2% milk
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp butter
¼ tsp baking soda
Directions:
1. Start with 1 gallon milk (goat's or cow's milk will work; 2% or whole)
2. Heat milk to 195F, stirring regularly to keep from scalding.
3. At 195F, remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar. Stir for about a minute. (If curds do not separate from whey, heat to 205F.)
4. Once curds form, ladle them out into a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Drain for 1 minute.
5. Add 3 TBSP butter and 1/4 tsp baking soda. Stir. Eat. Enjoy! (can be frozen)
Variations: Eat this ricotta warm on bread or crackers, use in your favorite recipe or add chopped kalamata olives, chopped fresh herbs, prepared pesto and pinenuts, sun-dried tomatoes... Let your imagination run wild!
Chocolate Ricotta MousseFrom Realsimple.com
Ingredients:
2 cups ricotta (best if you have added the butter and baking soda to it, but not necessary)
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted, plus more, shaved, for topping
Directions:
1. In a food processor, blend the ricotta, sugar, and melted chocolate until smooth.
2. Divide among bowls and top with the shaved chocolate. (The mousse can be refrigerated until ready to serve, up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
For printing:
Ricotta
Ingredients:
1 gallon whole or 2% milk
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp butter
¼ tsp baking soda
Directions:
1. Start with 1 gallon milk (goat's or cow's milk will work; 2% or whole)
2. Heat milk to 195F, stirring regularly to keep from scalding.
3. At 195F, remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar. Stir for about a minute. (If curds do not separate from whey, heat to 205F.)
4. Once curds form, ladle them out into a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Drain for 1 minute.
5. Add 3 TBSP butter and 1/4 tsp baking soda. Stir. Eat. Enjoy! (can be frozen)
Variations: Eat this ricotta warm on bread or crackers, use in your favorite recipe or add chopped kalamata olives, chopped fresh herbs, prepared pesto and pinenuts, sun-dried tomatoes... Let your imagination run wild!
Chocolate Ricotta Mousse
From Realsimple.com
Ingredients:
2 cups ricotta (best if you have added the butter and baking soda to it, but not necessary)
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted, plus more, shaved, for topping
Directions:
1. In a food processor, blend the ricotta, sugar, and melted chocolate until smooth.
2. Divide among bowls and top with the shaved chocolate. (The mousse can be refrigerated until ready to serve, up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
We make loads of ricotta here at Rancho Sol y Mar and used to use baking soda. I am not sure what it is actually supposed to do to these cheese and we have stopped using it without any noticable change. Would love to know why it's added?
ReplyDeleteThanks and I look forward to trying the moose.