Once you have homemade whole milk ricotta cheese, the prepackaged stuff at the grocery just won’t cut it anymore. It is so creamy and light; homemade ricotta the perfect addition to any pasta, cookies, cake… you name it! Personally, I lost all self-control when I first tried creamy homemade ricotta served with grilled ciabatta bread and a smear of fig preserves. I couldn’t get this dish out of my head for weeks, so I finally broke down and made some cheese of my own.

As I was preparing my ingredients, my fiancé walked in the kitchen and smirked, “I knew it was only a matter of time before we started making our own cheese”. You see, he gets me.

Making ricotta cheese is so easy I am ashamed that it took me 27 years to do so. If you know how to boil water, you can make this cheese. Just add your milk, cream and salt into a heavy 6-quart pot and bring to a rolling boil. Stir occasionally so not to scorch the milk. Add lemon juice and reduce heat until the mixture curdles. Pour into a colander lined with cheese cloth and allow the whey to drain for approximately 30 minutes. THAT’S IT! Pop it in the fridge for a few hours and enjoy with warm, crusty French bread.

Ricotta is so versatile. I like to top mine with a drizzle of olive oil and serve with fig preserves and pecans. You can also go for a savory ricotta appetizer; top the ricotta cheese with chives and serve with crusty baguette and prosciutto. This time around, we enjoyed a sweet, creamy ricotta appetizer and homemade lasagna. I know, cheese overload. We don’t call it the Blue Cheese Bungalow for nothing!

Follow the simple steps in my recipe below and let me know if you have any questions.