I have a confession to make. I’ve been having a fling. It’s probably not what you think. For the last couple of weeks I’ve been infatuated with ricotta cheese. I have eaten the same thing for lunch everyday, sliced tomatoes topped with homemade ricotta cheese and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. I got further entangled with Cinnamon Almond Fruit Dip, Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Rolls and then fell madly, deeply, truely in love with Shrimp with Tomato and Ricotta Cream Sauce. Now really? Can you blame me?

Kristy

Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic 2% milk (you can use whole milk but not skim)
• 1/2 cup organic lowfat buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp white vinegar

Preparation:

1. Pour the milk and buttermilk into a 2 quart sauce pan over medium high heat.
2. Stir occasionally as the milk heats up.
3. When the temperature reaches 180-185 degrees turn off the heat and add the vinegar and stir gently for 1 minute.
4. Add the salt.
5. Curds should have formed by this time. Cover the pan with a clean towel and allow to sit untouched for 1-2 hours.
6. After the cheese has rested, slowly pour the contents of the pan into a colander (placed over a bowl) lined with a couple of layers of cheese cloth.
7. Drain for 1-2 hours.
8. Use in your favorite recipe or place in a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 7 days.

Nutritional Info:

Makes 1 cup.

Nutritional information not available.

Notes:

I know that “real” ricotta cheese is made with whey but I believe this ricotta tastes just as good. This recipe can easily be doubled for even more ricotta deliciousness.