I will never buy ricotta again!

About a month ago I made mozzarella for the first time and was impressed by how easy and delicious it was. Tonight I made ricotta and it was even easier. I doubt I will ever buy it from the store again. It tastes so much better homemade and took under an hour to do it.

               Ricki's Whole Milk RICOTTA!

INGREDIENTS:
1 gallon milk (milk cannot be ultra-pastorized. I use Natrel 3.25%)
1 tsp citric acid
1 tsp cheese salt (optional)

EQUIPMENT:
1 gallon pot
cooking thermometer
butter muslin

1. Pour milk into non reactive pot (not aluminum or cast iron). Add citric acid and cheese salt (optional). Stir.

2. Heat milk to 195'F. Stir often to avoid scorching.

3. When the curds and whey separate, turn off the heat and let set for 5 minutes.

4. Line a colander with the butter muslin. Ladle the curds gently into the cloth.

5. Tie the cloth into a bag and hang to drain for 1/2 hour or more depending on the desired consistency.

6. After draining to the consistency you prefer, the cheese is ready to eat. It will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator, or it may even be frozen.

I used the ricotta to make lasagna :) Next time I plan on making both the mozzarella, the ricotta and maybe even the noodles, but that might be a little to ambitious :)