Homemade Fresh Ricotta Cheese

Start by sterilizing and cleaning everything well.

Combine the milk and cream by stirring in a gentle up and down motion.

Next add the citric acid and stir gently in an up and down motion

Add 1/2 tsp of salt and stir in the same up and down motion.

Turn the heat to low-med and heat it until the milk reaches 140 degrees or until the milk film on top has turned to curds. You can use a silicone spatula to give it a swirl and scrape the bottom of the pan to make sure nothing is sticking and scalding. Only do this one time.

Watch the curd it should be floating on top and it will start to get thick and look similar to a volcano erupting with whey. This usually happens around 180 to 190 degrees. You don’t have to use a thermometer if you can recognize this volcano of whey when it happens.

Remove it from the heat as soon as you see the volcano eruption and cover and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Place your cheese cloth in a strainer and you can stir in salt now or just let it drain the whey away from the curds for at least 10 minutes or so.

You can serve it now or save it for later. You can use the ricotta in a hot or cold dish, dips, desserts, etc…

It may be frozen up to 6 months