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Homemade ricotta // fig, ricotta, & honey tartines.

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In researching homemade ricotta, I consulted Smitten Kitchen, Serious Eats, Sweet Paul Magazine, and Not Without Salt.

Ingredients

Scale
  • for the ricotta:
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup cream
  • 3 tbsp mild 4-5% vinegar or lemon juice (if using a stronger vinegar, decrease to 2 tbsp)
  • salt to season (optional)
  • for the tartines:
  • half a loaf of crusty French baguette, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces (4–6 slices)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil for toasting (optional)
  • 1/4–1/2 cup fresh ricotta
  • 4–6 figs, sliced
  • 3–4 tbsp honey for drizzling

Instructions

  1. Combine the milk and cream in a medium pot over high heat. Stirring often, heat the mixture just to a simmer (if you have a candy thermometer, about 180 degrees) then remove immediately from heat. Add the vinegar or lemon juice, give the mixture a few slow stirs, then cover with a dishcloth and set aside for 5-10 minutes to curdle.
  2. Line a fine-mesh sieve with two to three layers of cheesecloth, leaving enough cloth to hang over the rim of the sieve, and set it over a bowl or measuring cup large enough to catch several cups of whey. Slowly pour or scoop the curds into the cheesecloth. Let drain for 1-2 hours. For a firmer cheese, let drain longer or overnight in the refrigerator.
  3. When the ricotta has reached your desired consistency, transfer to a container and discard the cheesecloth. You can save the leftover whey for other uses (there are so many!) or simply discard. Serve the ricotta immediately or store in a sealable container for up to a week. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
  4. For the tartines, slice half a loaf of crusty baguette into 1/2-inch slices. If you like, drizzle a bit of olive oil over the slices, then broil or panfry the slices until golden and lightly toasted. Spread a generous amount of ricotta on each, layer with slices of fig, and drizzle honey over top. Serve immediately.

Notes

This will yield about 1 cup of ricotta, much more than you’d need for 4-6 tartines. Double the tartine recipe if you’d like, or reserve the ricotta for other purposes — like ricotta pancakes!

I let the cheese drain for two hours and it was still quite soft; if you want a firmer cheese in less time, you can fold another cheesecloth or a few paper towels and place it gently over the cheese, then place a weight over it (canned foods, for instance) to press out additional moisture.

Also, as noted above, I substituted 2 tbsp of the vinegar for a Japanese seasoned rice vinegar (with 1 tbsp white vinegar) and thought the resulting taste was just barely noticeable, in a great, subtly savory way.

Finally, if you tend to have 2% or low-fat milk in the house, as I do, just increase the cream to 1 1/2 cups and decrease the milk to 2 1/2.

Find it online: https://tworedbowls.com/2014/06/25/fig-ricotta-honey-tartines-homemade-ricotta/