Instead of Saying ‘Cheese’, Make Some

Written by Pat's Papers | Wednesday, 18 August 2010 9:46 AM

Apparently it’s as easy to make cheese as it is to cut it. The latest edition to the popular Idiots Guide to series is about cheesemaking. And the Cleveland Plain-Dealer talks to the man who wrote it, Ohio cheese guru Jim Leverentz, in today’s paper. The book actually came out in May but shortly thereafter Leverentz suffered a stroke, one which took his memory and his vision. After regaining the former and part of the latter he’s back to dispensing advice on the best milk to use. For the curious, it’s not anything with “organic” written on the carton. The book shows readers how to make everything from hand-stretched mozzarella to a more difficult wax-dipped baby Swiss.

Below is Leverentz’s recipe for homemade ricotta. For more recipes click here or check out The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cheese Making
on Amazon.

Traditional-Style Ricotta
Makes 1�-2 cups

Fresh whey from a batch of mozzarella, still warm and no more than 2 hours old
� gallon whole milk
2-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or white vinegar
� teaspoon flaked salt (optional)

Cook’s note: A helpful tool is a heatproof-glass, 4-cup measuring cup.

Heat whey: Bring to 195 degrees in pot over medium heat but do not let it boil. Whey will go from nearly clear to very cloudy.

Add milk: Slowly stir in milk and heat until it returns to 195 degrees. Curds will float to the top. When the target temperature is reached, remove the cheese pot from heat.

Strain curds: Use a slotted spoon or strainer to ladle curds from the pot into a heatproof bowl. Continue until you have removed all the curds you can.

Create new curds: Stir in fresh lemon juice or vinegar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Do this until all acid is used or until more curds are floating on top of whey. Skim off new curds, if any, and place them in the bowl.

To serve: Use cheese immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days. To season ricotta, place cheese in a bowl and mix in flaked salt. For a drier, textured ricotta, place cheese in a ricotta basket (available at leeners.com) or cheesecloth-lined colander. Gently break up curds with your hands and allow them to drain into a bowl or sink for 5 to 10 minutes. Cover and store salted cheese in the refrigerator for use within 1 week.

Source: Adapted from “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cheese Making” by Jim Leverentz (Alpha Books, 2010).