From Frank Bonanno, makes approximately 12 ounces of cheese.
Ingredients
5 lemons (for 1 cup lemon juice)
1 cup heavy cream
2 quarts organic whole milk
1 cup buttermilk
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup heavy cream to fold in after the cheese has been hanged
Tools needed: citrus reamer; sauce pan; cheese cloth
Directions
Ream the lemons; set juice aside.
Bring cream and whole milk to a boil. Add lemon juice, buttermilk, and salt. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stir until thick.
Wrap in cheese cloth; knot the top and hang over kitchen sink (I hang it on the faucet.)
Drain 24 hours; Using a electric mixer, whip additional heavy cream into ricotta until it is the consistency of soft ice cream.
Variations on ricotta:
Ricotta Salata: Instead of whipping ricotta with cream, form ricotta into thin logs or small bulbs. Sprinkle with sea salt. Wrap in cheese cloth, hang to dry for two weeks.
Ricotta Al Forno: Oil inside of a ramekin, fill with ricotta. Bake at 400 degrees for 36-45 minutes until golden. Let cool and firm.
Sweet Ricotta: Add 1 cup powdered sugar into the main ricotta recipe, above.
