Goat Milk Ricotta
My goal for the summer is to become proficient in making various soft cheeses, and the first rung on the ladder is ricotta. I got some goat milk from friends and put , from , to the test this afternoon.
Homemade goat ricotta, draining in a colander lined with cheesecloth
The recipe itself is really simple – you heat your milk to 200F in a heavy-bottomed pot or double boiler, add some distilled white vinegar, cover and let sit for 10-15 minutes, and then strain it through some cheesecloth.
I used a half-gallon of milk and 3 tbsp of white vinegar. You can adjust the amount of vinegar up or down depending on how you like your cheese and the amount of milk you are using.
After letting the curds sit in the colander lined with cheesecloth for about 20 minutes I dumped them out into a bowl, mixed in salt to taste, and then transferred the ricotta to a container and put it in the refrigerator.
The only thing to note about making a whole-milk ricotta is that it will be firmer than traditional ricotta, which is made from a hard cheese whey instead of straight milk.
I’m hoping to make some stuffed shells with this batch, with future batches I’ll churn out lasagna, ricotta dip, and more!
Feel free to test out your own cheese-making skills, and let me know how things turn out!
