I know what you are thinking. Homemade cheese is not easy – if you want easy go to the store and buy some cheese. I’m usually right there with you, but seriously, this ricotta is shockingly simple and will impress your friends.

This ricotta is also creamy, rich, lemony and delicious. It is great served on pasta, on toast, or with roasted tomatoes.

Makes: Less than you think – about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cheese

Ingredients:

• 8 cups (about 2 litres) whole milk
• juice of 2-3 lemons (about 1/3 – 1/2 cup)
• salt to taste (start with about 1/2 tsp)

Directions:

1. Heat the milk and salt in a large pot until it is just short of boiling (it will start to steam a lot right before it boils)
2. As soon as the milk is hot, remove from heat, add lemon juice, give it a quick stir, cover and walk away for 20-30 minutes (you can spend this time congratulating yourself for making homemade cheese)
3. Stir the cooled milk mixture, it should have separated now into the ricotta bits and the white-ish whey
4. Line a colander with a double layer of cheese cloth (see note) and slowly pour the mixture into the cheese cloth
5. Use the cheese cloth to gently squeeze out the excess moisture – if you want it firmer you can squeeze it more or put it in the fridge overnight

Notes:

• This ricotta is generally creamier than the kind you get in the store and will have a bright lemon taste
• The hardest part of the whole process is finding the cheese cloth. Sometimes it is with the plastic wraps and baggies, sometimes it is mysteriously at the end of the aisle. If you have no luck, just ask. If you really have no luck, get creative but know that cheese cloth is a lot thinner than you think it is.