MAGGIE^ BULLINGTON(^10)(^44) September/October 2019
WHOLE GOAT’S MILK RICOTTA CHEESE
This versatile cheese can also easily be
made with cow’s milk, but you can’t
beat the creamy flavor of fresh, whole
goat’s milk ricotta. This is an ideal
recipe to have on hand if you have a
dairy animal and are inundated with
milk. You can make a big batch, parcel
it out into 1- or 2-cup portions in
sandwich bags, and store them in the
freezer. The thawed cheese will cook
just as well as fresh cheese.
Yields about 2^1 ⁄ 4 pounds of cheese,
plus^3 ⁄ 4 gallon of whey.
1 gallon fresh goat’s milk
(^1) ⁄ 4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
(^1) ⁄ 2 teaspoon baking soda
- Pour the milk into a stainless steel
stockpot and begin heating it on the
stove over medium-low to medium
heat, stirring occasionally with a
long-handled stainless steel or wooden
spoon. It should gradually reach 206
degrees Fahrenheit, which could take
more than an hour if you begin with
cold milk. - While the milk is heating, set the
colander in the sink and drape the
cheesecloth over it. If you want to
catch the whey to use in other projects,
place a big bowl under the colander. - Clip a thermometer to the inside
of the pot to monitor the milk’s
temperature as it heats. Be patient;
don’t crank up the heat to hurry things
along. Stir often, and wait for the right
temperature.
4 a-b. When the milk has reached 206
degrees and looks frothy on top, briskly
stir in the vinegar. Soon, small curds
that look like little clumps of cheese
will form. This is coagulation.
5 a-b. Dump the contents of the stock-
pot into the cheesecloth-lined colander.
Gather the corners of the cheesecloth
together and gently pull it up to let the
whey drain from the curds. Drain for
about 60 seconds, or until the majority
of the whey is separated, then dump
the curds into a clean bowl. Some whey
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4a 5b
4b 6a
5a
6b
6c