This month, Chef Bret Bannon educates us on how to make homemade ricotta cheese using Kalona SuperNatural™ non-homogenized milk. You will need two half gallons of our organic whole milk and a pint of our wonderful cream to make this ricotta. Since you will be carefully heating milk to just about 185 degrees–you will also need your instant-read thermometer.
It’s easier than you might think, but it does take a little bit of time. Most of it can be completed while you are grocery shopping, enjoying lunch with a friend or looking through a new cookbook. Your results will be delicious and far better than anything you will find in a supermarket.
After making the cheese, you can use it in a variety of dishes like a Ricotta and Strawberry Tart. There will be enough remaining to make ricotta gnudi (pronounced “nu-dee”) to serve with homemade bolognese sauce. Gnudi is a type of gnocchi made with whole milk ricotta cheese and a little bit of all-purpose flour.
Chef Bannon served these little pillows of heaven with a Bolognese sauce. Generally, a sauce like this is very dense and hearty. If serving with the gnudi, you may lighten it by adding some homemade chicken stock.