Making Your Own Ricotta

Leave one gallon of whole milk out for an hour to come to room temperature, then pour it into a large, heavy-bottomed pot or double-boiler. 

Dissolve 1 tsp of citric acid ("Sour Salt") and 1/2 tsp salt in 2 tbs of water.  Stir this into the milk, thoroughly.  Dissolve 1/2 tsp citric acid in 1 tbs water and set aside in case you need it.

Warm the milk over medium heat (or in a double-boiler) to around 175F, stirring often to prevent scorching.  If milk is not beginning to curdle on its own at this point, add the additional citric acid.  Continue heating to 190F.

Turn the cheese off the heat, and let sit, undisturbed, for 10 to 15 minutes. The curds should completely separate from the whey, and float on top.

With a slotted or perforated spoon, ladle the curds into ricotta baskets, or into a cheesecloth-lined colander.   Allow to drain from 30 minutes to 6 hours, depending on the consistency you want.

For extra rich, sweet ricotta, you can add 1/2 pint of heavy cream to the milk at the beginning.

Makes 3/4 to 1lbs of ricotta, which is plenty to make a batch of pumpkin tortelloni (coming next).

* The easiest cheese to make yourself is probably Indian panir.