Bruschetta With Home Made Ricotta.....

This Italian girl just fell in love with her first batch of home made ricotta cheese. It was easy, it was quick, it was fun and it was delicious.  From start to finish it took only 15 minutes. 

Ingredients:

• 9 cups whole milk
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2-1/2 tablespoons distilled vinegar

  Here is the process:

Heat the milk and buttermilk in a heavy pot to a temperature of about 185 degrees. Add in the salt and vinegar, stir and remove from the heat. Let sit until curds have formed, anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes.

Line a strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a bowl. Using a skimmer, carefully lift the curds out of the pot and into the cheesecloth-lined strainer. Repeat until no more curds remain. Discard the remaining whey.

Drain the curds for 5 minutes, then transfer to a covered container and store in the fridge until you are ready to use. The ricotta is best the day you make it, but will still be good for 2 to 3 days.

To show off my fresh ricotta, I grilled up some French bread,  threw a small dollop of the ricotta cheese on  top and followed that with basil, tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

So good......