Ricotta making question

[krismarie]

Hey all-

I'm making ricotta today for the first time in a loooong time. So far, it's not working. This may be a dumb question and go ahead and laugh at me if it is...but can citric acid go bad? I am using raw milk, so I know I have to add extra...but I've added more than the suggested amount for the raw milk recipe, heated it to the temp in the recipe and the curds just aren't seperating.

Thanks!

[ollyoxenfree]

I haven't used citric acid to make ricotta. I have used white vinegar.(2 Tb. to 6 cups milk) or lemon juice (3 Tb. to 2 quarts milk). If the citric acid isn't working, perhaps you could slowly add vinegar or lemon juice, a teaspoon or so at a time, and see if that gets the curds to form.

Oh - and my recipes for ricotta tell me to bring the milk to simmer/slow boil before adding the vinegar/lemon, and then reduce heat to a low simmer until for 5 minutes or so. Perhaps heating the milk first is the trick.

Good luck.

[krismarie]

thanks! i ended up feeding that batch to the pigs... and i'm going to try it your way next time!

[ollyoxenfree]

Sad to hear you lost the batch.

This recipe from Gourmet is pretty good and very easy. I've had good results using it. You may have to extend the time for cooking after the lemon is added from 2 minutes to 5 or even 10 minutes. I find it varies sometimes. The comments on Epicurious are always helpful.