Homemade ricotta - Champagne vinegar

Ricotta is really expensive in French grocery stores. I'm not sure why this is exactly, but I do think that it has something to do with the fact that the French opt for bechamel sauce for lasagnas over ricotta. I can't stand bechamel saue. I have never tasted a bechamel sauce that had cooked the flour off properly, but even after some practice in my own kitchen, I simply just don't like it. If there are virtues to bechamel sauce of which I am unaware, please enlighten me.

Sure I could pop into one or two of my favourite Italian epiceries here in Paris for freshly made ricotta, but why bother when you can make it very easily in your own kitchen?

The key ingredient to my homemade ricotta is champagne vinegar.

Like tightrope walking, cooking high quality food is all about balance. I recently learned that one of the biggest mistakes home cooks make is not having the right balance of acid in a dish. In ricotta the acid comes from lemon and white vinegar. Using champagne vinegar makes a much better tasting ricotta, but you an also use it in dressing, marinades, and adding a splash to homemade marinara elevates the flavours.

Champagne vinegar is not made from champagne, but from the same grapes used in making champagne. Cost-wise you should expect to shell out about 10 euros a bottle, but stored properly a bottle can last quite a long time since you don't use a lot of it. For those abroad you can buy this lovely brand for about $10 here

All the Beaufor wine based vinegars are worth a look. I also love their red wine raspberry vinegar.

The recipe I use for homemade ricotta is courtesy of Gourmet magazine.  I have tried recipes from other sources, but this one is truly lovely. It calls for 3 T of freshly squeezed lemon juice, but I use 2 T of fresh lemon juice, then 1 T of the champagne vinegar.

You will need:

A heavy sauce pan (and this is an instance where if you have a copper sauce pan you need to bust it out copper + anything with lemon = better)

A large sieve & cheesecloth

2 quarts (1,89L) of whole milk
1 cup (237 ml) of heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
2 T fresh lemon juice (and a little zest)
1 T champagne vinegar

Line a large sieve with a layer of heavy-duty (fine-mesh) cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl.

Slowly bring milk, cream, and salt to a rolling boil in a 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Add lemon juice and champagne vinegar, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture curdles, about 2 minutes. 

Pour the mixture into the lined sieve and let it drain 1 hour. After discarding the liquid, chill the ricotta, covered; it will keep in the refrigerator 2 days.

Here is the tasty finished product, perfect for any recipe that calls for ricotta but also delicious with fruit, honey, and slivered almonds.