Homemade Fresh Ricotta Cheese - cooking recipe

Ingredients

8 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (or lemon, even vinegar works)

Preparation

Line a large strainer or colander with 4 layers of cheesecloth. Place lined strainer in a large bowl and set aside.
In a heavy bottom 4 quart saucepan, heat milk and 1 teaspoons salt to boiling on medium high, stirring occasionally to prevent milk from scorching.
Stir in lemon juice; cover and remove from heat.
Let stand 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, gently transfer curds from the pan to the lined strainer. Drain 3 minutes. Discard whey in bowl.
If not using right away, transfer ricotta to a clean bowl, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Reduced Fat Ricotta:
Substitute 4 cups reduced fat milk(2%) for 4 cups of the whole milk, and follow recipe as above.
Makes about 2 cups.