Ricotta Cheese Spread With Lemon And Herbs - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese or (15 ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
1 garlic clove (crushed through a press)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leave (stripped from the stem)
1 pinch salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 basil leaves (rolled and cut into strip for garnish)

Preparation

Empty the container of ricotta into a strainer and place over a bowl.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. (You can cut down the drain time several ways - 1) don't bother to drain at all, you'll just have a lot more moisture in your final product 2) drain at room temperature for 1 hour or 3) just drain for as long as you have patience and then, proceed!).
Combine drained ricotta, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of the lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon of the thyme leaves, salt and pepper.
Stir until blended.
Mound onto the center of a shallow bowl or serving plate and drizzle with oil.
Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and 1/2 teasonpoon of thyme over the top. Garnish with strips of basil.
Serve with crackers, bread, or raw vegetables.
*I used the 4 hour drain time as the cooking time for this recipe*.