Homemade Ricotta

A friend sent me this recipe the other day from Mireille Guiliano of French Women Don't Get Fat.  I love really good ricotta (so much that Norm often catches me eating it straight out of the bowl with a spoon...oops!).  This looks surprisingly easy... definitely plan to make this one of these nights.
I'll let you know how it goes!

Yields 2-3 cups

8 cups regular milk
4 cups 2% milk
1 ½ teaspoon salt
4 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Bring the milk and salt to 160 degrees F using a heavy-duty saucepan over medium-high heat (I don’t use a thermometer anymore…it’s at the point before boiling where little bubbles form all around the edge of the saucepan). Lower heat, add fresh lemon juice, stir a few times until curds form (it will take a few minutes), and with slotted spoon pick up ricotta and transfer to colander. Drain it quickly (a few seconds) if you want a soft texture (you may like a lighter style to use for your Magical Breakfast from The French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook, or to eat as is with a drizzle of honey) or longer if you want a firmer cheese (for pasta topping, for example, or on bread), and discard the drained liquid.

You can eat as is or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to chill. It will keep a few days, though in my house the 3 cups don’t last more than 48 hours if I am lucky! Kids love it, too, and with fresh fruit it makes an excellent breakfast or dessert. Have fun creating your endless options.