Have a lot of sheep's milk and running out of storage? Cheese is one of the best ways to preserve and store your abundance of sheep's milk. But wait....you've never made cheese before? No worries. We are making a simple Sheep's Milk Ricotta Cheese that is quick and you can make with ingredients you most likely have in your kitchen.
If you are anything like me, the idea of making cheese was a little daunting. The timings, the acidity, whey vs curds....I had never made cheese at home before and I was at a loss where to start.
Luckily, when you are a dairy sheep farmer, you learn to make connections and to absorb wisdom from veteran farmers. While I am all about the sheep milk, the person that started me on my cheese journey was Kate Johnson from The Art of Cheese in Longmont, Colorado. She has Nubian goats and runs a cheese making school. She's made cheese from goats, cows, sheep and even camels.
She gave me a few tips on using sheep's milk, as every milk has a unique composition and needs a few unique ways of handling/making. Just from a few of her free online demos, I was able to make a few simple cheeses. My cheese making confidence has grown and I hope yours does too.
I want to share one of those recipes with you today.
Sheep's Milk Ricotta
What you'll need:
Sheep's Milk (Raw or Pasteurized, No Ultra-pasteurized)
Vinegar (we use apple cider vinegar), Lemon or Citric Acid
Pot
Cheesecloth (preferred, but I have also used a thin hand towel)
Heat/Stovetop
Spoon (one with holes work great, but so does a simple wooden spoon)
2 Bowl
Optional, But Recommended
Cooking Thermometer
Baking Soda
Seasonings/Toppings
Salted Butter (if sensitive to cow's milk, can use salt and ghee or just salt)
Ingredients
1/4 a gallon of sheep's milk
1 Tbsp Vinegar or Lemon Juice or Citric Acid (can add more as needed but add slowly)
Instructions:
-Heat Milk to 185 degrees F.
-Once temperature is reached, pour the apple cider vinager in it and stir until mild curdles. You'll see a noticeable separation of the whey (a yellowish liquid) and the curds (solidified white cheese)
-Remove pot from heat
-Scoop into a bowl with a cheesecloth (or thin towel)
-Once the cheese is all laying on the cloth, lift the cloth at the corners. This drains the excess whey from the cheese.
-Place the ricotta into a second bowl. You can be done at this point or continue to the flavoring
Flavoring
-place butter (ghee and salt) into the cheese to taste. Start less and add.
-sprinkle baking soda over cheese to help with texture and firmness. It makes them fluffier and less acidic.
Ways to Enjoy
-bread/toast with honey
-drizzle honey as a nice cheese treat
-herbs
Pro Tip: when you start any cheese making process, take into account when you start. I have started many a cheese that required me to do a step at 2am because I miscalculated time.
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