Goat’s Milk Ricotta

Brydie over at cityhippyfarmgirl posted a post just recently about chevre, or goat’s cheese.  Serendipitously, I’d just finished making some – purely by accident – my sister in law had left a litre of goat’s milk in my fridge after a visit and it was in danger of being wasted. Super simple, and very yummy on sourdough with tomato and black pepper.

The Recipe:

Heat the goat’s milk until it just starts to froth, then turn it off and put the pot in a sink of cold water for a few minutes to cool back down to a temperature where you can comfortably hold your little finger in it, but only just.

Whisk in a good spoonful of plain yoghurt.  I used lowfat cow’s milk yoghurt just because that was what I had. Pour into a clean glass jar with a lid.

Keep the mixture warm for about 8 hours.  There are many ways to do this – put the jar on the dashboard of a car parked in the sun or in the warming oven in a wood stove or on top of the hot water system, or (my preferred method), put the jar in a wide mouthed thermos and fill around it with boiling water, wrap the lot in a towel and leave overnight.

The result should be a thick yoghurt.

Line a strainer with a loose-weave cloth like cheesecloth (where the name came from!) and put a bowl under it.  Pour the yoghurt into the strainer.  If it is cool you can just leave it out to drain, but in warm summer weather best to put the lot in the fridge to allow it to drain.  You will be left with thick, creamy, spreadable curds.  I like to add a little salt at this stage.  You could also add herbs if you like. If you would like it even thicker, to the point of crumbly, put a saucer on top, weigh it down, and allow it to continue draining.

A litre of milk yielded me this nice little pot of ricotta-style cheese, about 200 grams I guess, though I’d eaten it before I thought to weigh it!