Homemade Ricotta

Years ago, Aunt Paula told me that making ricotta is easy. I finally got around to trying it. I don't know what I was waiting for. Homemade ricotta is easy to make and so much more delicious than store-bought ricotta. This ricotta was creamy and rich. It is excellent spread on crackers with or without other flavorings. I enjoyed this batch with some peach jam, but it would also be great with pesto and nuts, or any other topping.

This recipe yields about two cups of ricotta. The nice thing about making it is that you can control how thick or thin the ricotta will be. The longer you drain the ricotta, the thicker it will be. Also, the ricotta will firm up somewhat in the refrigerator. The liquid that drains out is whey and can be used or saved for later. The whey can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for a few months. The whey can be used instead of milk or water in a number of recipes, such as bread or oatmeal.

Homemade Ricotta 

• 4 cups whole milk 
• 2 cups heavy cream 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 3 tbsp white vinegar 

Set large sieve over a deep bowl. Dampen two layers of cheesecloth with water and line the sieve with cheesecloth.  Pour the milk and cream into a heavy saucepan. Stir in the salt. Bring to a full boil over medium heat stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar. Allow the mixture to stand for one minute until it curdles. It will separate into thick parts and milky parts. Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth lined sieve and allow it to drain into the bowl at room temperature for 20-25 minutes (or 10-20 minutes longer for firmer ricotta) occasionally discarding the liquid that collects in the bowl. Transfer the ricotta to a bowl discarding the cheesecloth. The ricotta may be refrigerated for up to five days. Enjoy!

Basil Vinaigrette Dressing

Mom has always loved salads, so it is not surprising to see salad dressing recipes in her recipe box. Mom told me that her favorite is the French Village Inn Salad Dressing, which is delicious, but this dressing is good and worth trying too.

The ingredients for this salad dressing are simple and common to any vinaigrette dressing. The dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for some time, but the ingredients will separate, so you will need to allow it to sit out of the refrigerator for a few minutes before using it. I like to use a wide-mouth jar so I can either shake it or stir it with a spoon. If you have never tried making homemade salad dressing, this easy dressing is an easy way to start.

Basil Vinaigrette Dressing  

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves

Combine all ingredients. Beat until thoroughly blended. Enjoy on your salad!

Chocolate Velvet Cake with Coffee Buttercream Frosting

For MDS's recent birthday (still 39!), I made this delicious cake. I found both recipes in Mom's recipe box. The Chocolate Velvet Cake recipe calls for Chocolate Velvet Frosting, but I could not find that recipe, so I used the Coffee Buttercream frosting instead. The cake and frosting combination was meant to be. I made this cake as a layer cake, but it could easily be a pan cake. The extra effort to make the layer cake was worth it.

Chocolate Velvet Cake 

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp. baking flour
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup softened butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup water

Combine chips and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan ad stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Combine sugar, butter, and vanilla in a bowl and beat until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the melted chocolate. Stir in flour mixture alternating with the 1 cup water. Pour into greased and floured pans. Bake at 375 for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool before frosting.

Coffee Buttercream Frosting 

• 1/2 cup scalded milk
• 4 tsp. instant coffee
• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Dissolve coffee in milk, let cool to lukewarm. Cream butter and vanilla. Gradually beat in sugar alternating with cooled milk  mixture.