Say Cheese! Home-Made Ricotta Two Ways...

Home-Made Ricotta and Fig Appetizer

Let’s play a little word association.  When you hear or see the word “cheese,” what is your immediate thought?  Processed American cheese, bleu cheese, Swiss cheese, Cheeseheads, cheese and crackers . . . ?  I’ll bet it is not ricotta cheese.  And if someone out there is strange enough to have thought that, I’ll bet you did not think “home-made ricotta cheese.”

I am from Montana, not the dairy belt.  So I had no exposure to home-made cheese when growing up.  I love cheese and adore the many specialty cheese shops that have expanded the cheese horizon to include unique, locally produced cheeses, even in out of the way places like Lodi, California.  And I really appreciate a restaurant that steps beyond the ubiquitous cheese platter and incorporates some high quality cheese into its dishes.

Freshly squeezed lemon juice (I love how colorful the purple kale is against the  lemon)

Bring whole milk, cream, and lemon juice to a boil

Scoop curds into a strainer and let drain

After ricotta has drained, place in cheesecloth for storage

At B&B Ristorante (Batali & Bastianich) at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, perhaps the best dish of a most memorable meal was a house-made ricotta garnished with kale and new extra virgin olive oil.  Quality ingredients were simply combined in a way that really showcased their flavors.  As the last bite disappeared from my plate, I resolved to make some ricotta when I got home.

Fortunately, I remembered seeing a recipe for ricotta in the Mozza Cookbook by Nancy Silverton.  Nancy says that “ricotta” means “cooked twice” and since her version is only cooked once, it is not really “ricotta” but a creamy, fresh cheese that can be used in any recipe that calls for ricotta.  Heck, ricotta is not technically a “cheese” anyway, but who really cares about technicalities when something tastes delicious?

Among the many wonderful things about this ricotta is how easy it is to make.  Since it is only cooked once, it takes just 10 minutes to make and another hour to strain the liquid out.  It is so easy, I am not likely to buy packaged ricotta ever again.

We used our ricotta in two ways:  first, like at B&B Ristorante, served as a salad substitute with kale and olive oil; and, second,  as an appetizer on a fig cracker with Migas Figs and a drizzle of honey.  Sasha, the Wonder Dog, was at full attention when the appetizer version was brought out and gave an unqualified two paws up and a mighty tail wag.  Trust me, Sasha has a discriminating palate, so her reaction was a resounding endorsement of the dish. 

Home-made Ricotta – from Mozza Cookbook by Nancy Silverton, Page 41:

4 Cups Whole Milk

1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

2 Tablespoons Fresh Squeezed, Strained Lemon Juice

1 ½ Teaspoons Kosher Salt

Pour the milk, cream, lemon juice and salt into a small heavy-bottomed stainless steel saucepan and bring to a boil without stirring.  Turn off the heat and set the saucepan aside until the mixture cools slightly (5-10 minutes).  At this point, you will see the ricotta separating into curds.  Gently scoop the curds out of the saucepan and place carefully into a strainer to drain.  Don’t pour the mixture into the strainer as it will break up the curds.  Use the ricotta while it’s still warm, or place onto cheesecloth, tie the cheesecloth for form a package and suspend the package from the handle of a wooden spoon or chopsticks over a bowl to drain until you are ready to use.  The fresh ricotta will last about seven days in the refrigerator.

Ricotta with Kale:

5-10 Kale Leaves

Extra Virgin Olive Oil  (I suppose Mario has some people freshly pressing his virgin olives, but “old” extra virgin olive oil works just fine) 

Fleur de Sel

Blanch the kale leaves, place in a cold water bath for a couple minutes, then squeeze dry and julienne.  Place the julienned kale, and a little olive oil, salt and pepper, into a pan over medium heat to lightly warm.  Presentation is flexible.  You can place the ricotta on a bed of kale or use the kale as garnish on top of the ricotta.  Either way, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of fleur del sel.

Ricotta & Fig Crackers:

Migos Figs or Fresh Figs

Raincoast Fig Crackers

Honey

Fresh Pepper

Place the ricotta on the fig crackers.  Split the figs in half and place a half on top of the ricotta.  Drizzle with honey and a twist of fresh pepper.

Burrata with Speck, Peas and Parmigiano-Reggiano

I am inveterate collector of food books.  In fact, I am obsessive about collecting, despite having food books spilling out of bookcases and stacked all over the house, little land mines to trip my sous chef and elicit four and five letter words that are less than endearing.  I get all tingly when I read about the publication of a new tome by some culinary genius like Robuchon or Keller, or Food Network personality like Lidia or Nigella, or some less known chef whose name or book title appeals to me (such as Flying Pans).  To avoid missing out, I will pre-order even though the book will be widely and readily available on the release date through a local bookseller like Barnes and Noble. 

My most recent holy grail of food books is The Mozza Cookbook by Nancy Silverton.  Mozza Restaurant is an iconic dining spot in Los Angeles where lengthy advance reservations are essential.  I enjoy food books from such culinary temples for it allows me to enjoy the experience without enduring the reservation process and arduous drive.  I pre-ordered this book four months in advance, then suffered my sous chef’s droll comments when delivery was finally made a full week after the book’s release.  But after a seeming eternity of anticipation, I was not disappointed.  The Mozza Cookbook is just full of superb photos and exciting recipes.

For our Italian-themed Christmas Eve Dinner, I chose the Burrata with Speck and Peas.  This is a great starter as it is full of flavor and very refreshing.  The recipe calls for shucked English peas and thinly sliced snow peas.  As most of you know, I live in the grocery wasteland called the Coachella Valley, hence my reliance on the Internet for my most creative dishes.  In this area, English peas are apparently only found in schoolbooks between “O” and “Q.”  Necessity begets adaptation, so absent English peas I shucked the snow peas instead.  No small task, but it proved worth the effort.

Burrata is a cream filled mozzarella sack.  It is a newcomer in the world of cheese as it was only invented about 40 years ago in the Puglia region of Italy.  Burrata came about as a way to use the scraps of curds left over after twisting balls of mozzarella.  Thank goodness someone found a “way” to use the curds.  The result is a hedonistic, creamy cheese that oozes goodness as it is sliced.

Speck is an Italian cured, smoked meat that is native to the Alto Adige, a region that straddles Northern Italy and Southern Austria.  A boned pork leg is cured in salt and spices, then intermittently slow-cooked for several months using pine or juniper wood.  The resulting product is deep red in color with heavily marbled traces of fat and a wonderful smokiness.  Like prosciutto, it is served thinly sliced or used to flavor cooked dishes. 

The speck is arranged on the plate like a four pointed rosette (or, alternatively, like a wavy ribbon around the plate), a slice of burrata is gently placed in the middle and topped with a mixture of peas, mint and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, with extra virgin olive oil sprinkled over and about for good measure.  My mouth waters just typing these words.  Every bite of this dish brings a new flavor to your palate – smoky, creamy, slightly salty, refreshing bites. 

Burrata with Speck, Peas and Parmigiano-Reggiano (as “adapted” from The Mozza Cookbook by Nancy Silverton):

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper

1 Package Fresh Snow Peas [Note:  if you can find English peas, then use one package of fresh English peas and one package of snow peas]

20 Medium Mint Leaves (chiffonaded)

1/3 Cup Freshly Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano + an additional ¼ cup for garnish if desired

2 Tablespoons Finishing Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

16 Thin Slices of Speck or Prosciutto

1 Package Burrata

Shell the snow peas (or English peas if you have them; in which case you thinly slice the snow peas on the diagonal) and place in a small bowl.  Add the mint leaves, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and olive oil and stir to combine.

For each salad plate, use 4 slices of speck or prosciutto and shape as a rosette or a ribbon around the plate. 

Slice the burrata into quarters and place one piece in center on top of the speck or prosciutto.

Top the burrata with the pea mixture, and adorn with additional grated Parmigiano-Reggiano if desired.