Homemade ricotta.

What’s the best-tasting ricotta? The ricotta you make yourself.

Free of stabilizers and preservatives, homemade ricotta is much easier to make than you may think. The fresh-tasting results are leagues above anything packed into a plastic tub from the supermarket; plus it costs less, too.

Ricotta is a staple throughout Italy, used in dishes that are both savory and sweet. It can be made into a filling for ravioli, lasagna and manicotti and is a wonderful base for a quick, light gnocchi. This time of year, ricotta is fabulous swirled into sautéed garden vegetables and herbs to sauce pasta.

When lightly sweetened, kissed with vanilla or lemon, ricotta becomes the base for a rich ice cream. Whip it with a little heavy cream to fill cannoli or a pastry crust, or bake it into a chocolate cassata, that luscious Italian cake. Whisk in a little yogurt and honey and pile it onto the season’s best blueberries and raspberries.

Don’t stop there. Stir in basil pesto and toss into a cold pasta or grain salad; slather it onto a focaccia sandwich with roasted eggplant and a thick, sliced tomato; fill a savory tart; or smear it on bruschetta and top with cucumbers, basil and a drizzle of balsamic. And ricotta pancakes are rich and light and perfect when topped with more ricotta, berries and a swirl of honey.

Making fresh ricotta is super simple. All you need is a half-gallon of milk, lemon juice, cheesecloth and about a half-hour of time — most of it hands-free. While traditional ricotta is made with the whey leftover from processing other cheeses that rely on starter cultures and rennet, today’s recipe is for quick small-batch ricotta to make at home. One try and you’ll never go back to store-bought ricotta.

Fresh Ricotta

Serves 4 to 6.

Whole milk makes the best ricotta; avoid lower fat and nonfat milk. Do not use UHT — ultrahigh temperature — pasteurized cream, as it won’t set up. The longer you allow the curds to drain, the firmer the ricotta will become. Store any leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator. It will keep for about a week. If you don’t have time to make fresh ricotta, you can still whip up ricotta cream from store-bought versions. Pile it onto fresh berries and use on berry shortcake. From Beth Dooley.

• 1/2 gallon (8 c.) whole milk, not UHT pasteurized (see Note)

• 1/3 c. lemon juice or 1/3 c. white vinegar

• 1 tsp. salt

Directions

Pour the milk into a 4-quart pot, set over medium heat, and bring it to 200 degrees. The milk will become foamy and begin to steam; remove from the heat if it starts to boil.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and salt. Let the milk sit for about 10 minutes until it separates into clumps of milky white curds (check using a spoon). If it hasn’t curdled, add another tablespoon of lemon juice and wait a little longer.

Set a strainer over a bowl and line with cheesecloth. Pour the curds and the whey through the strainer. Let the ricotta drain for about 30 to 60 minutes. Store in a clean, covered container and refrigerate.

Fresh Ricotta Cream for Berries

• 1 c. fresh ricotta

• 1/4 c. heavy cream

• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1/4 c. sugar

Directions

Put the ricotta, cream, vanilla and sugar into a medium bowl. Whip with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Pile onto dishes of berries. Store leftover ricotta cream in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Tribune News Service