Eating My Curds and Whey

Lately, I've been on a "homemade" kick. There's just something comforting and empowering to know that I could make my own food products right at home with a few simple, and for the most part, quality ingredients.

I regularly make my own breads and pastas, but last night I decided to give formaggio a chance.

I first got the idea after reading a Toronto Life article about a Bay Streeter who began making cheese out of her home for personal consumption and is now a successful, full-time organic cheese producer.

I don't have any aspirations to be a professional cheesemonger, but I figured if she could make cheese from her home, why couldn't I?

I decided to start with ricotta. Ricotta is a fresh cheese traditionally made from the whey left behind when processing buffalo or sheep's milk cheeses. For inexperienced cheese makers like me, ricotta can be easily made using cow's milk and doesn't need any special ingredients that cannot be found at your local grocer.

I collected my ingredients - whole milk, some salt and distilled white vinegar - my trusty thermometer, a fresh cheesecloth and away I went.

I will admit it was a rather lengthy process - in time, not effort. But it was amazing to see the curds form before my eyes.

To celebrate (and taste) my success, I made a simple ricotta salad to enjoy with dinner tonight. I paired the cheese with the Pennsylvania tomatoes I scored last week, fresh basil from my apartment-sized herb garden, and a little olive oil, salt and cracked pepper. I opted for a fresh dish so we could judge the quality of my homemade ricotta.

The ricotta had a pleasant flavour and the texture was good. But, I will admit, it wasn't the best I've had. Next time, I'll shorten the time spent draining the curds to make for a creamier texture.

Practice makes perfect, right?