Homemade Whipped Ricotta & Riesling
Another insanely good whipped cheese and the perfect white wine that I keep coming back to.
I’m never buying store-bought ricotta again. K, maybe that’s not realistic because I’m lazy as shit. BUT I’m honestly blown away by how easy it is to make from scratch, and how much better it tastes!
I was inspired by the amazing Sammy Montgoms for this one. The recipe I posted below is a teeny bit different, but that’s only because I can’t follow a recipe to save my life! And yes, this is exactly why I started developing my own recipes. :)
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I’m a lazy gal at heart, so I truly never thought I would be one to make homemade cheese. I decided to give homemade Ricotta a go though because my daughter can’t get enough of Ricotta, and it’s freaking pricey! BTW she taste-tested this recipe and she looooved it. See the video below for proof!!
Ok yes - I just included this video because her sneeze and feet kicks are next level cute. You’re welcome.
My original plan was just to leave it as a homemade ricotta, but you knowwww how much I love whipped cheese. SO, of course, I turned it into a whipped cheese dip. And NO RAGRETS.
I’ve made whipped ricotta before, but it was NOT this good. With the store-bought stuff I found I had to blend it with an equal amount of Marscarpone to get that luxuriously creamy texture. With this homemade stuff, all it needed was the tiniest splash of oil and cream for that perfectly silky smooth texture. This stuff is SO good on it’s own, but I wanted to amp it up a bit with some toppings! You can take this in so many different directions, but I kept it simple with a bit of high-quality olive oil, honey, fresh mint, and some fleur de sel.
The Pairing
This one is simple and delicious on its own, but the real magic comes from the wine pairing. There are tons of possible pairings for this one, but I knew I wanted to go with one of my faves: A gorgeous dry Riesling from Mosel, Germany.
This wine style is light enough that it complements and amplifies the amazingness of the whipped ricotta without becoming the star of the show. It also has that crisp mouthwatering acidity to refresh the palate between bites, and it has those citrus and honey flavours to match the flavours in the dip. Straight up perfection.
My Recommendation
One I come back to your time and time again is this Paulessen Riesling by Andreas Bender. The quality for the price is unmatched and it never disappoints!
Of course Riesling isn’t the only possible pairing for this one. A crisp, sparkling wine, like Prosecco or Sekt, a light dry rosé, or another dry crisp and fruit forward white like Sauvignon Blanc, Gavi, Soave, or Albariño would all be awesome!
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RECIPE: Whipped Homemade Ricotta
Serves: 4-6
Total time: 30 minutes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Tools
Large pot/saucepan or dutch oven
Ingredients
Homemade ricotta
1.75 L whole milk (microfiltered, 3.25% M.F.)
1 cup 10% cream
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (approx. 2 lemons, juiced)
1-2 teaspoons sea salt (like this awesome fleur de sel or flaked sea salt)
For whipping
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tbsp 10% cream
Toppings
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Drizzle of honey
Chopped fresh mint
Instructions
Make the homemade ricotta
Click here for the original homemade ricotta recipe by Sammy Montgoms!
Pour whole milk and cream in a large pot (I used a 5 quart dutch oven, but pot with over a 3L should do). Make sure the whole milk you use is not ultra-pasteurized since apparently this doesn’t work. I haven’t tried, but I trust the internet. Microfiltered works though!
Heat over medium heat until simmering, stirring every now and then to keep it from burning. Once simmering, turn heat to low and add lemon juice and salt. Stir gently to combine then let it sit for 20 minutes, or until the curd fully separates from the whey (aka yellowish liquid).
Line a fine mesh strainer with 3-4 layers of cheese cloth, then place the strainer over a medium-to-large bowl.
Pour the separated curd and whey over the strainer into the cheese cloth, then use the cheese cloth to squeeze out the remaining liquid. The curds leftover in the cheese cloth is your ricotta! COOL HEY. It’s absolutely delicious as is, but keep reading to take it to the next level.
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