Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Recipe Book Recipe Reviews => Topic started by: cookie1 on June 26, 2011, 08:58:56 am
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I made the ricotta from Helene's blog today. It is so very easy and extremely tasty. I'm using it for a frittata tonight so I hope it tastes nice. Here's (http://www.superkitchenmachine.com/2011/12574/make-ricotta-thermomix-recipe.html) the link to the ricotta.
(http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/birdsam/Thermomix%20recipes/P1010454.jpg)
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Looks like a few of us have had a look at Helene's recipe. The images are so clear and helpful.
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Cookie, that looks so inviting and perfect that I went over there to have a look myself. Couldn't believe it is so easy to make,even though you said so ;) Will have to pull out some ricotta recipes first then put this on my 'to do' list - but near the top :D Thanks for drawing our attention to it.
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I have been very bad. I used about half for the frittata and since then I keep gooing to take a mouthful. Even DD liked it by itself.
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I can't believe how simple this was!
(http://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt266/nachothecat/104_6450.jpg)
lovely & creamy. Thanks Cookie for posting about it :-* I'm so glad I can make it easily when needed.
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Gosh Maddy that looks lovely! Are you making something special with it or tucking in with a spoon? :D
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Are you making something special with it or tucking in with a spoon? :D
as tempting as spoon eating is, I will use it for cottage rolls (http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=4310.0) (in place of the cottage cheese).......so I guess they'll be called "Ricotta Rolls" :P
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HELP!!! I have just tried to make this and it hasn't worked out. Perhaps I should have cooked for the full 16 mins but the light on the 90 degrees became solid so I proceeded to the next step. Shall I just try and re-cook it? Also the by-product is buttermilk?
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CP, the by product is NOT buttermilk. Did you use the Butterfly? The only batch that didn't work well for me was when I left out the butterfly.
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CP that's no good. Mine usually takes near enough to the 16 minutes to get to the 90. Did you use full cream milk? I tried with hi-lo once and it wasn't very good. Also did you use vinegar or lemon juice?
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I used full cream and the butterfly. The only thing was it took only 10 mins for the 90 degree light to go solid. I used a light thickened cream - perhaps that was it? As much as I would love to try it again, I may wait until I see the milk go on special as it uses 1.5 litres.
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CP I use light thickened cream and I usually only make a half quantity at a time.
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That's a shame puffs ???
I just set for the 16 minutes regardless, and have only used full fat cream.
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Sorry to hear it didn't work CP, fingers crossed for next time.
Going to give this and the Mascarpone recipe a go, particularly the later for the Lime & Mascarpone cheesecake recipe we have.
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I haven't made this yet but planned to as soon as I struck a recipe I needed it for. I thought it was such a breeze to make with everyone raving about how easy it was, now I will approach it with some tripidation and hope that I am one from the successful group.
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I had a similar experience making paneer. The light came on the thermomix much sooner than expected so I thought the milk had got to temperature and made the paneer (which was very soft even after pressing and dissolved when I tried to cook with it). I think that keeping to the recommended time regardless of when the light comes on might help.
Next time I'll use a digital thermometer to make sure that the temp of the milk really is 90 degrees as I suspect my thermomix is a little fast and loose with the truth !! >:( . I think if the milk isn't hot enough the curds don't separate properly.
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ok so I couldn't let it get the better of me and tried again but halved the recipe cos there wasn't much milk left! It worked this time, and I let it go for a bit longer after it had reached 90. Another thing - I put the MC lid on straightaway and this perhaps was my initial batch's undoing.
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Phew, thank goodness for that CP.
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Yummo! Looks delicious.
It's not really ricotta, but quarg, or quark. I made both ricotta and quark at a cheese making workshop a couple of years ago. I prefer quark as it's much more versatile.
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Yummo! Looks delicious.
It's not really ricotta, but quarg, or quark. I made both ricotta and quark at a cheese making workshop a couple of years ago. I prefer quark as it's much more versatile.
Not a cheese person, so I have no idea of the difference between the two. Is there much, does one do in place of the other?
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Bit slow to reply- haven't been online for a while and missed that thread.
Please correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I know quarg or quark is a cream cheese that can be made with skim or whole milk, and with or without cream. You do need a starter to make it.
Ricotta is faster to make and very easy to make. It's either made with fresh whey or whole milk- no cream added.
Today I made my first batch of ricotta in the TMX using our goat milk (1.5l milked this morning). I've made ricotta before the traditionnal way and it's usually a tedious process to have to stir until the temp reaches 90 deg C. What a difference with the TMX! :)
My only issue was that you can't laddle the curds out of the pot very easily. Dumping curds in one block can only toughen the ricotta. Any hint out there??
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just looking in my new book, Quick Fix in the Mix at marinated goats cheese.
In part towards the end where the goat cheese has done its time :
the strainer basket is double lined with paper towel and place the yoghurt in. Put a cup under the strainer basket so it can drain, and then it goes in the fridge for about 48hrs. Once its firm but pliable its rolled into small balls with wet hands. Maybe this makes sense and might be of some help to you?
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Thanks CP but this still doesn't help with the ladling of curds when making ricotta :-\ THANKS anyway :)
Have you tried to make labna balls by draining yogurt (sounds like your recipe...)? These are delicious as they are or with herbs/ sumac/ crushed garlic. That's something I'm planning to do when I have more spare goat milk. We're in the process of whinning the kids- 4 legged ones ;D
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Carine I use a slotted spoon to take the curds out with my ricotta. It's easy to get most of it out gently then.
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I love making ricotta cheese in the TM! In response to cream puff's earlier question about the byproduct:
The by product is called whey and has some interesting uses. I'm not sure if you are familiar with Sally Fallon but she strongly promotes the consumption of whey because of it's probiotic (friendly bacterial) qualities.
I haven't tried this, but when my mum makes TM ricotta she makes a double batch with 3.5L milk (heating up 2 batches in the TM). She includes 500ml of the whey drained off the first batch in the second batch, and usually this is sufficient for the curds to form without adding vinegar or lemon juice. Mum swears this makes the ricotta smoother and creamier. Now I'm interested in trying it myself!
I also sometimes use whey as a milk replacement in smoothies etc due to it being rich in protiens, vitamins and minerals. I have also heard of people using it to water their plants, feed to their pets or as a soup base (but only when the whey has been formed without adding lemon juice or vinegar - ie the second batch of whey discussed previously.) It is also good to soak to grains and pulses in to increase the digestibility of the grains - overnight is best.
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Carine I use a slotted spoon to take the curds out with my ricotta. It's easy to get most of it out gently then.
Cookie, I use a slotted spoon too in a normal pot put don't wan't to scratch my TMX bowl and it's not easy to get right at the bottom with the blades :-)) oh well sounds like the only option...
I haven't tried this, but when my mum makes TM ricotta she makes a double batch with 3.5L milk (heating up 2 batches in the TM). She includes 500ml of the whey drained off the first batch in the second batch, and usually this is sufficient for the curds to form without adding vinegar or lemon juice. Mum swears this makes the ricotta smoother and creamier. Now I'm interested in trying it myself!
So am I :) Thanks for the idea!
Alyce, have you tried to use whey to make bread? This morning's plan for me!
When making camembert and fetta I never bothered keeping whey for our own consumption (chooks & dog love it), but now that I use our own goat milk I really want to make the most of it.
Whey is also supposed to be good to marinade meat.
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Carine, haven't used whey to make bread before, but I have read a lot about it! I will be very interested to see how you go.
Yes, it is great to be able to use the whey rather then simply throwing it away! Especially when using quality ingredients.
When feeding whey to your animals did you simply add some to their water?
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Bread made and half gone :) The whey seems to add a slightly sour note.
I read on the web that using whey instead of water was making a softer bread and I was a bit apprehensive as we like a crusty loaf. I made a simple french style loaf and it worked just fine- nice & crispy.
As for feeding animals I just give them the whey as it is. Heard it's good to fatten piglets :D
Mind you I haven't given them whey leftover from ricotta-making (bit salty?), just the sweet whey from "mature cheese"making.
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i hope its nice, it was very easy to make ;D
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Yes Uni, is lovely & so fresh. I even put on pizza. Canelonni & pasta are just delish :D
H :)
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I made my first batch today and the taste is amazing. I have never been able to eat bought ricotta from a spoon but this one you can. I tipped the whey down the sink then wondered if it was good for anything. I momentarily forgot it had vinegar in it and was thinking custards etc but then when I realised that wouldn't work, I didn't feel so bad about throwing it out. I had no trouble removing it from the bowl with a silicon soup ladle, gently pouring the last bit onto the ladle. I expected what could go wrong would go wrong with my first attempt but it was a perfect success. Thank you Helene for this useful recipe.
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JD i use the whey instead of water when i make bread its really nice when i use it in the wholemeal/seeded bread, the whey helps soften the seeds.
do you throw out the whey from the yogurt 2 ?
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Interesting Uni, I throw out the whey too.
Made 2 batches yesterday, 1st perfect, 2nd used vinegar & lemon juice, a little runny. Both in fridge, wanted to make gnocchi but wondering if 2nd batch too runny.
H :)
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if u think its to runny H add exrta cheese or a handful of bread crumbs ,potato flour could work 2
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Thanks Uni, your a hero
H :)
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i have read that whey is good pets, no pets in this house just frank and the kids ;D
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Right on JudyDawn and Halex! Thanks fundj for that great advice too :-* Just seeing this thread for the first time and I love it ;) -- especially the gorgeous photos :) :) :)
It's a good time to get practicing making the ricotta cuz I am just getting ready to blog a new recipe using this cheese. It's not the recipe you might think either... this one may surprise you ;) :-)) :o I've made it three times now to test, and need to do a fourth for photo. First though, to make some more ricotta!
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Oooh very excited. Cant wait
h :)
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JD i use the whey instead of water when i make bread its really nice when i use it in the wholemeal/seeded bread, the whey helps soften the seeds.
do you throw out the whey from the yogurt 2 ?
With the ricotta whey, it's quite OK to use for breadmaking even with the vinegar in it Uni?
No, I don't throw out the whey from yoghurt, I just stir it back in and eat it.
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yes JD some ppl add vinger instead of the bread improver.
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Thanks Uni, I will remember that for my next batch. I love not wasting anything. :-* :-*
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some here JD,and u know what i hate wasting the most its bread, dont i ask me why but i feel really bad throwing bread out more than i do meat
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I never throw bread out Uni - it gets made into breadcrumbs or Queen of Puddings (http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=3372.30). I keep all my bread in the freezer and only take out what I need each day so therefore nothing gets wasted.
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I tried making half the mixture and I don't think it's worked very well, it didn't seem to separate very well. I have it straining but not holding out much hope :( I'm now thing I should have reduced the cooking time.
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Aww so sorry to hear that Wonder :( I made this recipe three times in the past week and each time worked great. I agree, if you were halving it, you would have had to adjust the cooking time. Just heat till it reached 90C and it should work. But halving the recipe won't give you much ricotta in the end. I find using the full recipe gives only 300 g of cheese, but still, that's a good amount for most recipes and it's so easy to make more if needed. (also because it's best used fresh, I try not to make more than needed...)
I hope you will try again and have more success next time. Or just come over to my house and we'll make some together ;) :D
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Thanks Helene, would love to come to Canada for a cooking lesson. to be honest I've never even eaten Ricotta and was just trying it to see what it was like. I ended up draining the mixture and have ended up with what may be ricotta but it just tastes like milk??? I've got a huge week at work this week and not feeling well so I'm sure it will actually end up in the bin >:(
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I know what you mean Wonder. It makes a lot and can be quite daunting, and like me if you made it more for an experiment and not having anything in mind to make. I ended up making the Lemon Ricotta cake from QFITM - which was huge as well, and the sort of cake perfect for a large gathering as a little bit is enough. Next time I make some ricotta will halve it and have a recipe in mind first as we don't eat a lot of it (but probably should).
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CP after making it and only having a little taste I was actually thinking that it would actually be quite high in fat and probably not that good for you although I believe everything in moderation so happy to eat a little but not sure what I'll actually do with it now it's sitting there.
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I made this recipe recently for ricotta & spinach gnocchi - it didn't make enough for the full recipe but if you look for a recipe requiring 250g of it you should be right. I would never make it unless I had a recipe in mind though. Hope you are feeling better soon Wonder.
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Wonder, you are right -- there is not much flavor to the ricotta itself. In that way it's a bit like tofu, except that it does have the properties of dairy. I have used it crumbled on pizza, over roasted potatoes, in gnocchi as July suggests, added to scrambled eggs, as a filling in omelets along with mushroom and/or spinach and/or tomato, blended with cream cheese and/or mayo to make dips, and more. Recently I was making a Greek salad and had no feta so just crumbled a bit of ricotta on top. Since we 'eat with our eyes' nobody really noticed or minded... not even me! You could also add a spoonful of crumbled ricotta to the top of tomato soup, or cream of broccoli soup as a pretty garnish that melts a little and adds a layer of mouthfeel to the recipe. Or, toss some in with CADA if you are wishing for yogurt and don't have any. I find it to be an extremely versatile ingredient.
Sorry to hear you are not well. Maybe reading about comfort food recipe on this forum will help ;)
...h.
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(http://img.tapatalk.com/cb3b227b-e142-a717.jpg)
Feeling pretty cuffed with my efforts :D
Like Wonder mine didn't seem to be very separated so I put it back on soft speed for about another 20 seconds and it was perfect :)
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Clever girl. I love it.
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Just reading my cheese book and Helene's recipe is a mix of quark & ricotta. There are two ways of making ricotta.
Ricotta actually means 're-cooked'. The whey left from cheese making, where rennet has been used, is cooked at low temperature (60C). Then whole milk is added some salt and this is heated to 95C. Once at temperature,a small amount of vinegar mixed with water is added until the curds form. These are skimmed off and drained.
The other method, producing what is known as true ricotta, uses only whole milk.
The recipe in my book calls for 10 litres of whole milk - goat, sheep or cow's milk and a 1/2 cup vinegar. This yields 2kg of ricotta.
Quark, or quarg can be made with skim or whole milk. It can also be made with UHT milk which produces a finer texture and better flavour.
As quoted from the book, "By adding 200ml of cream to 2L whole milk you can make a cream cheese...... The cream cheese version drains slower than when using whole milk..
The method for this particular quark uses a starter rather than vinegar. It's left to do it's own thing overnight rather like yoghurt and drained the next day. I remember making it and it was delicious! We just used UHT milk and UHT cream.
Helen's recipe is much easier! I'm going to try it with UHT milk and cream as I don't always have a lot of milk or cream on hand.
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Quark is used extensively in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria etc. now much more common in the uk. Yet to make much impact here in Aus however. It's very versatile.
Apparently easy to make - friends of ours make it.
The starter culture is the same set of bugs (for want of a better term) as in cultured buttermilk. Just culture it at an even 20-22C. I don't have an adjustable thermostat on my yogurt maker and so haven't yet had a go.
It might be worth looking at the rezeptwelt.de (German language recipecommunity website) to see if there are any TMX recipes for quark.
HTH.
Gillian
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I have some of the starter. I got it from cheeselinks. It's a Type A starter.
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Hi Just helped my my DS13 make ricotta cheese as he wanted to make baked ricotta (which was delicious by the way :)) . We now have a huge amount of Whey to use. I noticed that it is good to use in bread rather than water but was wondering if anyone had used it in smoothies or had any other uses that they have discovered for it. Wondering also if it could be frozen as I wont have the time to make bread til the weekend or do you think it would last til then? thanks
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I use whey in the same way as I use buttermilk left over from making butter : making smoothies, replaces water in bread making, great for making scones and rusks, as the liquid content in soup, replaces water when making rice in the basket or just use it as a fertilizer in the garden :)
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Shazzy it can be frozen
have you seen this list http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=9778.60