enjoying the local flavor

this afternoon

our lunch was the flavors of the season

and

terroir of where we live

yesterday was warm and bright and a perfect day for our local farmer's market

we picked up some zucchini flowers which seem to be on my menus from spring to autumn every year

we love them

it seems

i am continually posting recipes of them on this blog

zucchini flowers

many of you may know we are in the process of starting a little dairy on our property

the process is long and costly

we are not there yet

luckily

we live among dairies and cheesemakers

one of which sells a beautiful cow's milk crescenza

briny and soft, it is perfect for 

stuffing fiori, melting on toast, or paired with just picked tomatoes

get yours here 

to round out the flavor

{i love salty-sweet}

i used a bit of my homemade membrillo

i packed it away this winter

our nearest neighbor has a large u-pick orchard

this year she gave me baskets of quince which i quickly turned into sweet treats

i am mesmerized how the hard, cream colored fruit transforms itself into a gooey treat of crimson

fresh ricotta

homemade ricotta 

is nothing like

what you find in the supermarket

packed tightly into tubs

with expiry dates a month long

it is naturally sweet

with creamy curds

and

only lasts a few days

that is the good news

it is a bit time consuming

uses quite a bit of milk

and can be a bit of a mess

last week

cannoli was on my mind

so i whipped up a pot of fresh ricotta

and when i say whipped

i mean

spent an entire day

preparing, cooking, skimming

and draining

for my birthday

my friend gave me a beautiful cookbook

"my calabria"

by rosetta costantino

rosetta shares a family recipe for ricotta

using

 a combination of milk and cream

it produces a large yield

perfect for 

eating with a spoon

whipped into lemon pancakes

stuffed into cannoli shells

or sharing with friends

ricotta

(printable recipe)

*from my calabria

1 gallon whole milk

3/4 cup cream

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp rennet

1/4 cup cold water

place the milk and cream in heavy pan and stir to mix well. warm over heat to 200-210F.  remove from heat and add the salt. stir to dissolve.  let the milk to cool to 100F. skim any foam or skin that forms on top of the milk.  in a small bowl, mix the rennet with cold water. stir the diluted rennet into the pot of milk, then leave undisturbed until the milk has visibly thickened, about 10 minutes.

cut a large "cross" in the milk.  stir quickly with a wooden spoon for 15-20 seconds to break up the coagulated milk. using a perforated metal skimmer immersed in the milk,slowly and gently stir in one direction, so slowly that it takes about 20 seconds to make one revolution.  milk will begin to separate into curds and whey.

slowly pour off the whey through a cheesecloth lined colander, set over a bowl to drain. let stand at room temperature until whey stops dripping from the sieve.  alternately, if you have ricotta baskets, you can use those to drain the curds.  

the ricotta should be covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator. it is best used within 2-3 days.

this makes about 2 lbs

* i don't throw the whey out...i use it. hubster and i use it in our smoothies and i give the dogs a bit of it in their kibble. it helps with a shiny coat. i can't say the same for us humans.