this month i am teaching a few classes at various whole foods in the city and burbs—simple recipes that can be used during the holiday season and will not take all day to prepare.  i have been having a lot of fun working more and more with whole foods.  one great thing about the store is they are bringing in more local products.  as a big supporter of going local, it is great to have products available conveniently for the home cook.  chef-support of local products has grown substantially over the past few years as the farmers’ markets have grown, making it more feasible for chefs to support and get to know their local farmers.  it is great to see this trend spread into the whole foods chain.

whole foods has also been a long time supporter of common threads, a charity that chef art smith launched just over five years ago.  the goal of the organization is to teach children about healthy eating through cooking classes that focus on foods from various countries while simultaneously exposing the kids to various cultures.  i have had a lot of fun over the years helping to raise funds for the charity as well as being involved with classes for the children.  the money raised from these cooking classes at whole foods is going directly to the cause.

on to the food.  i thought it would be fun to teach a very simple technique that can be used in various recipes and can also impress your guests.  ricotta cheese.  such a simple method that takes little time and very little special equipment.  how fun is it to say you made your own cheese?  i know we have been making fresh ricotta at people’s homes recently for dinner parties and they react as though we just built a pyramid.

basically, all you are doing is heating milk then adding acid to separate the curds and whey.  remember little miss muffet?  (she sat on a tuffet—whatever that is—and ate some curds and whey)  not sure why she wanted to eat the whey as it is not all that tasty, but the curds are what are used to make all sorts of cheese.  if you have seen the episode of ‘the tasty life’ where we visit prairie fruits farm and make goat cheese, you can see us cutting through the curds after they are separated, which is a process that leads to different varieties of goat, cow and sheep milk cheeses.  many are aged for quite some time, but ricotta is a fresh cheese that can be enjoyed right away.

for fresh ricotta you will need a large pot, a meat or candy thermometer, and some cheese cloth.  that is pretty much it.  here is a simple recipe that will yield about 1.5 pints of cheese:

1 gallon whole milk 1/3 cup distilled vinegar 1 T salt

place milk in large pot over medium-low heat.  stir often to avoid any scorching.  once it appears to be releasing some steam, check the temperature.  you are trying to slowly bring it up to 190 degrees.  once the temperature is reached, stir in the vinegar.  turn off the heat.  add in the salt and let the curds sit and separate for about 30 minutes.  strain through the cheese cloth, discard the whey, and place in the refrigerator until chilled.  that is it.  easy and tasty!

the fresh ricotta can be used in various pasta, vegetable and poultry dishes.  it is also great in desserts.  for the class i made a great holiday side dish with brussels sprouts, mushrooms and cranberries then showed a simple dessert with apples and salted caramel.  both quick and simple with great layers of flavors.

and the dishes:

‘bread pudding’ with fresh ricotta, apples, and salted caramel
brussels sprouts and mushrooms with fresh ricotta, cranberries, and almonds

enjoy!