Blackberry Pizza Recipe

September 14, 2015 by 8 Comments

Since the Oregon Berry Festival that I recapped a bit ago, I’ve had the idea of creating a Blackberry Pizza. I was inspired by the savory combinations of blackberry from the Gala Dinner I attended. I thought that instead of a sweet dessert pizza, I was going to create a savory version.
Blackberry Pizza recipe with homemade creme fraiche, pesto, a little hot sauce and Oregon Blackberries

Other dessert pizzas often use a cookie as the base, such as a sugar cookie or oatmeal cookie. But I knew that having a regular pizza dough could work, given that I had adored Pulehu Pizza’s strawberry pizza before. I still have a huge crush on that seasonal special pizza, which had a light creamy base instead of the sweeter cream cheese base or whipped topping base. I know berries and creme fraiche are a classic combination, and so that with a pizza dough base was my start.

Next, instead of going with a sweet cream, I opted to lean into the savory per my Gala Dinner inspiration. From creating my Blackberry Grilled Cheese recipe earlier, I knew that basil is a great pairing with blackberry. It is only a short jump from fresh basil to my use of pesto.

Finally, for an additional layer of flavor, I wanted some heat since many of my favorite cocktails include a combination of berries and spicy vodka or tequila. Enter the Marshall’s Haute Sauce special edition Hatch Sesame Balsamic.
Blackberry Pizza recipe with homemade creme fraiche, pesto, a little hot sauce and Oregon Blackberries

I didn’t make the pizza dough or pesto – I already had frozen Kirkland Basil Pesto (which uses Genovese basil, extra virgin olive oil, Pecorino Romano, and pine nuts) that I could utilize. I bought pre-made dough and I wanted each one to be personal pizza sized.. The only slight time consuming part (which is really more of a wait then prep steps) was making homemade creme fraiche.

To make your own creme fraiche, you just needs 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to every 3 tablespoons of buttermilk. You stir it up and let it sit on your kitchen counter, covered and in a glass container so it doesn’t absorb plastic taste, for 8 hours minimum until it’s thick. It should be a little reminiscent of sour cream in consistency, but the flavor will be a light tangyness compared to sour cream. You then refrigerate your creme fraiche (keep it in glass!), and it can last up to 10 days. The more tablespoons of buttermilk the thicker it is.
Homemade creme fraiche is easy to make using just heavy cream and buttermilk and time Homemade creme fraiche is easy to make using just heavy cream and buttermilk and time

Ingredients:

  • 4 personal sized pizzas (about 6 inches diameter)
  • 1 pint of Oregon blackberries. If blackberries are not in season, I suggest going into the freezer section to get the local frozen blackberries. For Oregon frozen berries, while they are still fresh and perfectly ripe they are fresh frozen within mere hours of being picked. That means from when they were picked to frozen is most likely even a shorter period of time than imported berries in the off season. Plus, Oregon blackberries taste better because of the great Northwest climate here.
  • 1/2 cup of creme fraiche
  • 4 tablespoons of pesto
  • 4 teaspoons of hot sauce (we used Hatch Sesame Balsamic from Mashall’s Haute Sauce, but you could also mix hot sauce with a touch of balsamic if you have a hot sauce that doesn’t already have that acidic note

Directions:

  1. If your personal sized pizzas are still in dough form, you are going to want to pre-cook it (brush a little olive oil on the dough before putting it in the oven) until it the the dough is cooked. If the pizzas are pre-cooked and just need to be heated, you can skip this step.
  2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. For each personal pizza, spread about 2 tablespoons of the creme fraiche. Next, add in 1 tablespoon of pesto and swirl the pesto around in the creme fraiche to create a bit of a swirl pattern throughout. I personally liked this look rather then mixing the creme fraiche and pesto directly. Top with the blackberries.
    Blackberry Pizza recipe. Add the creme fraiche, then mix in the pesto. top with the blackberry Blackberry Pizza recipe. Add the creme fraiche, then mix in the pesto. top with the blackberry
  3. Add the Blackberry pizza to the oven and turn off the oven. Let the pizza warm for 5-7 minutes, then remove. Add about a teaspoon of your choice of hot sauce in various dots throughout.
    Blackberry Pizza recipe with homemade creme fraiche, pesto, a little hot sauce and Oregon Blackberries
  4. Serve and enjoy!

I and F both really liked how this was a combination of the slightly creamy with hint of tang from the creme fraiche, then the saltiness with bit of pungency from garlic thanks to the pesto, and a little heat and balsalmic acid from the Hatch Sesame Balsamic sauce. YUM!
Blackberry Pizza recipe with homemade creme fraiche, pesto, a little hot sauce and Oregon Blackberries

If you haven’t tried any of Marshall’s Haute Sauce, run to the website and also visit them at the Farmer’s Market. I buy the standard sauces at the store (I think it helps reinforce for the store that these are good products that will sell of their shelf to encourage them to continue ordering), and my favorite of their regular sauces are the Habanero Carrot Curry.

If you visit them at the Farmer’s Market though you can get access to their seasonal specials that they do, varying from his Hatch Sesame Balsamic during the summer to Gin Roasted Pepper to one off collaborations like their Honey Tincture with Serrano Ginger Lemongrass with Bee Local (follow Spicy Marshall on Instagram to hear what the special might be).

What’s your favorite Marshall’s Haute Sauce? What do you think of a fruit pizza, have you  had fruit pizza before?

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Dill Shrimp Salad Sandwich with Cucumber

August 24, 2015 by 6 Comments

This Dill Shrimp Salad Sandwich with Cucumber is delicious with a glass of pinot gris. It feels like a sandwich that so represents summer.
Recipe for a shrimp sandwich with shrimp, cucumber, dill, and a mayo dill lemon sauce Recipe for a shrimp sandwich with shrimp, cucumber, dill, and a mayo dill lemon sauce

This would probably taste just as good if you used crab instead – it reminds me a lot of sandwiches you could enjoy at a rental house on the beach. I can almost hear the waves and smell the ocean and feel the sun and heat radiating back from the sand now from my shaded deck now.

I tend to see these type of sandwiches more on South of the US. I do hear that shrimp sandwiches like these are also popular in Scandinavia, though I think they simply steam the shrimp and may omit the Mayo. The Scandinavians are with me though on feeling this same perfect pairing of shrimp with cucumber.

Recipe for a shrimp sandwich with shrimp, cucumber, dill, and a mayo dill lemon sauce

Ingredients:

  • 4 hoagie buns (I used Franz Bakery Stadium Rolls. They are doughy delicious and sometimes you can find a Spicy Chipotle flavor one with peppers, though the ones you see here are the Franz Bakery Outdoor Rolls!)
    Franz Bakery is local to Portland and makes these delicious Outdoor Stadium Style rolls which are better than any hot dog roll because they are soft and doughy, which means you can also use them for sandwiches, which I do! Franz Bakery is local to Portland and makes these delicious Outdoor Stadium Style rolls which are better than any hot dog roll because they are soft and doughy, which means you can also use them for sandwiches, which I do!
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
    Shrimp, raw
  • 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup mayonnaise (adjust based on your preference of how much sauce you want with your shrimp)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (perhaps more in case your guests want to squeeze a wedge worth more upon serving the sandwiches)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 4-6 teaspoons fresh dill (I like adding dill at the end when serving so the sandwich looks nice too)
  • 1 cup chopped cucumber
  • Butter Lettuce

Directions:

  1. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add shrimp once the butter is hot and stir for a few minutes until shrimp turn pink. Remove from heat and then let cool so you can remove the tails. My trick for removing shrimp tails so you don’t lose that little bit of shrimp meat encased inside the tail shell portion is to press a bit til you hear a snap before pulling the tail off.
  2. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper with the shrimp and the chopped cucumber and toss until everything is coated with the sauce.
    Toss shrimp sauteed in a little bit of butter just until cooked with a mixture of mayo, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and dill Toss shrimp sauteed in a little bit of butter just until cooked with a mixture of mayo, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and dill
  3. In the hoagie buns, first place a couple pieces of butter lettuce (I admit I also spread the leftover butter from cooking the shrimp on the buns before placing the butter lettuce). Then, spoon the shrimp and cucumber mixture into your buns
    Recipe for a shrimp sandwich with shrimp, cucumber, dill, and a mayo dill lemon sauce Recipe for a shrimp sandwich with shrimp, cucumber, dill, and a mayo dill lemon sauce

Make sure you provide a lot of napkins! And maybe, a pinot gris!
Recipe for a shrimp sandwich with shrimp, cucumber, dill, and a mayo dill lemon sauce Recipe for a shrimp sandwich with shrimp, cucumber, dill, and a mayo dill lemon sauce

Have you had shrimp salad sandwiches before? What’s your favorite type of eats on a beach getaway or trip to the coast?

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Chinese Tomato and Eggs Recipe

August 10, 2015 by 17 Comments

Looking for something new to do with fresh summer tomatoes besides sauces and salads? Have you ever had Chinese Tomato and Eggs?

In 1997, there was a summer where I spent a summer in China as part of the UCCEC program with Columbia University. It was a couple weeks in Beijing, and then a couple weeks in Kunming. We had classes every day, but we were learning Chinese while in China so the immersion forced us to learn faster and broader, and the weekends included trips such as what you see below to Beihai, Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, and the Great Wall and more.

Beijing Sightseeing:
Temple of Heaven, Beijing Our UCCEC group at Temple of Heaven, Beijing in summer of 1997
Me in the Forbidden City, China in 1997 The steps at the Great Wall of China in summer of 1997

Beihai Park, an Imperial Garden:
Lily pads in Beihai

During that first week or so in China, as my stomach and my new friends adjusted to the new sights, sounds, smells, and foreign language, we discovered this simple dish of Chinese Tomato and Eggs. Every restaurant in Beijing had it, it was easy to recognize in Chinese on the menu and say without people being confused, and it was a safe bet for eating as our stomachs became used to the new bacteria in this part of the world.
'Easy 'Easy

This recipe for Chinese Tomato and Eggs is not a dish seen often in Chinese restaurants United States, maybe because it’s too simple.  But it’s so delicious. It only takes 20 minutes or so, so it’s very fast. And, it can feed 2-4 for dinner when served with rice (2 as the only dish with the rice, 4 with another dish).

The key to this dish, which sounds plain but is not, is that the eggs get a touch of sesame oil, and the tomatoes get a touch of sugar. My version uses the secret ingredient of one tablespoon of Red Duck Ketchup, which adds just that little extra depth of flavor.
My secret ingredient to my Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe is a tablespoon of Red Duck Ketchup

Ingredients:

  • Some chopped green onions, with the white and green parts separated, I used about 4 green onions but I really like green onions!
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil, separated (you will use 2 and then 1 tablespoon)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 medium sized tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup

Directions:

  1. Beat eggs together; season with salt and pepper, and add the sesame oil. Whisk so it’s airy.
  2. Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a large pan (or wok if you have one, but it’s not absolutely necessary), turning up the heat to high. You should see the oil start to be steamy so you know it’s hot. Now add the white parts of the green onions (approximately – I still had some green-white parts and it was fine for me!) and sauté for about 30 seconds or so until fragrant.
  3. Next, add the egg mixture and let sit for 30 seconds. Stir and then carefully fold the eggs for another minute or less, just until the eggs are about to set (wherever it is shiny and still liquidy just fold down so it can cook for a few seconds until there are no more liquid parts), then immediately remove from heat and set aside on a plate.
    Setting aside eggs with green onions for the Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe
  4. In a small bowl, combine together  2 tablespoons of water  with the 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Mix until it all is incorporated into the liquid.
  5. Add 1 more tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. When the oil is steaming again, add the roughly chopped tomatoes and the cornstarch sugar water and my secret ingredient, the tablespoon of Red Duck ketchup. Let the tomatoes cook, stirring only a bit, until you can see the tomato meat firm up slightly and you can smell the tomatoes. This should only take about 5 minutes.
    You only need to roughly chop the tomatoes for the Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe Cook the tomatoes until it is fragrant and the flesh is more firm for the Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe, just a few minutes
  6. Pour the eggs you set aside earlier back into the pan and stir to mix the eggs and tomatoes. Add the green part of the green onion and after another good stir, pour into your serving dish.
    Easy comfort food of my Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe, enjoy with rice and is only 20 minutes from prep start to finish! Easy comfort food of my Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe, enjoy with rice and is only 20 minutes from prep start to finish!
  7. Serve with rice.
    Easy comfort food of my Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe, enjoy with rice and is only 20 minutes from prep start to finish!

You can fancify this dish with more vegetables like spinach, a bit of ginger, putting it on fried rice instead of regular rice. It can be breakfast, lunch or dinner – and I promise you, although it sounds simple, so does pasta with cheese (aka classic mac and cheese), and no one can deny the comfort of that dish. That’s what this Chinese Tomato and Eggs is.
My secret ingredient to my Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe is a tablespoon of Red Duck Ketchup

I am a huge fan of Red Duck Ketchup. It’s made from organic ingredients and no high fructose corn syrup (it’s 100% corn free), and is supporting a local business. The name of the ketchup comes from the fact the three founders are from University of Oregon and thus are fans of the Oregon Ducks. And ketchup is red… aka Red Duck.
Coalition Brewing Spicy Ketchup Beer and Curry Red Ale were brewed with Red Duck Ketchup

Although I’m not specifically an Oregon Ducks fan, on the day I was born as my mom was sitting on the front steps as my dad prepared the car, she saw a mother duck and her ducklings under a bush (our backyard had a lake) walk out and she almost, almost nicknamed me Duck. Thank goodness I got Pech instead.

Not to mention, this is just the most delicious ketchup I have ever had. They make a few flavors (I also love their spicy ketchup and curry ketchup, and they sometimes make other seasonal flavors like Pumpkin Spice!). The Red Duck Original Ketchup flavor isn’t too sweet but has a little depth of flavor thanks to a bit of balsamic vinegar.

Red Duck Ketchup was a discovery for me at Feast Portland‘s Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting. This event, which takes place on Friday and Saturday on September 18 and 19, is a great value in that so many amazing local vendors are all gathered in one place, ALL are offering samples so you can try everything and know what you are buying!

Feast Portland 2014, Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting Feast Portland 2014, Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting Feast Portland 2014, Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting

That’s how I discovered and got to try Red Duck Ketchup, which I’m not sure I would have noticed normally since I’m not usually a big ketchup fan. But, Red Duck totally changed my tune.

This ketchup is amazing with anything and everything… and I loved it even when Coalition Brewing brewed a one keg special edition Spicy Ketchup Beer and a keg of Curry Red Ale with Red Duck Ketchup as part of National Ketchup Day. That’s right, this ketchup can even hold its own when used in beer!
Coalition Brewing Spicy Ketchup Beer and Curry Red Ale were brewed with Red Duck Ketchup Coalition Brewing Spicy Ketchup Beer and Curry Red Ale were brewed with Red Duck Ketchup

So of course it’s going to be awesome in your basic uses like paired on an Olympia Provisions hot dog, on your burgers… or as a secret ingredient of my Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe.
Coalition Brewing Spicy Ketchup Beer and Curry Red Ale were brewed with Red Duck Ketchup as part of National Ketchup Day. So of course the ketchup is awesome paired on an Olympia Provisions hot dog.

Have you had Red Duck Ketchup, or Chinese Tomato and Eggs before? Have you studied abroad and learned of a new local dish during your visit that has special memories for you?

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Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich

July 27, 2015 by 15 Comments

Last week, I walked you through making your own fresh ricotta. Today, I’m going to share another recipe on how to enjoy that fresh ricotta. This Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich is vegetarian and a mix of flavors textures like the soft creamy ricotta and firm edamame and grassy microgreens, crunchy slighly spicy radish and acid of quick pickled red onions. This is my take when I saw the recipe of Summer Pea and Radish Pita in the Vegetarian Times and was inspired to make a version that’s more me and less pea.
My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich

The original recipe made 6 sandwiches, and there was not an easy way to reduce the amount for quick pickling the onions (and you use the leftover liquid to help make vinaigrette), so I followed that portion exactly. So, you will have a bunch of leftover quick pickled onion to enjoy as you will. I only needed to make 2 sandwiches for my household of 2, so you’ll notice I give instructions in the ingredients and directions below for what is needed per each sandwich.
My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich

Rather than making a sandwich, you can totally eat this as a salad as well and ignore the bread (I used regular sandwich bread here and not pita). My version also uses microgreens and edamame, which I used instead of pea shoots and peas as called by the original recipe, though the idea of pea shoots and peas in a sandwich is pretty lovely too.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar
  • 3/4 cup of diced onions
  • 1 cup shelled edamame (you can also use peas instead)
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 6 cups microgreens or pea shoots or you can use torn butter lettuce, your call (you will use about a cup of greens per sandwich)
  • About 2 cups of thinly sliced radishes (you will use 1/3 cup per sandwich)
    Slicing radishes thinly thanks to my new mandoline
  • Your choice of sandwich bread – I used multigrain
  • 1 cup of fresh ricotta (especially if you make it yourself, like in my recipe here for homemade ricotta)
  • Directions:
  1. First, place the diced onions in a heat proof bowl. Let me interrupt this step for a second to plug one of my favorite kitchen tools besides my silicon spatulas for scraping every bit of food in containers, KitchenArt ButterMate for measuring and cutting butter with no mess, and my rice cooker. My #4 fave kitchen tool is the Vidalia Onion Chop Wizard. I bought it a couple years ago when after (wearing glasses, not contacts) chopping a large beautiful onion I had procured from the Portland Farmers Market, I noticed at work the next day that the misty morning was continuing in that it was looking a little misty inside my work cubicle looking at my monitor. An emergency appointment that evening at the eye doctor yielded that I had somehow burned my eye with possibly onion vapors and needed steroid eye drops for the rest of the week. Shortly after that I bought this Chop Wizard and now I can get onions diced in less than a minute and there are never any tears. It even measures how many cups of onions I have so I only need to chop what I need. Some people like the repetitive ritual of chopping, but not me – and this chopper helps me get if over faster with all sorts of vegetables, not just onions. It’s awesome.
    <One of my favorite kitchen tools, the Vidalia Chop Wizard makes dicing onions so easy One of my favorite kitchen tools, the Vidalia Chop Wizard makes dicing onions so easy
    Anyway, in a small saucepan bring to a boil a combination of the 1/4 cup water, the 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to a boil.  Once it is boiling, remove the liquid from heat and pour over your diced onions. Let the onions pickle for about 15 minutes before separating the onions out. Don’t toss the onion vinegar liquid – you’ll be using that as a vinaigrette later! This is a great trick for quick pickling onions for any of your sandwich needs.
    Quick pickling the diced red onions is easy, just onions, and then boiled water with apple cider vinegar and some sugar Quick pickling the diced red onions is easy, just onions, and then boiled water with apple cider vinegar and some sugar Quick pickling the diced red onions is easy, just onions, and then boiled water with apple cider vinegar and some sugar
  2. If you use frozen edamame like I did, you should defrost them by steaming, boiling, or because of the summer heatwave I just used the microwave. They only need to be heated for a few minutes, and then blanched for the same number of minutes (I refreshed mine in water with ice). Drain the edamame from the water and set aside.
  3. Whisk 3 tablespoons of the leftover onion vinegar liquid that was left in a mixing bowl with the olive 3 tablespoons of olive oil. That’s enough dressing for 6 sandwiches, but I only needed to make 2 sandwiches so I eyed only a small amount to keep in the bowl and refrigerated the rest for future sandwiches and salads.
  4. In a mixing bowl I combined that small amount of onion vinaigrette (approximately two tablespoons) with a small amount of the quick pickled onions (probably two tablespoons, one for each sandwich again) as well as 2 cups of microgreens, a tablespon of the shelled edamame, and 1/3 cup of sliced radishes and tossed them all together so everything was coated with the vinaigrette.
    For the greens portion of the Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich, toss the onion vinaigrette with microgreens, radishes, edamame, and the quick pickled red onions For the greens portion of the Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich, toss the onion vinaigrette with microgreens, radishes, edamame, and the quick pickled red onions
  5. For each sandwich, I first spread the fresh ricotta (about 1 tablespoon for each sandwich half), and then topped each half with 1/2 a cup of the greens edamame radish mixture.
    My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich

I left my sandwiches open-faced because that’s my thing right now, to let the insides of a sandwich be visually enjoyed. I also am a bit greedy and may overstuff my sandwich.
My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich

The next day, instead of sandwiches I added more torn butter lettuce to fill it out (I added a bit more of the leftover vinaigrette to compensate) and had this whole thing in salad form instead of sandwich (and my homemade ricotta had gotten more firm, so was perfect for adding in little 1/4 teaspoon fulls instead of spreading on bread).
Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens salad Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens salad

What’s one of your favorite go to summer sandwiches during the hot summer? What are your favorite kitchen tools/tricks?

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Cucumber and Ricotta Sandwich with a recipe for Homemade Ricotta

July 20, 2015 by 14 Comments

Just a simple Cucumber and Ricotta Sandwich that is great for a picnic or dinner on the porch with a glass of white wine on a super hot day, like the heat wave that Portland just went through.

Homemade ricotta on Franz Bakery Stadium Rolls with sliced cucumber and microgreens. Simple sandwich and great for a summer heatwave meal

I make my own ricotta because once I learned how to during a HipCooks Portland class several years back, I haven’t been able to go back. Plastic from the store leaches into the flavor of the mass market Ricotta. You can avoid this for the cost of a a little whole milk, heavy cream and a lemon juice or vinegar (which you probably already have at home anyway). Or instead of the cream and lemon juice/vinegar as your acid ,just use buttermilk instead like when I made ricotta for Pasta Shells with squash and zucchini. Either way it yields a better value if I make it myself than buy it from the store, on top of the superior flavor quality. It really is just those 3 (or 2!) ingredients!

You can never have too much ricotta, which is why I always go for the gallon or half gallon of milk plus pint of heavy cream amounts. If you need more ideas of how to use ricotta besides the obvious smearing it on bread, putting it in pastas, in desserts… check out this Huffington Post roundup of some beautiful Ricotta Recipe Ideas.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 gallon of whole milk (aka 2 quarts)
  • 1 pint of heavy cream (aka 2 cups)
  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar (or another acid like lemon juice also works)

Directions:

  1. In a large pot, add the milk and cream and slowly heat it, stirring to make sure you don’t burn the milk at the bottom, until you start to see lots of little bubbles around the corner but it hasn’t reached a full rolling boil. If you have a thermometer, you are shooting for around 180 degrees F. Make sure you keep stirring so you don’t scorch any milk at the bottom of the pot.
    Making homemade ricotta- so easy, just whole milk, heavy cream, and a little acid via lemon juice or vinegar combined with heat Making homemade ricotta- so easy, just whole milk, heavy cream, and a little acid via lemon juice or vinegar combined with heat. You want it to reach around 140 degrees F - it will not be boiling yet, but be starting to bubbles at the pop sides like this
  2. Once you reach that heat level, turn off the heat and remove the pot of milks from the stove. Add in the vinegar and stir in. Now let it stand for a few minutes while the cheese curdles – you should see the whey (the yellowish part) start to separate from the clumps of ricotta, like below.
    Making homemade ricotta- so easy, just whole milk, heavy cream, and a little acid via lemon juice or vinegar combined with heat. Here you can see the curds starting to separate <Making homemade ricotta- so easy, just whole milk, heavy cream, and a little acid via lemon juice or vinegar combined with heat. Here you can see the curds starting to separate
  3. Using a sieved spoon, I then spoon the ricotta into a sieve that has a cheesecloth folded in half over it. Let the cheese drain – the less time you give it, the softer and moister it will be, while draining it overnight makes it thicker. As you are spooning in the ricotta, if you’d like you can sprinkle in a little salt now and then for flavor. Depending on the size of the curds, I might use the strainer itself instead of a sieved spoon to get all the tiny curds. Here in this batch the curds were chunkier but it’s OK if the curds are smaller,  it all comes together as it drains don’t worry.
    Making homemade ricotta- so easy, just whole milk, heavy cream, and a little acid via lemon juice or vinegar combined with heat. Here you can see the curds have separated, so now strain the cheese from the whey with cheesecloth over a mesh strainer Making homemade ricotta- so easy, just whole milk, heavy cream, and a little acid via lemon juice or vinegar combined with heat. Here you can see the curds have separated, so now strain the cheese from the whey with cheesecloth over a mesh strainer Making homemade ricotta- so easy, just whole milk, heavy cream, and a little acid via lemon juice or vinegar combined with heat. Here you can see the curds have separated, so now strain the cheese from the whey with cheesecloth over a mesh strainer
  4. Let the whey drain further – depending on how soft or firm you want the ricotta. I think it’s best within the first 24 hours, when it’s still really soft and drained for a few hours. As you drain it further such as overnight or place it in the refrigerator, it will get firmer. The ricotta should keep refrigerated for 4 to 5 days, though mine never lasts than 3 days at most and I think it’s best in those first few days unless you are making a pasta dish/cooking with it as it isn’t as fresh tasting as the first days.
    Making homemade ricotta. Now in the cheesecloth, let it drain for a couple hours. The longer you wait, the most more firm it will become, especially if you drain it in the fridge overnight Homemade Ricotta after draining the whey and a little ground pepper

I use it on bread and top it with fruit and veggies as an open sandwich, or on grilled bread with just a drizzle of nice olive oil and balsamic vinegar if I’m fancy. It could be simply in a bowl with fruit, part of breakfast in pancakes or an accompaniment with eggs, or just the start of a big dinner such as stuffed pasta shells (like a Fresh Ricotta, butternut squash, baby zucchini in Pasta Shells recipe I shared in the past), lasagna, and so much more! In fact, next week, I will share one of the other things I made with this ricotta, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich.
Simple Scrambled eggs with ricotta and microgreens

In the summer, especially during a heat wave when it’s almost 100 degrees and I’m super hot and tired and lazy or combination of all of those, and I want a refreshing sandwich, I just cut up cucumbers and put it in a sandwich with ricotta – maybe even an additional smear of avocado.
California Avocados Homemade ricotta in a cucumber avocado ricotta sandwich, recipe is easy and refreshing in the summer

On a Stadium Roll (my latest favorite bread from Franz Bakery) with microgreens or whatever greens I have.
<Homemade ricotta on Franz Bakery Stadium Rolls with sliced cucumber and microgreens. Simple sandwich and great for a summer heatwave meal Homemade ricotta on Franz Bakery Stadium Rolls with sliced cucumber and microgreens. Simple sandwich and great for a summer heatwave meal Homemade ricotta on Franz Bakery Stadium Rolls with sliced cucumber and microgreens. Simple sandwich and great for a summer heatwave meal

Or, no bread at all and just cucumber and ricotta with a few grinds of freshly ground pepper.
Homemade Ricotta after draining the whey and a little ground pepper plus cucumbers for a vegetarian sandwich that is nice and cool for the summer heat

I definitely enjoyed ricotta sandwiches as meals during the Portland heat wave. Have you ever made homemade ricotta? Do you use ricotta in sandwiches? What’s your favorite food during a heat wave?

Homemade ricotta on Franz Bakery Stadium Rolls with sliced cucumber and microgreens. Simple sandwich and great for a summer heatwave meal

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