Episode 1: Ricotta & Crackers
Holiday Apps
Homemade Ricotta Cheese Served With Herbs And Olive Oil, And Toasted Hazelnuts, Lemon Zest And Honey On Homemade Everything Crackers And Thierry’s Crudities
Homemade Chip and Dip
Have you every noticed that your best new entertaining tips come from casual get-togethers, picnics and impromptu parties? Mine do.
I am always inspired when I least expect it and necessity is often at the root of a great entertaining tip.
This summer, I went to my friends, Larry and Randy’s house for the night. As we were preparing dinner, Larry made homemade crackers from both corn and flour tortillas. He started making the crackers from corn tortillas so he could accommodate his gluten-sensitive guests. And, then he discovered how great the flour tortilla “crackers” were. Both crackers were positively addictive and I immediately started making them myself.
The best thing about them is that you can flavor them simply with coarse sea salt or you can add flavored salts, herbs and seeds. My favorite is pink Himalayan sea salt and dehydrated minced garlic. It’s like the best part of an everything bagel—salt and toasted garlic. You might find yourself eating them like chips and they are good like that, but they really shine when paired with another simple recipe that I created this summer and is seldom made at home—homemade ricotta cheese.
I took a cheese making class in California and fell in love with making cheese. It was an artisanal cheese class and we used ‘just milked’ raw cows milk and various starters. I bought a beginner cheese-making kit and started experimenting.
Interestingly enough, the ricotta cheese that I liked the best uses no specialty ingredients to make the cheese curds and separate the whey. The most common acids used to make ricotta are white vinegar and lemon juice—and some recipes call for citric acid. I thought that I would like the lemon juice the best, or the neutral white vinegar, but I preferred a third softer and more Southern acid—buttermilk.
I love the round, sweet, creamy but slightly sour flavor that comes from using three types of milk; cream, whole milk and buttermilk. That and a touch of salt is all you need to make this ricotta cheese.
Once the cheese is strained and cooled, I put it in a pretty bowl; add a sprinkle of good salt, best quality extra-virgin olive oil, fresh herbs and zest. You can customize it and add your favorite herbs—or take a sweet approach and add a little jhoney, lemon zext and chopped nuts—I like hazelnuts! Or go crazy and serve it with fig jam and country ham or prosciutto. Delish! It’s also great with grilled bread instead of the homemade crackers.
Once you make it a few times, you won’t need to refer to either recipe, making it very portable—I love having a recipe that I can make when I travel and can switch it up based on where I am, and what is in season. This is a perfect base recipe—like the little black dress of entertaining, just add a few flavor accessories and you’ve got a new dish. This could be your go-to entertaining recipe for 2017. I know it’s going to be mine!
Buttermilk Ricotta Cheese Dip with Homemade Crackers
3 cups whole milk
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Serving:
Fleur de sel or Pink sea salt, about 1/8th teaspoon or more to taste
1-2 tablespoons of best quality extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 stems of fresh herbs such as thyme, oregano, basil, or herbs de Provence, etc.
Zest of ½ lemon
Honey
A handful of toasted hazelnuts
Homemade crackers (recipe follows)
Assorted crudities (raw veggies) for serving
Place milk, buttermilk, cream and salt in a non-reactive heavy-duty saucepan over medium heat. Slowly bring contents to a gentle simmer. As the milk solids begin to separate from the whey, give it a stir and bring it back to a gentle simmer. When you see steam rising and solid chunks forming, turn off the heat and let the mixture cool for about 30 minutes.
Line a strainer with folded-over cheesecloth or unbleached muslin*. Using a ladle, spoon the ricotta into the cloth until all of the curds and the whey are in the strainer. Place one layer of the cloth over the cheese. It will strain quickly at first. The longer you let it sit, the drier and more concentrated the cheese will become. Strain cheese for 1-2 hours. I personally like it when almost all of the liquid is strained out and it has the texture of a fresh creamy cheese—not the grainy store bought texture that we are used to. Taste and make sure you like to consistency and texture. At this point you can place in the refrigerator covered for up to 2 days.
Just before serving, place in a decorative bowl and make a well in the center of the cheese. Sprinkle all over with salt. Pour about 1 tablespoon of best quality olive oil into the well. Remove leaves from herbs and sprinkle leaves around the top of the ricotta cheese. For the sweet version, sprinkle zest around the top of the ricotta cheese, drizzle with honey, top with nuts and more lemon zest. Serve with homemade crackers and your favorite crudités (raw vegetables).
*I prefer the muslin, which is not as gauzy as cheesecloth. It is also sometimes sold as cheesecloth which makes it even more difficult to find, look for a cloth that has a solid weave and is light beige in color, not bright white Cracker Hack: Homemade Crackers
6-12 round fresh flour or corn tortillas, at room temperature
Olive oil
Fleur de Sel, truffle salt, dehydrated minced garlic, minced onion, poppy seds, sesame seeds, etc
Preheat oven to 350 F
Brush tortillas on both sides with a thin layer of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt or seasoning of your choice. Place on a cookie sheet—they can be close together but not touching. You should fit 6 (6-inch) tortillas to a cookie sheet.
Place in the center rack of the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until slightly puffy and golden brown—some of the tortillas will puff up like a ball, those are the special ones.
Let cool and break into organic and irregular shapes.