Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta is Italian for "recooked" because it is made by "cooking" whey. Ricotta cheese are creamy white in appearance, slightly sweet in taste, and contain around 13% fat and is bit like cottage cheese but much creamier. It makes delicious lasagna, gnocchi, cannoli or a type of cheese cake.

Ingredients

Leftover whey after making Cottage Cheese

Method

1. Save the clear whey from making cottage cheese in a non-reactive heavy bottomed pan. Let it cool down at room temperature for 12-24 hours to develop acidity.
2. Heat the acidified whey while stirring to avoid burning.
3. Continue heating till it starts boiling and forms a foam at the top.
4. Remove from heat and cover and allow the cooked whey to rest for 4-5 hours or till the curd is firm enough to take out.
5. Do not stir the curd. Line a muslin cloth on a colander placed on a deep bottomed pan. Drain the contents in muslin cloth.
6. Do not squeeze the cloth contents and let the whey drain out completely. 
7. Pick up the corners of the cloth, suspend it like a bag over the drainage pot (or sink), and allow the last of the whey to drain out. It will take several hours, and can be done in the refrigerator over night.
8. Remove the ricotta from the cloth, pack into a container, cover and store in the refrigerator. Use it soon after making. Alternatively, ricotta will freeze very well. It's highly perishable.

Cottage Cheese (Paneer)

Ingredients

1 litre full cream milk
2-3 tbsp lemon/ 1 tbsp vinegar

Method

1. Boil the milk in the deep and heavy bottom  pan. Let it come to a gentle boil and stay there for a minute. Make sure the milk is not vigorously boiling. If it does, reduce the heat and bring the milk back to gentle boil.
2. Add a tbsp of lemon juice to milk. At this point you'll see that milk will curdle. There wont be a clear whey visible. Keep stirring.
3. Add another tbsp of lemon juice  and the curdles will increase and you will slowly begin to see the greenish whey. Depending on the acidity of the juice, the amount of juice you require may differ. Start with one tablespoon at a time till you achieve the results.
4. Switch off the flame now and let the curd cool now.
5. Meanwhile line a cheesecloth on a colander that's placed over a deep bottomed pan and transfer the contents to this cheese cloth.
6. Once the whey has drained off completely,  wrap the ends of the cheesecloth over the cheese. Preserve the whey in refrigerator for future use to make ricotta cheese or as a stock for dals or to knead flour to make soft chapatis.
7. Now you need to place some weights over this to make a firm block of cheese. I placed a plate over it and then my stone mortar. 
8. Leave the weights on for about 2-3 hours and then what you get is firm and fresh cottage cheese. It'll make around 400-500 gm of cottage cheese.

Mascarpone Cheese

Ingredients

1 tetra pack of Amul fresh Cream(200 ml)
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Method

1. Make a double boiler by boiling approx 2 in of water in a skillet. When water boils, lower the flame and put a heat resistant deep pan on it.
2. Pour the cream in the pan. Heat the cream (stirring occassionaly) enough so that small bubbles start appearing on top layer.
3. At this point add lemon juice and continue stirring and heating the cream until the cream curdles.
4. Do not expect the same action as you see during paneer making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir.
5. Remove the cream from heat and let it cool down for 10 minutes. Meanwhile line a muslin cloth on a sieve and transfer the contents( cream) in the sieve. Donot squeeze or stir the mixture now.
6. Put the sieve on a deep bottomed pan. Cover with a cling film and put it in refrigerator overnight to rest and firm.
7. Next morning it comes out as a thick, firm creamy mixture, ready to be used in your dessert's recipes or as a spread on pizzas and breads.