Sunday, July 10, 2011

Making Fresh Ricotta and Besan Crackers for a Snack




When I stumbled across this post recently on smitten kitchen I can honestly say I had a little flutter in my chest. Crazy I know but ricotta is a staple in our household. The boys love it and we cook with it regularly. It never goes to waste. Our local deli sells the most delicious, smooth and creamy ricotta and it sells out quickly. Luckily I am up with the delivery date and time so I generally don’t miss out – Phew!

To date I have had a couple of attempts at making ricotta and on both occasions have been left largely disappointed by the dry balls of cheese that looked at me. They tasted okay but they just lacked the creamy consistency i love.

Thankfully smitten kitchen was smart enough to come up with the thought to add some cream to the mix and voila! Creamy spreadable ricotta ready to go that is economical and tasty on freshly made besan (chickpea flour) crackers.


Fresh Homemade Ricotta:
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

About 1 cup of Ricotta

3 cups whole milk
1 cup crème fraiche or cream
½ tsp sea salt
3 Tbs lemon juice

Place the milk, crème fraiche and salt into a medium size saucepan
Attach a milk or candy thermometer to the saucepan
Heat the milk to approximately 85 – 90 degrees Celsius (just before boiling)
Stir regularly to prevent scorching the bottom of the pan.
Take the pan off the heat and add the lemon juice
Stir very gently a couple of times before letting stand undisturbed for at least 5 minutes.

Meanwhile line a colander with cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl so the whey can drain away from the cheese
By this time your saucepan should have curds and whey in it that you can gently pour into the colander
Leave to strain for 1 hour then place in a glass jar in the fridge ready for use

Don’t dispose of your whey. Add to breakfast smoothies or you can actually make ricotta from the whey (my next mission). Alternatively skip on over to here for more ideas to consider.


Besan Crackers
Makes approx 12 crackers


½ cup besan flour
½ cup almond flour
3 tbs LSA
1 tbs cold press olive oil
¼ cup water
pinch salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 185 degrees celcius
Mix flours and LSA together (use a whisk to get rid of any lumps)
Add the oil and then gradually add the water
Mix until a dough forms (knead it on a bench if that makes it easier)
Place the dough between two sheets of baking paper and roll until thin
Cut cracker in squares with a knife or use a cookie cutter if you wish
Place on a tray line with baking paper
Bake in the oven for 15 – 20 mins or until lightly browned

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10 comments:

  1. My dad loves Ricotta and I can't wait to make this for him

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  2. I love making fresh ricotta! It's so easy and it's just so satisfying to know what ingredients go in. These crackers sound like a delicious companion!

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  3. Have I told you how much I love your blog? Seriously; my mouth is watering and you are fabulous. Your photos are amazing and I am in love with these crackers...seriously going to make them tomorrow.
    Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!
    xo

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  4. I love blogging! Why? Because I have never even thought to make fresh ricotta and now I am. Wonderful. Your photos are beautiful. Coincidentally, if you peek at my blog you see that you took the healthy route and I the unhealthy route. Sigh. I posted about vanilla shortbread cookies today...the same little cookie cutter.

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  5. Sherilyn - you are a star! Recipe after lovely recipe ... photo after lovely photo! Inspiring. xx

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  6. Wow, you are so creative with whole foods! I love the look of your besan crackers - what's the texture like?

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  7. Thank you for finding me and I appreciate your words. Beautiful blog. I am so happy you found me because I now know of this wonderful site.. Not so bad yourself my dear. Excellent posts and healthy recipes. I shall definitely return!
    SB.

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  8. My grandmother used to make her own ricotta, farm cheese and buttermilk but I never realised how simple it was until I saw your post. I recently ran out of butter and churned my own from fresh cream, this is great for when a ricotta craving hits - cream and milk are my fridge staples.

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  9. Divine. I love the look of the crackers too. Just beautiful :)
    Heidi xo

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Hey There, I’m Sherilyn the creator of Wholepromise. This is where I venture outside of being a mum, wife and Fertility Nurse Specialist. I live on the Sunshine Coast in Qld, Australia and am spoilt by year round access to Farmers Markets offering a plethora of local, seasonal and organic produce. In all Wholepromise is my style of food, it’s the food I want my boys to appreciate and it’s the food that makes me happy. Styling and photographing it is just another bonus.

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All photos on Wholepromise are by Sherilyn Palmer. If you would like to use one then please ask and provide a link back to the original source - with thanks :)