Recipe Ricotta Style Saffron Cheese

Morning Glory

Obsessive cook
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Maidstone, Kent, UK
Home made soft cheese is super easy to make. I think it is sometimes called Farmer's Cheese in the USA. You need just 2 ingredients (milk and vinegar) and the magic happens! Usually any flavourings are added after straining off the whey - but as I wanted the saffron to heat up to colour and flavour the cheese, I added it at the beginning.

I would say that this saffron cheese is best used in other recipes (such as stuffed spinach and ricotta pancakes - see below) rather than eaten neat on crackers. But that is up to you.

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Ingredients

500 ml full-fat milk
1/4 tsp saffron
2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
Salt to taste

Method
  1. Place the milk in a saucepan and crumble the saffron into it. Heat gently, stirring occasionally
  2. When small, bubbles begin to form on the surface of the milk, but it is not yet boiling, turn off the heat.
  3. Add the vinegar or lemon juice and the milk should separate into curds and whey.
  4. Place a colander or sieve over a large bowl and line with cheesecloth, or a J-cloth (I used a jelly strainer).
  5. Pour the curds and whey carefully into the cloth. The whey will collect in the bowl and can be used in baking (I use it to make bread).
  6. Lift the cheesecloth up and wrap it around the curds, twisting and squeezing to remove as much moisture as possible.
  7. Place the curds in a bowl and add salt to taste. If you want a finer texture use your hands the rub the curds (as you would when rubbing fat into flour for pastry).
  8. You can then shape the cheese by packing into a small bowl. Or you can return it to the cheesecloth and shape into a ball. If you want a finer texture use your hands the rub the curds (as you would when rubbing fat into flour for pastry).
Lacy pancakes stuffed with spinach and saffron ricotta:

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Everything looks delish. The pancakes look unique, and different from pancakes I've experienced.

UK style pancakes - which are thicker than crepes. The lacy idea is from Asia (not sure which country) - you are supposed to make them more symmetrical and lacier by using a squeezy bottle to dispense the pancake mix but I sort of 'free-handed'!
 
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