How To Make Fresh Ricotta

Okay, the first thing I have to say is, hang in there with me for a few minutes.  I know you are thinking, make your own cheese?  REALLY?  Here on this blog where I have said about a million times, it's all about getting in and out of the kitchen in 30 minutes or less?  Has she finally eaten one too many piece of bacon and gone off her rocker?  

Hang in there with me while I promise you these three things:

1. If you can boil water, you can make your own ricotta cheese.

2. It will take you less than 15 minutes from start to finish.

3. It will taste so good, you will wonder why on earth it took you so long
to figure out that you should have been making
your own ricotta cheese for the past hundred years.

4. It will take all your willpower not to stand there next to
your bowl of delicious fresh ricotta
and not eat it all in one fell swoop.

Okay, that's four things, and I have no idea what a fell swoop is.  But you get my drift.  Try it with me just once, and I promise you will be hooked for life.  Here's what you do.

Get out your handy strainer and put it in your sink.  Line it with a little cheesecloth, which you can find in your supermarket, sometimes with the baking stuff and sometimes with the laundry stuff, for mysterious reasons.  I usually fold it into a square that has about 3-4 layers until it looks like this.  This will take you two minutes.

Now take a nice heavy saucepan and pour in 4 cups of whole milk, one cup of buttermilk, and 1/3 cup of heavy cream.  Set it on the stove and put the heat on to medium high and bring it to a boil.  In the early going, you may want to clip a candy thermometer on to the pot so you can watch the temperature, because when the temperature gets to about 185 degrees, the curds (the solid part) will have separated from the whey (the liquid part), and it's time to strain it.  If you don't have thermometer don't fret, because you can pretty much see it happening.  The milk mixture will boil, and it will gradually curdle and separate into the solids (the curds) and the watery looking liquid (the whey).  This will take about 10 minutes...sometimes less.  When it does, take the pot off the burner and reach for your handy slotted spoon, and start scooping out the solids, letting the liquid drain off.  Drop the spoonfuls of solids into your strainer.

I like to sprinkle a little coarse salt onto the cheese every couple of spoonfuls or so.  Once you are done, let it drain for about 2 minutes (if you like your ricotta moist) or 5 minutes (if you like it drier).  You can leave it right in the strainer, or you can be like I was when I first made it and hang it dramatically from your kitchen faucet (see picture above).  Taste it after a few minutes...if it's gotten too dry just stir in a tablespoon or two of milk, and if it's too moist for you, let it keep draining.

Fifteen minutes have now passed, and you have made your own ricotta cheese.

And if you are like me, you will never even LOOK at those ricotta containers in the supermarket again.  

Things you can make with your glorious ricotta include...

Summer Lasagna.  A cool lasagna that includes fresh zucchini, sweet little cherry tomatoes, basil from your back yard...and ricotta.

Zucchini Carpaccio.  Almost as fun to pronounce as it is to eat.  Almost.

Or you can cook up some soft scrambled eggs with fresh chives and during the last minute of cooking, swirl in some ricotta.  Heaven.

Or you can just stand there at your kitchen counter and eat it with the closest available spoon.   I may or may not have done this at times.

Happy fresh ricotta.  No fear!

Easy Fresh Ricotta, adapted from the 101 Cookbooks recipe

• 4 cups whole milk
• One cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• Coarse salt

1. Line a fine mesh strainer with several folds of cheesecloth and set it in your sink.

2. Combine milk, buttermilk and cream in medium heavy saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil until cooking thermometer registers 185 degrees...if you don't have a thermometer, keep an eye on it to see when the curds (the solid white parts) are mostly separated from the whey (the cloudy liquid).  This will take about 10 minutes...stir a couple of times during the boiling process.

3. Remove from heat and using a slotted spot, scoop spoonfuls of the curd into the cheesecloth-lined strainer, sprinkling with a little salt every few spoonfuls or so.

4. Let the ricotta drain for about 5 minutes and then taste to check the consistency.  If you like it drier, then let it drain a little more.  If you like it moister, stir in a tablespoon or two of milk.  This ricotta is best used right away, but will keep for a day or two in the fridge. 

Print this!

Tomato Gorgonzola Soup

This soup is the single best way I know to use up that piece of blue cheese that you bought for something else but still have a little piece of. The Southern husband and I are currently trying to train ourselves to use up all of whatever ingredients we bring home...so if we bring home a half pound of Swiss cheese, for example, and we don't use it all up in the cheese fondue that we had the other night, we figure out what we can make next that calls for Swiss cheese. (You will hear more about our adventures in Swiss cheese in the days to come, assuming all goes well).

So after I made shrimp in gorgonzola sauce a little while ago, I still had a little hunk of the gorgonzola left. Just enough to make this scrumptious soup, which has chunks of chopped tomato in it and gets its creamy goodness not only from the gorgonzola but also from a little cream cheese and heavy cream and milk tossed in as well. I know...but if you are going to make homemade soup, you might as well go for the gusto, right?

The only TINY drawback to this recipe is that in order to use up the gorgonzola, I had to buy a largish container of tomato juice (another key ingredient) because apparently they do not sell smallish containers of tomato juice. So there it is in my fridge. Sitting there. Mocking me.

Anybody got any good recipes that call for tomato juice, or do I need to buy more gorgonzola and start the cycle anew?

TOMATO GORGONZOLA SOUP, adapted from Allrecipes

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 minced cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 4 ounces softened cream cheese
• 1/4 heavy cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups tomato juice
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1. Heat oil in medium pot over medium heat. Add garlic and stir for 2 minutes.

2. Add cheeses, cream and milk and heat until cheeses are melted and mixture is simmering

3. Stir in tomatoes with their liquid, tomato juice, basil, sugar and pepper to taste. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often, and serve.

Click here for printable recipe

Milk movie costumes worn by Sean Penn, James Franco and Emile Hirsch...

These fabulous original 1970's era costumes were worn by Sean Penn, James Franco and Emile Hirsch in Gus Van Sant's extraordinary 2008 biopic of the life and assassination of gay activist and San Francisco Supervisor 'Harvey Milk'.

Original costumes from the movie Milk

on display at Universal Studios Hollywood

Milk received eight nominations at the 81st Annual Academy Awards in 2009, including one for Danny Glicker for Best Achievement in Costume Design (whose work can also be seen in Up in the Air, Thank You For Smoking and Transamerica).

Unfortunately he didn't win, but Dustin Lance Black won the Oscar for Best Writing: Screenplay written directly for the Screen and Sean Penn was awarded the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for his amazing portrayal of 'Harvey Milk'.

Milk movie poster

Actual 'Harvey Milk' movie costume worn by Sean Penn

The costume above is worn by Sean Penn during the Gay Freedom Pride Parade in San Francisco, where Harvey Milk took to the stage, to spread his message of equality and hope, even after receiving numerous death threats.

His t-shirt proudly affirms that "I'll never go back (in the closet)".

Beneath the costume is an array of campaign support literature props for Harvey Milk to become the first openly gay candidate for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

'Scott Smith' movie costume worn by James Franco in Milk

These are the red jacket and denim jeans worn by James Franco as 'Scott Smith', Harvey's ex-lover, at his memorial service.

To the left of the costume you can also see a 'soap box' and 'We are very open' sign prop used in the movie.

'Cleve Jones' movie costume worn by Emile Hirsch in Milk

Also part of the costume exhibit were the clothes worn by Emile Hirsch as young gay activist 'Cleve Jones'. This particular outfit was used in a discussion scene with Harvey.

If you like this display, be sure to check out more original film costumes and props from the movie Milk.

Finally enjoy this short video clip of these costumes on show at Universal Studios Hollywood on February 11, 2010.

Visit Jason in Hollywood for a < href="http://jasoninhollywood.blogspot.com/2008/11/milk-is-good-for-you.html" target="_blank">movie review of Milk.

Buy the movie in the USA: Milk [Blu-ray]

Scrambled Eggs with Salmon and Herbs

There they are. My adorable little La Crueset individual crocks. Get used to them because I have about one million upcoming ideas of things to make in them. Portion control and loveliness, all in one serving piece -- I can hardly stand it.

Tonight our little red crocks are featuring eggs that are scrambled with milk, cream cheese, some chopped herbs and ribbons of smoked salmon, with toasted brioche circles. (I feel like the maitre d at a posh Upper West Side of Manhattan brunch place!). You'd never know that this swanky comfort food came together in about 15 minutes, but oh yes it did. Here's my favorite trick to this recipe -- put the little crocks in the oven while you are making the eggs, and they will be all nice and toasty warm when the eggs are ready to be popped into them. And okay, if you haven't yet gotten your own set, you can use any oven-safe plate or bowl. I'm pretty sure they will taste ALMOST as good.

Last but not least, I know the picture looks like this can not possibly be enough to keep the Southern husband from getting hungry an hour after he eats, but this recipe is rich enough that a crock-full is actually the perfect amount. Yum, yum. Give it a try and see what you think.

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH SALMON AND HERBS, from La Crueset

• 8 large eggs
• 8 slices challah or brioche bread
• 4 pieces smoked salmon, cut into ribbons
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (chives, tarragon, parsley)
• 1/2 stick butter
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• Salt and pepper

1. Heat 4 serving dishes in 300 degree oven while preparing eggs

2. Cut circles out of bread slices with cookie cutter or top of glass. Toast until golden.

3. Whisk eggs with milk and half of the herbs.

4. Melt butter in frying pan over low flame. Add eggs and cream cheese and cook for 4 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add salmon and cook without stirring for one more minute. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. Put one toast circle on each plate or in each bowl. Divide eggs among plates. Scatter remaining herbs on eggs and top with remaining toast circle. Serve immediately.

Click here for printable recipe

Chicken Fried Steak

Now, I need to tell you a little story about this one. It is called "The Chicken Fried Steak Rule," and it dates back to the beginning of time, before the teenager was even born, and it goes like this.

Once upon a time, there was a Northern girl and a Southern guy, and the Southern guy introduced the Northern girl to the culinary delicacy that is Chicken Fried Steak. He found a great restaurant right nearby that did a scrumptious chicken fried steak with cream gravy and mashed potatoes, and he held her hand across the table and promised his undying love in that mesmerizing Southern accent of his.

The Northern girl girl was smitten with both the Southern guy AND the chicken fried steak, and decided to make both her own. The Southern guy proved to be a lot easier to figure out than the chicken fried steak. She tried recipe after recipe after recipe for chicken fried steak, with no luck. The breading fell off, or burned. The steak was tough. The cream gravy was lumpy, or runny, or bland. The Southern guy bravely ate his way through one disappointing chicken fried steak dinner after another.

Then one day he got down on one knee, took her hands in his, professed his undying love, and reminded her that there was a perfectly wonderful restaurant nearby that served perfectly wonderful chicken fried steak. And thus the Chicken Fried Steak Rule was born, and it goes like this. If there is someplace nearby that makes something wonderful that you like to eat, do not try to reinvent the wheel at home. For the past 20 years, this has saved me from trying to make chicken fried steak (Live Bait restaurant on 23rd street in NYC), doughnuts (Krispy Kreme!) and cinnamon rolls (Grandma). And life was good and peaceful, because whenever I got a jones to make chicken fried steak either the Southern husband or the teenager looked me in the eye and said "Chicken Fried Steak Rule," and I came back to my senses.

Then the Pioneer Woman wrote her fabulous cookbook, and there it was. On page 142. Her recipe for chicken fried steak, complete with irresistable step by step photos. I wavered. I faltered. I fell. There I was, with my cube steak and flour and eggs and milk, flagrantly breaking the Chicken Fried Steak Rule for the first time in years. And you know what? Rules are meant to be broken...this was the chicken fried steak of my dreams, right here in my own little kitchen!

Anybody out there got any Krispy Kreme doughnut recipes???

CHICKEN FRIED STEAK, adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

3 pounds sliced cube steak
2 large eggs
3 1/2 cups milk
3 1/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
3 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup canola oil

1. Beat the eggs with one cup of milk and place in shallow dish

2. Mix 3 cups flour with 2 teaspoons salt, paprika, cayenne and black pepper, place in shallow dish

3. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Dip in flour, then eggs, then back in flour, coating thoroughly each time. Place on empty plate until ready to cook.

4. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Fry meat 3 pieces at a time until golden, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove to paper towel lined plate and keep warm.

5. After frying all the meat, pour out all grease except for 1/4 cup and heat up the grease. Sprinkle 1/3 cup flour over the grease and whisk it together.

6. After a couple of minutes the flour mixture will turn brown. Whisking constantly, pour in 2 cups of milk. Let gravy come to slow boil to thicken. Add more milk as needed if it gets too thick. This should take 5-10 minutes.

7. Generously season with salt and pepper.

8. Place meat on plate and spoon gravy over. Serve with mashed potatoes and whatever other veggie you like. I serve with corn to make sure we really DO get enough carbs. Yum yum yum.

Click here for printable recipe

Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

I know, I have already posted not one but two mac and cheese recipes already. But for me, macaroni and cheese is a process. I basically see life as one long journey through all the macaroni and cheese recipes that come my way. Yes, I have made some good ones...but you never know when the Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese Recipe might turn up, and I wouldn't want to be asleep at the switch.

My macaroni and cheese rules are pretty simple, and they go like this:

1. No onion. Never, ever, ever. It's not called "Macaroni and Onion and Cheese."

2. No American cheese. I'll try pretty much anything else, but any cheese that is individually wrapped in slices need not apply.

3. The word "creamy" must be somewhere in the description. There's nothing worse than dry macaroni and cheese. Unless it is dry macaroni and cheese made with onion and American cheese.

4. This is not a hard and fast Rule, but I tend to lean towards versions that can be made on the stove instead of baked. They tend to be both faster and creamier.

OK, now that we are clear on the rules...I ran across this recipe in Everyday Foods. It did have to be adapted to eliminate the onion that the original recipe called for (why??? I just don't understand the whole onion thing???) but aside from that I stayed pretty close to the original. It was creamy and cheesy and easy and non-oniony and wonderful.

Which doesn't mean I won't make the next one that comes my way. But for now...

STOVETOP MACARONI AND CHEESE, adapted from Everyday Food

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• Salt
• 4 cups whole milk
• 3/4 pound macaroni (elbows, small shells, etc)
• 4 cups shredded cheddar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until flour is slightly brown, about 3-5 minutes

2. Pour in milk, whisking constantly until mixture is smooth. Stir until boiling and then reduce heat to low. Simmer until mixture thickens a little, about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente, drain and return to pot. Remove sauce from heat and let cook for about 5 minutes. Whisk in cheese, mustard and Worcestershire and stir until cheese is melted. Add pasta and stir to coat. Serve immediately.

Click here for printable recipe

Fabulous costumes and props from the movie Milk...

These fantastic costumes and props are from Gus Vant Sant's wonderfully poignant biopic of the life and subsequent assassination of San Fransisco Supervisor and gay rights activist Harvey Milk, along with Mayor George Moscone.

Original Milk movie costumes and props

The first selection of 1970's inspired fashion and props from the movie were on display at ArcLight Hollywood in L.A. on November 13, 2008.

Suit worn by Sean Penn as Harvey Milk

The suit pictured above was worn by Sean Penn for his portrayal of California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk. 

The t-shirt on the right was worn by one of Harvey's supporters and the sign and soap box props were also used in the movie

Selection of original film props from the 2008 movie Milk

Amongst the props pictured above include the tape recorder used by Sean Penn as Harvey Milk in the movie.

ArcLight Hollywood display of movie costumes and props from Milk

Sean Penn deservedly won the Oscar for Actor in a Leading Role at the 81st Academy Awards for his convincing portrayal of Harvey Milk. 

Milk movie billboard on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles

Milk received eight Oscar nominations in total and Dustin Lance Black also won the Academy Award for Original Screenplay.

Milk movie costumes and props on display 

at Universal Studios Hollywood

This next selection of movie costumes and props were photographed as part of the Universal Studios Hollywood permanent exhibit in the theme park's Lower Lot on April 13, 2009.

Original 1970's inspired fashions from the movie Milk

The suit shown on the left of this picture is another outfit worn by Sean Penn as Harvey Milk. 

Outfits worn by James Franco and Emile Hirsch in Milk

Beside the suit are the costumes worn by James Franco as Harvey Milk's gay lover and campaign manager, 'Scott Smith', and Emile Hirsch's outfit as Milk supporter and young gay rights activist 'Cleve Jones'.

Milk movie billboard on Sunset Boulevard in L.A.

Visit Jason in Hollywood for a movie review of Milk.

Buy the DVD in the USA: Milk