Left: Separating the curds from the whey; Right: Voilà, firm whole milk ricotta

This is an easy cheese you can make at home. Start with good-quality whole cow’s milk such as Cricket Creek Farm’s raw Brown Swiss milk or Leahey Farm’s or High Lawn Farm’s pasteurized Jersey milk.

You will need:

1 gallon whole cow’s milk
2 cups white vinegar
Rinsed cheesecloth
1-gallon colander
2 tablespoons kosher flake salt, as desired

1. Heat the milk to 180°F, stirring gently but constantly. Once the milk reaches this temperature, turn off the heat and stop stirring. Pour 1 cup of white vinegar into the milk and wait 1 minute. Observe the formation of the curd, which will collect like fluffy white pillows. If the milk is still white and opaque, add more vinegar, up to 1 additional cup. Ideally, the liquid surrounding the curd should be translucent and have a green-yellow color. Allow the curd to form for another 5 minutes, without stirring.
2. Line a 1-gallon colander with wet cheesecloth. If the cheesecloth is thin with many holes, fold it over so that there are 3 layers. If the cheesecloth is finely woven, use only 1 layer of it to line the colander. Put the colander in the sink.
3. Pour the curd and whey into the colander. The curd will collect and begin to cohere. After the liquid has drained from the cheese, fold over the cheesecloth while still in the colander and rest a small plate on the cheese. Weight down the plate with a container full of a quart of water, pressing the cheese. Leave the cheese to cool in the sink under this light pressure.
4. After 1 hour, unwrap the new cheese and sprinkle the outside with kosher flake salt, if desired. Wrap the cheese in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator overnight on a plate to catch any additional whey that escapes. It will be ready for slicing the next day.