A lovely creamy cheese which is very easy to make! Even my sister who refused to eat the cheese at first ended up loving it! This is a fail-safe recipe in our household, I have made it time and time again. To cheese or not to cheese...that is never the question!
8 ½ cups whole milk
⅓ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt (Optional)
Pour milk into a saucepan set over medium heat. Heat milk until it registers 194 degrees F (90 degrees C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Stir lemon juice and salt slowly into warmed milk. Let stand until milk curdles, 10 to 15 minutes.
Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl. Pour milk mixture carefully into the lined strainer. Let stand until most of the liquid has drained off the ricotta, about 15 minutes. Discard drained liquid.