CHEESE.

Specifically, Ricotta Cheese.

Do I really need to say anything more?

It’s the stuff dreams are made of. Whether its melted and stringy over a simple slice of pizza, or golden brown and bubbly over a decadent eggplant parmesan, or merely slipped between two slices of bread, there is no food more versatile and comforting than cheese.

Maybe its versatility comes from the fact that the varieties of cheeses are countless or maybe its because it’s so delicious and satisfying that as a race humans have found ways to incorporate it into everything we eat.

Whatever the reason, cheese dug its claws into my soul from the time  was a small child. I love every form of it. Hard, soft, salty, tangy, stinky, funky, blue or yellow. It’s all delicious.

However, for all my cheese love, I never understood the absolute beauty and sophistication of it until I embarked on my own cheese making path.

I have a few different cheeses I am working on making right now, but ricotta is by far the simplest. It is the little black dress of cheeses. It’s incredibly simple but perfectly balanced in flavor. It has all the cheesy creaminess we need, but remains light and airy. It can be dolloped on top of pasta to add creaminess, or over roasted veggies for that extra burst of flavor. You can slather it onto crusty bread to serve as an appetizer, or whip it in to cream for the most delicious of desserts.

However you do it, just be prepared to devour the entire first batch you make standing over the kitchen counter, because I promise, this will not make it into the fridge!

Make sure to check back here every few days before Shavuos for a bunch of new recipes using your homemade ricotta.

Until then, happy cooking!

Peas out,

Danielle