Homemade ricotta was the one thing I served at every single supper club for 17 years. Today I’ve taken it up a notch by infusing it with lemon verbena from the garden.
Rinse a pan with cold water and leave it damp so the milk doesn’t stick. Add 2.5 litres whole milk, 1.2 litres double cream and 35g sea salt, then heat to about 80°C. Drop in about 12 lemon verbena tops, turn off the heat and infuse for 20 minutes. Remove the leaves and bring it up to 88–90°C. Pour in 75ml apple cider vinegar and 50ml lemon juice. Don’t stir from here! Hold it at 88–90°C for 20 minutes, then gently ladle the curds into ricotta baskets and leave them to drain in the fridge overnight.
It’s floral, utterly sublime and keeps for a week. Serve it with olive oil, balsamic and bread, or stir it through pasta. Imagine your guests’ faces when you tell them you made it yourself.