Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese | Recipes From A Monastery Kitchen

Our community is blessed with two dairy cows, and we enjoy fresh milk and yogurt each week!
Sometimes we make ricotta for upscale recipes. My favorite? Fresh Ricotta Blueberry Ice cream.

Last week, after enjoying delicious fresh ricotta, ham, and melon salad, I spotted some extra ricotta and remembered a recipe for ricotta ice cream. A friend from a nearby farm with blueberry bushes had invited us to pick berries earlier in the week, so our refrigerator also had a bucket overflowing with beautiful fresh blueberries. The ricotta, blueberries, and kosher salt turned out to be a delicious combination, but of course, this basic homemade ice cream recipe can be adjusted to include your favorite ingredients. At the last minute, I decided to add lime zest to this recipe — Blueberry Lime Jam is one of the favorites from the Monastery Kitchen line, so I thought that combination would be especially tasty. It’s also the season for fresh mint, which is a lovely garnish along with fresh blueberries.

Making homemade ice cream can seem daunting, but with an ice cream maker, it’s quite easy. The ingredients directly are mixed, placed in the ice cream maker for 30 – 60 minutes, then frozen for several more hours, or overnight in the freezer. This particular recipe was made to celebrate an exciting event, and would be perfect for a summer dessert for any special occasion!

Fresh Ricotta Blueberry Ice Cream

SERVINGS

2quarts

CHANGE SERVING SIZE

quarts

COOK TIME

30-45mins (plus freezing time)

PREP TIME

30mins

READY IN

3hrs

Ingredients

3 1/3 cups whole milk ricotta cheese (fresh)
6 oz cream cheese
2 cups heavy cream (or lighter cream if preferred)
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 Tbsp lime zest
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 cups fresh, frozen blueberries (or fruit of your choice)

Instructions

Lay blueberries out on a tray and place in the freezer.
Blend ricotta, cream cheese, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt in a blender until smooth. Add lime zest & heavy cream. Blend until just combined.
Freeze in an ice cream maker according to instructions. Blend in frozen blueberries. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden. Scoop and enjoy!

Also - nuts, candied citrus peeled or chopped chocolate can be added, as well as fresh mint and blueberries for garnish.