Jump to content

  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Ricotta Cheese

jaybee

By jaybee
in New York: Cooking & Baking

 Share

Recommended Posts

jaybee

jaybee

Posted
Posted

I recently enjoyed a serving of creamy ricotta cheese drizzled with wild flower honey at Lupa. This reminded me of how good this cheese can be. Especially for somone sliding into a low carb diet. I've tried the supermarket brands and there are no standoouts. Has anyone found a source in New York City for great ricotta? Is there a packaged brand that you'd recommend?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
wingding

wingding

Posted
Posted

DePalos',on Grand St. has some good ricotta.They serve buffalo ricotta with the cheese plate at Esca-it is my favorite type of ricotta by far,and I've never seen it for sale anywhere retail,but it is imported bt the same company that brings most buffalo mozzerella into N.Y. from Italy

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Suvir Saran

Suvir Saran

Posted
Posted
DePalos',on Grand St. has some good ricotta.They serve buffalo ricotta with the cheese plate at Esca-it is my favorite type of ricotta by far,and I've never seen it for sale anywhere retail,but it is imported bt the same company that brings most buffalo mozzerella into N.Y. from Italy

I have had what is sold at Murrays and DePalos. Not the same at all to what was served to us at Lupa. The Ricotta they sell is responsible for me not being much of a ricotta fan. But what we were served at Lupa, had me wanting more. It was not runny at all and was not even faintly sweet. That is what I loved about it.

Wingding, do you know if the one at Esca is the same as the one in Murrays and DePalos, or am I to read what you right on face value? If that is the case, you are agreeing that what could be eaten at Esca or Lupa could be superior to what can be bought at those shops.

What can we do? How can we get the same Ricotta??? :sad:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Suvir Saran

Suvir Saran

Posted
Posted
I've gotten several PMs with promising sources.  It's time for a field trip to Arthur Avenue.  Some salami, a little wine, a little cheese....do we have Arthur Avenue congnoscenti among us?

Last time I checked, FG was still here... and also, I am sure Ed Schoenfeld would love to be a part of this hunt.

But what about the TT?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
nightscotsman

nightscotsman

Posted
Posted

Since the request was for sources only and specifically in New York City, shouldn't this thread have been posted in the New York City & State board and not in General Food Topics board? I don't mean to be inflamatory, but if the discussion is city or region specific then it would help to know so that others may choose to skim over it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jaybee

jaybee

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
Since the request was for sources only and specifically in New York City, shouldn't this thread have been posted in the New York City & State board and not in General Food Topics board? I don't mean to be inflamatory, but if the discussion is city or region specific then it would help to know so that others may choose to skim over it.

You are correct. Rachel/Jason, please transfer the whole thread to the NY board where I should have put it from the start.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jonathan Day

Jonathan Day

Posted
Posted

I have no idea where to get good ricotta in New York. But could the success of the Lupa dish have something to do with the way the ricotta was prepared? I have seen recipes where the ricotta is "drained" before use -- it is placed in a fine sieve, and some of the whey allowed to drip out over a period of a few hours. This changes the texture considerably. I believe that "ricotta salata" is prepared this way: the ricotta is lightly salted, pressed, and aged.

In fact, is it possible that the ricotta served at Lupa was ricotta salata? I have seen this cheese, and cheeses like it, served with honey in Sardinia and Sicily, as a dessert.

Jonathan Day

"La cuisine, c'est quand les choses ont le go�t de ce qu'elles sont."

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Toby

Toby

Posted
Posted

Getting good fresh ricotta cheese in New York isn't that hard -- Di Palo's has two types of fresh ricotta cheese -- one is a little firmer than the other. The Italian store in Chelsea Market sometimes has buffalo ricotta. Whole Foods has decent ricotta, as does Garden of Eden. Balducchi's used to have the most delicious ricotta cheese, but I haven't tried it since the store changed. Most recipes recommend letting excess liquid drain out through cheesecloth, particularly if you're baking it.

A company in San Francisco used to make goat's milk ricotta that was so great -- I used to make a crustless cheesecake with it -- the ricotta, eggs, sugar and scraped vanilla bean -- that had the creaminess of ricotta and the slight funkiness of goat cheese. Has anyone ever seen goat's milk ricotta here in New York?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kikujiro

Kikujiro

Posted
Posted (edited)

Ricotta salata is fairly hard. Like, you can grate it.

Ricotta wants to be incredibly fresh. You can make it at home. I've never tried to (I live right by the two oldest Italian delis in London); a quick search on Google brought back this method, for example; have no idea whether it's a good one.

Edited by Kikujiro (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
wingding

wingding

Posted
Posted

Coach Farms' goat curd is essentially ricotta,and can be used as such-I like the flavor,and have used it in sweet and savory dishes.The importer who brings a lot of Buffalo mozzerella to N.Y. restaurants[can't remember the name]brings in the ricotta in also-it has a short shelf life,and doesn't always make it through customs.Ask at Murrays' or DePalos'....maybe they can get it for you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jaybee

jaybee

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
Coach Farms' goat curd is essentially ricotta,and can be used as such-I like the flavor,and have used it in sweet and savory dishes.

I was told that Batali's wife's family are the owners of Coach Farms (and Coach Leather) so maybe that's where Lupa's ricotta came from.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jonathan Day

Jonathan Day

Posted
Posted
Ricotta salata is fairly hard. Like, you can grate it.

Not always. It's never as soft and creamy as fresh ricotta, but I have seen it with the texture more like, say, a good roquefort. I've also seen it hard, like a parmesan. As with many goat cheeses, it depends on how long the ricotta has been aged and how much moisture has come out of it.

Jonathan Day

"La cuisine, c'est quand les choses ont le go�t de ce qu'elles sont."

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kikujiro

Kikujiro

Posted
Posted (edited)
Good ricotta salata (one of my favorites) should not be a grate-able texture.  The roquefort comparison is about right.

Not sure about the 'should'. River Café Green has this:

'Ricotta Salata This is a dry, salty cows' and sheeps' milk cheese, made in Puglia, Sardinia and Sicily. White in colour, it has no rind and its condensed hard texture makes it easy to grate.'

(The 3 recipes in the book want it grated.)

Edit: I'm not saying like parmesan. Crumbly but grateable.

Edited by Kikujiro (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
laura

laura

Posted
Posted

The ricotta at the italian market at Chelsea Market is the best I have had of the firm ,drained variety, I believe it is called roman style. And I think it is imported

from Italy. Di paolo makes a similar version but it is not as good as the one

at Chelsea Market.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...