Domestic sheep's milk ricotta online: anyone tried it?

[Maureen B. Fant]

I'm trying to find North American sources for ingredients in recipes I'm writing. Found lots of anchovies and capers and other Italian imports, which is great, but now I'm down to the fresh stuff. There are sheep farms making ricotta, but my one experience, a few years ago in the Hudson Valley (NY state), was a bust. It was hard and dry. What we have in Rome is creamy and dreamy and you have to drain it overnight before cooking with it.

www.dairysheepfarm.com sells sheep's milk ricotta, but I'd love an objective description if anyone has tried it.

Any other ideas on this? Even cow's milk ricotta would do if it was nice and creamy.

Many thanks!

[Lisa Shock]

It's really very easy to make at home:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/02/how-to-make-fresh-ricotta-fast-easy-homemade-cheese-the-food-lab.html

[HungryC]

Maureen, the closest thing I've found to "real" Italian ricotta comes from Dancing Ewe Farms in NY. http://www.dancingewe.com/

I first tasted it at Domenica, the John Besh/Alon Shaya restaurant in New Orleans, and it was so good, I begged the kitchen to sell me a pint to take home. Very very creamy, with the almost fluffy, light texture of the real thing. My idea of the perfect breakfast is a good wild yeast bread, toasted & spread with ricotta and honey.

Cheers, Celeste U

[Maureen B. Fant]

Thank you both for two extremely useful leads.

[Sally-chan]

In Minnesota during the summer, Sheperd's Way Farms, offer a wonderful sheep's milk ricotta that they sell at the farmer's market. On the days they have it, it sells out quickly.

Additionally, my cheese shop just started offering a sheep's milk ricotta from Bellwether farms, but I've not had a chance to try it yet.

[Maureen B. Fant]

Thank you. The ideal ricotta should be very creamy and require draining overnight and have a very definite ovine taste. Please post when you taste yours.