[Sca-cooks] Re: ricotta as "fresh cheese"?

[Ruth Frey]

Kathleen Madsen <kmadsen12000 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Greetings, all.  ...Coming out of lurk-mode...

  Ditto here. ;)
 
<snip> <relevant portions quoted . . .>
> I have found a *ton* of recipes for cheese tarts,
both sweet and savory . . . One of my favorites
is Lese Fryes . . . Here's the recipe:

> Lese Fryes
 Take fresh cheese, and pare it clene, and grinde
hit in a morter small . . .

> My redaction:
> 16 oz. Ricotta . . .

     Huh!  I redacted Sabina Welserin's "Genovese
Tart" recipe last 12th Night -- a savory tart with
spinach, "fresh cheese" (I used ricotta), aged
cheese (I used parmesan), and olive oil in a pastry
crust.  It was very yummy, and got a good response
from everyone who tried it, but our local
cheesemaking expert really gave me a chewing out for
using ricotta, since it turns out ricotta is a whey
product and not actually a cheese at all (or so he
told me, and I respect his knowledge of the
subject).  He did admit the dish was tasty as
redacted, but we worked out that I should try some
cream cheese or cottage cheese "drip strained" (like
you do with yogurt for yogurt "cheese") and blended
for my next attempt, so I would not offend the
cheese-knowledgeable in the audience.  It was
actually a very fun discussion . . . :)  But:

     I'm curious to get responses from this group --
how appropriate is ricotta as a "fresh cheese"
substitute in redactions, in your opinion?  Thought
I might hear from some more cheese-knowledgeable
folks than myself.  After all, blessed are the
cheesemakers.  ;)  :)

              -- Ruth