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By Root 562 0

I made cheese almost every day. The crawl space behind my closet became a ripening area, and it gave me immense satisfaction to watch the pots and plastic storage containers proliferate, each of them containing a dairy experiment. There were outright failures, like a slimy feta, and some pleasant mediocrities, like a farmhouse cheddar, and there were some horrendous, noisome mistakes.

Once I neglected to flip some cheese, the mold grew over the matting, and when I tried to separate the two the rind came off and molten ivory fluid flowed out all over the ripening container. On another occasion, I went down to check on a batch of Camembert and noticed some of it looked a bit frowsy. I leaned closer to inspect and discovered that the snowy rind was crawling with maggots. I carried the cheese out the back door and dumped it on the ground for the chickens, who raced over and set to work plucking out the worms one by one, the way children pick the marshmallows out of a bowl of Lucky Charms. Sardinians make a sheep’s milk cheese that they intentionally infest with maggots and call casu marzu, but to be surprised by maggots in your Camembert is exactly as much fun as finding your child’s hair crawling with lice. You don’t go rushing to the computer to Tweet about it. You must keep your cheese covered at all stages of production. Just one fly can ruin everything.

But mostly there were hits. You can absolutely start with Camembert, but it makes more sense to begin with an elementary cheese, like ricotta.

RICOTTA

You can use vinegar, lemon juice, citric acid, or buttermilk to coagulate ricotta. I’ve tried them all and the results are indistinguishable. What makes a difference is the milk you use. Ordinary milk makes a ricotta that is fresher and sweeter than anything you can buy at Stop & Shop, but unhomogenized organic milk yields a velvety ricotta reminiscent of very soft mozzarella.

Make it or buy it? Make it.

Hassle: Minimal

Cost comparison: Homemade ricotta: $1.70 per cup. Precious: $2.50. To make ricotta with organic, unhomogenized milk: a little over $3.00. But, in my opinion, worth it.

1 gallon milk

¾ cup distilled white vinegar or 1 teaspoon citric acid or 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or 1 quart buttermilk (from the carton)

1. Combine the milk and vinegar (or any one of the alternatives) in a big pot. Gradually heat until the mixture is on the brink of a boil. It should look curdled. Turn off the stove and let the ricotta settle for about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, line a colander with a piece of cheesecloth or white cotton, such as a clean old pillowcase, and place over a large bowl.

3. Gently ladle the ricotta into the cloth-lined colander and let drain for 20 minutes or so. (Save the whey in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 10 days to use in bread and bagels.) Store the ricotta, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. The sooner you use it the better, as fresh ricotta picks up refrigerator odors quickly. I wouldn’t plan to keep this fresh for more than a week.

Makes 2½ cups

MASCARPONE

This is one of the most delicious “cheeses” I’ve ever made, and one of the most temperamental. It helps if you use a very tight weave of cheesecloth, doubled over. When you’re draining off the whey, you want to give the cheese as little chance to escape as you possibly can.

Make it or buy it? Make it.

Hassle: Easy, but heartbreaking when it doesn’t work

Cost comparison: You can make a cup of mascarpone for less than $1.50. Mascarpone from Whole Foods: $7.00 per cup.

1 quart heavy cream or half-and-half

¼ teaspoon tartaric acid

1. Put the cream in the top of a double boiler over medium heat and warm to 196 degrees F, stirring. Remove the cream from the heat and add the tartaric acid, stirring for 1 minute.

2. Remove the top from the double boiler and continue stirring until the cream begins to look thick and custardy. If it doesn’t seem to thicken at all, add the tiniest pinch more tartaric acid.

3. Let it sit at room temperature to gather itself for