Ricotta al Fico

Culinary Cam
Jul 24
3 min read

I missed a bunch of weeks of the 2026 Alphabet Challenge that was started by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. As in years past, we post every two weeks with a recipe inspired by a certain letter. It's like Sesame Street for grown ups! And I love it though I have been remiss at participating regularly this year. So, I am playing catch-up. Here I am at letter 'f'...

F is for...

Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Brazilian Feijoada - Black Bean Stew with Beef and Pork
Sizzling Tastebuds: Eggless Flourless Chocochip Brownies
Mayuri’s Jikoni: Fansi Dapka Nu Shaak
Magical Ingredients: Feta Potato Swirls
Sneha’s Recipe: Fingerlicking Garlic Coconut Chutney
A Messy Kitchen: Fortune Cookie Crust
Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Funfetti Pancakes
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Gruyere and Apple Cider Fondue
Food Lust People Love: Lamb Feta Mint Patties
Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Lemony Potato & Fennel Rotisserie Chicken Soup
Blogghetti: One Pan Chicken Fajita Pasta

Ricotta al Fico

I had seen a post about using the sap from fig leaves and branches as a vegetarian rennet for making cheese. So I liberated some leaves from Jake's trees and gave it a go.

If you slice into a fig branch or look closely at the joint where the leaf meets the branch, you will see this milky sap. That's what you need!

Ingredients

1 gallon whole milk (make sure it's not ultra-pasteurized...best is raw milk, if you can find it)
3 fresh fig leaves and 1 to 2 fig branches, sliced lengthwise to release some sap
freshly squeezed lemon juice, as needed
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 teaspoons spice blend of your choosing, I used an Herbes de Provence

Procedure

Line a colander with a cheesecloth and set aside. In a large souppot, add in milk and spices, if you're using them. Submerge the leaves and branches in the milk.

Over medium heat, bring the mixture to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour in the lemon juice and stir with a spatula until the milk separates into curds and whey. If it doesn't seem to be separating completely, add in a tablespoon more at a time.

Pour the curds and whey into the cheesecloth. Let drain for 5 minutes. Once it has cooled for 5 minutes, stir in the salt. Let drain for another 5 minutes.

At this point, it should be cool enough to handle. Gather the corners of the cheesecloth and squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can. This can be used it immediately as a ricotta-style cheese. Or you can press it to get a more firm cheese.

Once it was to a consistency that I could shape, I made little balls and poured olive oil over the top.