Summer Ricotta with Grilled Vegetables

Line a fine-mesh or other tiny-holed strainer with a layer or two of cheesecloth and set it over a large bowl with enough clearance that the bottom of the strainer won’t touch the bowl once it has 4 cups of liquid in it, or the cheese won’t drain.

In a heavy medium-large saucepan, heat the milk, cream, and salt over medium-high heat until just below a simmer — it will look like it’s foaming and register just below 200°F.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in lemon juice. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then pour it through the cheesecloth.

Drain for 10 minutes, or until it’s a nice soft ricotta consistency, and up to 10 minutes longer if needed. Transfer ricotta to a bowl to serve. Drizzle with olive oil, and finish with salt and pepper.

Brush or drizzle your vegetables and bread with olive oil.

Grill the vegetables, even small ones, directly on grill grates at fairly high heat. Grill the vegetables, bread, and lemon halves until they’re lightly charred underneath (this could take 2 to 6 minutes), then flip the vegetables and bread and cook on the second side.

Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and transfer everything to a serving platter.

Right before serving, drizzle everything with additional olive oil, squeeze at least one lemon half over the vegetables (leave the second half on the platter), and season with additional salt and pepper.