Ricotta is an Italian version of fresh cheese, and paneer, South Asian. Paneer tends to be firmer than ricotta, and results from draining the whey from the curds over several hours, often using a weight to press down on the curds. The creamier, softer ricotta is simply strained for less time, without using a weight, leaving more whey in the cheese. This recipe will make either version of fresh cheese. I used Sunnyside’s whole milk at about 3.5 percent butterfat. You may find that commercially produced milk takes more time to curdle and may need additional lemon juice.