I love to read, so when I was re-introduced to the SCD diet, instead of dismissing it based on it's reputation as a diet for Autism, I picked up a copy of "Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet" and began reading with an open mind.  Despite the dated science/research cites I found some information I could "hang my hat on".  Much of the information wasn't new to me, but I hadn't connected the dots in quite that manner before. 

Let's see I if I can help you connect the same dots without me going into science geek mode. Celiac disease means damage in the small intestines, specifically to the villi.  Digestion is a complicated process, and for my Ah-ha moment, it's only important to know that one of the last steps in the digestion of carbohydrates involves even smaller finger-like projections located on the end of each villi. These microvilli are very important when it comes to our ability to absorb nutrients. Enzymes located on the microvilli are responsible for breaking down large molecules into smaller ones.  Lactose is a big molecule that needs to get split apart into 2 smaller sugar chains so it can be fully digested.  Injured villi can grow back (after going GF), but when do grow back they are often described as "blunted".  This blunted state means the microvilli are incomplete or missing, which in turns means less enzymes available to breakdown big molecules like lactose.  Your "healed" digestion track still isn't playing with a full deck!!  Just how many "cards" are missing after you've healed will depend on how much damage you had before going GF.

To "stack the deck", the book recommends making your own yogurt and letting it ferment at least 24 hours.  The process that turns milk into yogurt involves breaking down the lactose sugar - digesting it.  24 hours is the minimum number of hours required to break down all the lactose and thus eliminate digestive discomfort.  Ricotta and Mozzarella aren't allowed on the SCD diet due to the high levels of lactose.  I love ricotta!

Farmer Cheese is something I've only used when I make the filling for pierogies. It's lactose free and provides the perfect start for a pretty decent ricotta substitute but straight out of the package it's not that close.

Farmers cheese is drier and stiffer with a taste much closer to cottage cheese than to the delicate flavor and smooth texture of ricotta cheese.  I did a little playing around and figured out that the fat content of milk used to make SCD yogurt determines how much tang the finished product has.  Low fat milk products have more lactose and so the finished yogurt will have more lactic acid - hence more tang. So, if you use heavy cream to make your yogurt you wind up with a virtually lactose-free, SCD legal yogurt which has a more mild flavor.

Mix the heavy cream yogurt into no-salt farmers cheese till you get a smooth ricotta-like consistency.  To balance out the mild tang, use a very, very tiny amount of a very light-colored honey with a delicate flavor.  Taste buds vary, but with a little trial and error, I'm sure you'll find the right balance to satisfy your ricotta craving.

I had a bit of this mock-ricotta as a garnish on top of my SCD compliant Chicken Cacciatore for dinner this evening. I really enjoyed it and I didn't have the usual reaction I used to get when I ate real ricotta!