Mascarpone Cheese

Mascarpone Cheese
Recipe from Baking Obsession

The other night I wanted to make a decadent Mac & Cheese but I was missing one key ingredient, mascarpone cheese. When I lamented that fact on Twitter, one of my followers said 'Why don't you make your own mascarpone cheese?'. What a great idea! I immediately scoured the web in search of recipes and techniques. I settled on this recipe because it used lemon rather than tartaric acid.

The hardest part of making this cheese was waiting for the cream to heat until 190F. The rest was easy peasy and the result was the best mascarpone cheese I've ever had. Enjoy!

Makes about 12 oz

Ingredients:
500 ml whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating (it took me a lot long to reach this temperature....be patient).

2. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.

The first time I made mascarpone I had all doubts if it’d been cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. Have no fear, it will firm up beautifully in the fridge, and will yet remain lusciously creamy.