Mascarpone cheese is a creamy & delicious Italian cheese. It is really versatile but can sometimes be hard to find at your local grocery store or when you can find it, it can be rather pricey. Instead of paying too much or searching everywhere, why not make some in the comfort of your own home?! Today I will show you how to do it.
Mascarpone cheese is similar to cream cheese in the way they are made but the tastes are quite different. Cream cheese uses milk and mascarpone cheese is made with heavy cream so the fat content is different. Mascarpone cheese is sweeter, creamier and more buttery than cream cheese. Mascarpone cheese is so luxurious in flavor that you will really fall in love the taste.
- 2 ½ c. heavy cream
- 2 ½ T. lemon juice
Pour the heavy cream into a heavy bottomed pan. Turn the heat onto medium and bring the cream to a simmer. Once it begins to simmer, whisk in the lemon juice. Continue to whisk it until it begins to thicken. This could take up to 10 minutes. Once it has thickened, remove the pan from the stove top and put the pan into an ice bath and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.
As it is cooling, place some cheesecloth in a sieve and put the sieve inside a slightly larger bowl and once the mascarpone cheese has cooled some, carefully pour it into the sieve. Cover and store it like this in your refrigerator for 24 hours.
After 24 hours, it should be set. What is in the cheesecloth is your mascarpone cheese and any liquid in the bowl below is whey that can be used to make cheese and use in recipes.
Store it covered in your refrigerator for up to 7 days.Makes 1 ¼ cups.
Mascarpone cheese can be frozen for up to 4-6 weeks but it is much better used fresh. The texture and flavor is changed by the freezing process so I just would not recommend it.
I like to use mascarpone cheese in my baking, in things like when I make a cannoli but I also use it main dishes. It adds such creaminess to lasagna, casseroles and pizzas. Or just spread it on a cracker or crostini. So good!
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