Homemade Mascarpone
Simple Recipes Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian Recipes Cheese
What? Fine Italian cheese made from heavy cream. It's the base ingredient for Tiramisu, dessert creams (see cocoa crepes), and pasta sauces.
Why? Because it's easy to make, the taste is identical to store-bought, and it's cheaper. Store-bought costs around 15 lei / 250g. Homemade costs about 8 lei / 300g. Much more affordable, right?
How? Very simple, just follow the recipe below
Ingredients
500 ml heavy cream (can be pasteurized, but not UHT - ultra-pasteurized)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
How to prepare homemade mascarpone
- Put the cream in a small saucepan and heat over low heat until it reaches 88°C (if you don't have a thermometer to check the temperature: when it starts to form a few small bubbles around the edge it's enough, don't heat more). Stir constantly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. This step takes about 10 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice and, still over low heat, stirring constantly, simmer for 5 minutes (keeping the cream at 88°C). At this stage, you'll feel the cream has thickened, reaching a consistency similar to vanilla custard.
- Let the cream cool completely.
- Pour the cream into a sieve placed over a bowl. Line the sieve with 3 layers of cheesecloth. Lift the edges of the cheesecloth but don't squeeze the cheese. Refrigerate for 12 hours.
- After 12 hours, the cheese has solidified enough, and in the bowl under the sieve you'll see about 2 tablespoons of whey. Transfer the cheese to a container with a lid. It can be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Cream heated with lemon juice
In cheesecloth after 12 hours
