Mascarpone

Cream acidulated at 85C and drained, with no rennet and no culture.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (double cream).

Ingredients

• 1 litre double cream, not ultra-pasteurised
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or 1/4 teaspoon tartaric acid

Method

1. USE CREAM THAT IS NOT ULTRA-PASTEURISED. UHT cream has had its proteins denatured already and will not thicken properly however much acid goes in — this is the one ingredient decision that decides whether it works.
2. Heat the cream in a bowl over simmering water, stirring, until it reaches 85C. Use a thermometer.
3. NO RENNET AND NO CULTURE. Mascarpone is not a cheese in the usual sense: nothing is set and nothing is fermented. Acid and heat alone thicken the cream.
4. Add the acid, stir for 3 minutes, and hold it at 85C for 5 more. It will thicken to the consistency of a thin custard and coat the spoon. It will NOT curdle into visible curds, and if it does the heat was too high.
5. Cool it to room temperature, then refrigerate 2 hours.
6. DRAIN IT IN A MUSLIN-LINED SIEVE IN THE FRIDGE FOR 12 TO 24 HOURS. Twelve gives a soft spreadable mascarpone, twenty-four a firm one you could slice.
7. Keep the whey for bread. The mascarpone keeps four days and no longer.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Italy · All recipes