Mascarpone Cheese

Mascarpone cheese is a soft, white triple-cream Italian cream cheese made from crème fraîche and tartaric acid. It is mild in flavor and buttermilk is used in some recipes. It is popular in dishes originating from the Lombardy region in southern Italy in the 16th Century.http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mascarpone-cheese.htm The dessert tiramisu features the cheese prominently. Some consider the food to not be a cheese at all, but rather the result of a culture being added to the cream skimmed off the milk, used in the production of Parmesan.http://www.cheese.com/Description.asp?Name=Mascarpone

Mascarpone cheese can be described as a curd cheese, but is made in a manner similar to that of yogurt. Tartaric acid is essential to the production of Mascarpone. The cream is gently heated after the culture has been added and it is allowed to mature and thicken. The result is a yellowish, creamy, mild cheese. It is soft and easy to spread and often added to desserts such as tiramisu. It can also be in a more stiff form, like butter, depending on how it has been handled during the cheesemaking process.http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mascarpone-cheese.htm Cognac is commonly served with the cheese. Mascarpone has a high fat content of 75 percent and ripens quickly, within a few days.http://www.cheese.com/Description.asp?Name=Mascarpone It has a short shelf-life and ideally should be used within a few days or else it can go bad.http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mascarpone-cheese.htm

While mascarpone cheese is commonly found in markets, refrigerated in small tubs, many people enjoy making their own fresh mascarpone. If you are making the cheese at home, you will want to start with a quart of minimally processed cream and a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice. Other items you will need include cheesecloth, a strainer, a double boiler, and a cooking thermometer.http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mascarpone-cheese.htm

The first step is to pour the cream into the double boiler and increase heat slowly until the cream reaches a temperature of 190 degrees Fahrenheit (88 degrees Celsius). At this point, add a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and stir. Cover the pan almost immediately as curds begin to form and remove the boiler from the heat. Allow the pan to stand for 10 minutes before pouring the curdled cream through a cheesecloth-lined strainer.http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mascarpone-cheese.htm

Next, allow the curds which have clustered on the cheesecloth to cool until reaching room temperature. Cover the strainer, place it over a shallow bowl and refrigerate for 24 hours, setting the cheese while it drains. The mascarpone cheese will now be ready for use.http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mascarpone-cheese.htm

Ricotta cheese is made in a similar way, but uses milk instead of cream and the whey instead of the cheese curds. American cream cheese is a combination of milk and cream and tends to be thicker than mascarpone.

Mascarpone is an ingredient in tiramisu and a filling in desserts such as cheesecake. It can be used in pasta sauces, soups, risotto or as the base for ice cream.