If you love this product (which, by the way, is not cheap at all in the store), you will definitely want to make it yourself. By doing this you will not only save your family budget, but also get a high-quality, reliable product. Learn how to make mascarpone cheese - perfectly thick, rich and creamy. It's very easy, and the result will surprise you!
This foolproof homemade recipe is super easy and the resulting cheese costs less than store-bought materials. I used to be unhappy every time I had to pay an exorbitant price for a small container of this product. Now my regrets are behind me! Making it yourself is not only super easy and quick, but also much cheaper!
What is Mascarpone cheese
Mascarpone is a cheese, more like a creamy cheese product. From the local dialect the word “mascarpia” is literally translated as “cream”. According to the original recipe, classic Mascarpone was made from heavy cream, which was skimmed from buffalo milk. Today, Mascarpone is mainly made from regular cow's milk, but buffalo milk is a rare and valuable product, so it is used entirely to produce the famous Italian Mozzarella cheese.
To protect its national product, in Italy, at the state level, Mascarpone was officially recognized as a traditional Italian product. This status ensures that the production and quality of cheese is controlled by the state.
History of Mascarpone
In the Italian province of Lombardy, in the second half of the 16th and early 17th centuries, a cheese called Mascarpone first appeared. Lombardy is a region in which agriculture, livestock farming and cheese production have long been developed. The products of these farms were highly valued far beyond the borders of the region. This region includes the famous cities of Cremona, Milan, Mantua, and Brescia.
It is most likely that the origin of the name "Mascarpone" comes from the local word "mascarpia" - this is the local name for Ricotta cheese. This is explained by the fact that the manufacturing processes of both varieties are very similar.
The second assumption is that the name comes from the word "mascarpa", meaning a dairy product made from whey. But regardless of the version of origin, all culinary specialists and historians agree that the cheese was produced by accident.
Mascarpone is made from cow's milk cream; no rennet is used in its production. Excess moisture is removed from the heavy cream by adding a small amount of citric acid and using a strong cloth.
A little history
Mascarpone appeared in Italy around the 16th century. Most researchers believe that its name comes from a type of ricotta cheese .
Since various enzymes are not used to prepare this cheese, it can safely be called cream.
The original production method involved the use of high-fat cream , which was mixed with cow's milk.
Today such cheese can only be bought in Italy, from farmers.
Stores sell mascarpone made in a more convenient way , with the addition of wine vinegar or citric acid.
How to use mascarpone in cooking?
Mascarpone cheese is very similar to thick sour cream or cream. Unlike durum varieties, it is less used for making sandwiches. But in cooking, mascapone is used very widely, it is added to recipes, to make cream for tiramisu, pastries and cakes. But let's look at how it can be used in order:
- In Italy, this cheese is made into a delicious spread by mixing it with anchovies, mustard and herbs. It turns out to be a very tasty substitute for butter; it is used to make very tasty sandwiches.
- If you add sugar and egg whites to the soft cheese and mix, then Mascarpone is used as a cream for making tea cakes or buns.
- For dessert with fruit. Mascarpone mixed with powdered sugar is served with fresh fruit or berries. A very original serving with pears in wine, there is also a non-alcoholic recipe where the wine is replaced with cranberry juice.
- In sweet recipes. You can easily find recipes for mascarpone cheesecakes and other pies, as well as dessert sauces, puddings and ice cream. Mascarpone is used as a cake cream and glaze.
- When preparing Risotto, you can use mascarpone instead of butter, adding it a few minutes before the end of cooking, thereby increasing the calorie content and improving the taste. Many recipes for polenta and mascarpone pasta have been invented.
- But the most popular is Mascarpone cream , which is used in making cakes and all tiramisu pastries.
Recipes based on mascarpone
Before you read the recipes, you need to make mascarpone cheese correctly. What to cook with it is up to you. It all depends on your imagination and culinary abilities. The chefs have come up with simple recipes with mascarpone that are suitable not only for a festive feast, but also diversify your daily diet.
Cream dessert with strawberries
This is a very simple and tasty option for making dessert. It is done quickly and will always help you out when guests suddenly visit. To prepare it you need the following ingredients: 0.5 kg of mascarpone cheese, 100 g of granulated sugar, 3 egg yolks, lemon juice, ripe strawberries, cookies.
To prepare dessert, you need to follow the following sequence of actions:
In a deep bowl, combine egg yolks and granulated sugar.- Then, using a mixer, they are whipped until smooth.
- The resulting mass is transferred to a water bath and cooked with constant stirring.
- As soon as the cream thickens, it is removed from the heat and cooled.
- Then it is covered with cling film and placed in the refrigerator.
- In a separate container, mash the mascarpone cheese with a fork or any other available item.
- Cream is added to it and the mixture is mixed using a mixer. It is important to do this at minimum speed.
- In another bowl, ripe strawberries are mashed and mixed with granulated sugar and lemon juice.
- Unsweetened cookies are crushed into crumbs.
- A third of the cream is poured into a beautiful and transparent glass.
- The strawberry mixture is placed on top, and then a third of the cream again.
- Another layer is done in exactly the same way.
- The top one is sprinkled with crushed cookies.
Famous tiramisu
This Italian dessert is the most popular and loved. It is adored not only by residents of the Apennine Peninsula, but also by gourmets all over the world. To prepare tiramisu you will need the following products: 300 g of savoiardi cookies, 400 g of mascarpone, 250 ml of strong and high-quality coffee, 150 g of powdered sugar, two spoons of cognac and cocoa powder, five chicken eggs.
The Italian dessert is prepared like this:
- Strong and high-quality coffee is brewed and then combined with cognac.
- All eggs used are separated from the white to the yolk.
- The whites are placed in the refrigerator, and the yolks are mixed with powdered sugar and beaten until smooth.
- The finished mixture is added to the mascarpone and mixed.
- The cooled whites are salted and whipped with a mixer until foamy.
- After that they are combined with cream.
- Take a deep container and fill its bottom with cookies dipped in coffee.
- Then half of the prepared cream is laid out.
- Another layer of savoiardi is placed on top.
- The remaining cream is evenly distributed over the dessert and leveled.
- The dish is placed in the refrigerator for at least six hours.
- Served with cocoa powder sprinkled on the table.
If you don't want or can't use Italian cheese, then you need to figure out what to replace the mascarpone with. Some famous chefs recommend using curd cheese or very thick and fatty sour cream for these purposes.
Simple cheesecake
This dish is the most popular among Americans. People of all ages and social status love him. Today anyone can prepare such a dessert. To do this you need to buy: 500 g of cheese, 0.3 kg of cookies, 150 g of butter, 0.2 l of cream with the highest fat content, a glass of sugar, 20 g of gelatin.
Homemade Mascarpone Cheese Recipes
How to make homemade Mascarpone cheese - this question is asked by many housewives who want to prepare truly delicious dishes or desserts for tea. It’s very easy to make it yourself, at the same time you can save money and not buy an expensive product.
Mascarpone is mainly used for desserts, but it also goes well with red fish, anchovies, spices, herbs and tomatoes. We have collected the best recipes for Mascarpone cheese and cream that you can easily prepare at home. The result will meet all your expectations and you will be able to enjoy the delicate taste to your heart’s content.
Ingredients for cooking
As already mentioned, in industrial conditions, ingredients such as cream (their fat content should be 25 percent), wine vinegar, citric acid and dry white wine .
To make cheese at home, cream and a special starter are used. The fat content of the cream should be 25-30 percent. However, if you wish, you can also take a low-fat product .
The only important thing is the shelf life of the cream: it should be as short as possible (this indicates the absence of preservatives).
The higher the fat content of the cream, the thicker the consistency of the finished product . If necessary, you can add a little milk to the cream.
Freshly squeezed lemon juice , citric acid or wine vinegar can be used as a starter The specific choice depends on your preferences.
Find out on our website the recipe for real Italian pizza - secrets and cooking recommendations from the chefs!
And in this article we will tell you how to prepare classic Bolognese pasta at home and what ingredients you will need!
You can prepare a delicious Italian dessert, Sicilian-style cannoli, at home! Some tips and step-by-step instructions here:.
Cheese "Mascarpone"
An incredibly delicious cheese recipe. This Mascarpone turns out tender, creamy, it is perfect for preparing various desserts, and it’s simply impossible to tear yourself away from it. The taste is not inferior to the store bought one, all reviews say that it turns out even tastier.
Ingredients for Mascarpone cheese:
- Milk – 200 ml;
- Sour cream (at least 20% fat) – 800 g;
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice – 2 tsp.
Recipe:
- Place sour cream in an enamel saucepan, pour in milk, mix well and put on fire. Warm up to about 70-75, stirring constantly.
- Then pour in 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, stir well and simmer over low heat for another 5-7 minutes (do not bring to a boil!). During this time, the sour cream should curl into dense lumps.
- Remove the pan from the stove and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.
- Line a colander with three layers of gauze and pour the contents of the pan into it. All the liquid will drain, leaving a dense “cheese” mass. After about 40-45 minutes, roll up the contents of the gauze and squeeze lightly with your hands. The harder you squeeze, the more liquid will come out and the cheese will be denser.
- Transfer the tender, soft cheese mixture into a container with a lid and put it in the refrigerator.
The result is a very tasty homemade Mascarpone cheese with a delicate consistency, from which you can make cream, desserts, tiramisu and various snacks.
Mascarpone with vinegar
The cheese is easy to make by using white wine vinegar instead of the more common natural lemon juice.
In this case, it is permissible to take cream with a fat content of 10 percent, in a volume of 1 liter, as a raw material.
Heat the raw materials over low heat, stirring constantly. When the temperature reaches the required +85 °C, pour in a teaspoon of vinegar. The coagulation process will begin instantly. To ensure its uniformity, it is necessary to carefully and actively stir the cream, penetrating with a spoon into all corners of the pan.
After three minutes, remove the mixture, cool and leave in the refrigerator for 8 hours. After the specified time has passed, place the product in a colander covered with gauze and leave for another 6 hours to allow the whey to drain out. Next, tie the fabric as tightly as possible and hang the knot for another 6 hours.
Homemade Mascarpone recipe
Prepared from just two ingredients, the main one being cream, the cheese is very delicate, most reminiscent of real Mascarpone. You can make it at home in the kitchen with your own hands. A very simple recipe.
Ingredients for Mascarpone:
- Cream 30% - 1 liter;
- Lemon juice (freshly squeezed) – 3 tbsp.
This amount yields approximately 400 grams of cheese. If this is a lot, then halve the amount of ingredients. From 50 to 200 grams of Mascarpone is enough to make cream for a roll or a medium-sized cake.
Cheese preparation:
- Heat the cream to approximately 80 degrees, add lemon juice or citric acid diluted with water, heat over low heat for about 10 minutes. Be sure to stir and do not bring to a boil.
- Place a piece of linen cloth or gauze folded in 3-4 layers in a colander. Drain the contents of the pan through a cloth. The liquid will drain, leaving creamy soft cheese. Leave overnight so that all moisture drains away naturally.
- We transfer the homemade Mascarpone into a convenient jar with a lid. Keep refrigerated. You can add it to various dishes, make cream for cakes or other desserts.
- Then we put the cream on a linen cloth (if you use gauze, roll it in 5-6 layers) and leave it to strain overnight.
You can make tiramisu. And, of course, very tasty cream for the cake.
Mascarpone cream
As you probably guessed, in this section we will prepare homemade mascarpone, the main ingredient of which will be cream. So, the main ingredients:
- Animal cream 25% (you can take more percentage, but not less) - 1 liter
- Lemon – 3 pcs.
Among the unusual equipment we need at home, we will need a thermometer, gauze and the so-called oppression (a small bag of cereal or a jar of water is often used for it). You already have the rest of the necessary equipment in the kitchen: a knife, a board, plates, a stove, small and large diameter pans for the bath, a tablespoon, a colander and a refrigerator.
- Preparation of ingredients. Although we only have two ingredients, it is their preparation that will take most of our time. We only need cream of animal origin, so be careful when purchasing it in the store. So, pour 1 liter of cream into a saucepan of a smaller diameter. After this, we will install a thermometer, as you probably guessed, we will heat them to a certain temperature. Now take the lemons, cut them in half, wash them and squeeze the juice out of them. For mascarpone we need three tablespoons of lemon juice. Instead of lemon juice, you can prepare 0.25 teaspoon of citric acid.
- Heat the cream. We take a large saucepan and pour water into it - we will use it as a bathhouse. Place a pan of water on the stove, and carefully place the one that already contains the cream into the pan itself. Turn on the tile. Now the most important point - while we are heating the cream, it must be constantly stirred with a spoon, so we do not let it thicken. After the water in a large saucepan has boiled, you need to slightly reduce the heat on the stove and wait until the temperature of the cream reaches 85 degrees. After this, remove the pan with the cream, but do not turn off the fire. Now you need to pour in the lemon juice, stirring constantly. When the temperature drops to 82 degrees, you need to carefully return the pan to our bathhouse. We begin to heat it up, stirring thoroughly, but do not let the temperature exceed the threshold of 84 degrees.
- Determining readiness. None of the professional chefs can tell you how long it should take to cook mascarpone. After all, you can determine the degree of its readiness only by its appearance, consistency or taste. That is, we can only understand whether our cheese is ready through experience. How can you tell if your cheese is ready by looking at it? It’s very simple: when you stir the cream in the pan at the last stage described above, sometimes lift the spoon and watch the liquid drain from it - if the cream is still liquid, then you need to continue cooking. When a little time passes, you will see for yourself that the liquid becomes more viscous, like jelly, but it is better to bring it to the state of a soft dough, and then you can safely stop stirring the cream.
- Strain the whey. We're almost at the end of making this amazing cheese; we just need to do the last few steps. One of them is to strain the resulting whey. But this will have to be done in two stages. To begin with, we will wrap a colander with gauze, and place a bowl under it, onto which the liquid part of the whey will drain. When the cream seems to settle along the edges of the fabric, it will need to be carefully scraped off with a spoon and thrown into the center with the rest. After all the whey has drained, you need to put the cream in gauze, wrapped five to six times. After that, we roll them up into a bag and hang them up - it will dig all night.
- Last steps. In the morning, return the bag to the colander, we put our oppression on it. Now you should put all this in the refrigerator for nine or ten hours. You can sometimes stir our almost finished cheese, controlling its density. When it reaches the limit you need, you can remove the pressure. Your Mascarpone is ready!
Finally, a couple of tips:
- from one liter of cream you can get up to 400 grams. cheese;
- the more fatty and high-quality cream you use in cooking, the softer your cheese will be;
- do not pour out the whey - you will need it to make delicious pancakes
- Mascarpone is stored only in glass containers for three days.
- In addition to this very popular and effective method, there are several other interesting ways to prepare mascarpone at home.
Homemade creamy mascarpone cheese
This recipe uses two types of cream to give the cheese the perfect taste and consistency. The resulting 26% cream is not sold in the store, but it is the one that is most suitable for making homemade mascarpone. A culinary recipe that even professional pastry chefs use.
Ingredients:
- Cream 10% – 300 ml
- Cream 20% – 300 ml
- Lemon juice (freshly squeezed) – 20 ml
How to make homemade Mascarpone:
- This mascarpone recipe is prepared in a slow cooker. To do this, lightly grease the bowl with refined oil, pour cream into it and close it.
- Use the “Program selection” button to set the Milk porridge/desserts program. Use the “Cooking time” button to set 10 minutes and press the “Start” button.
- 3 minutes before the end of cooking, open the lid and add lemon juice.
- Cook until the end of the program with the lid open, stirring constantly.
- Pour the finished mixture into a separate container and let cool. You can leave it directly in the multicooker bowl for 30 minutes.
- Fold the cheesecloth into three or four layers, place it on a sieve or colander and place the cooled mass into it to drain the liquid. To allow all excess moisture to drain, it is convenient to place a sieve with gauze and cheese mixture in a pan and leave for 3-5 hours.
Place the finished mascarpone into a container with a lid and put it in the refrigerator.
Sour cream mascarpone
The method of preparing mascarpone at home using sour cream is also very popular. To do this you will need:
- Sour cream 800 grams
- Milk 200 ml
- Lemon juice two teaspoons.
Pour sour cream into a saucepan, pour milk on it, mix thoroughly. After this, put the pan on the fire, it must be heated to 75 degrees, stirring constantly. Add lemon juice, now you need to lower the heat so that the sour cream slowly begins to turn into cottage cheese. At this stage, some cooks, instead of stirring evenly, beat the resulting mixture until it becomes cottage cheese. After the sour cream has completely turned into cottage cheese, turn off the heat, but keep the cheese on the stove for a few more minutes. Again we repeat the familiar situation with a colander: we put the colander on a bowl, there is already gauze on the colander. Pour our sour cream on it and let it drain. Let it drain for an hour. After this, many experts assure that the cheese mass in the bag can simply be squeezed thoroughly - and then the mascarpone is ready, and it will be especially thick. Now you can add it to any of your salads or desserts.
Mascarpone cheese recipe in 5 minutes
Mascarpone cheese is a very tasty and delicate creamy cheese. It is used to prepare various spreads for sandwiches and for making desserts. Or you can have it with bread for breakfast, because it is very healthy and nutritious.
Ingredients:
- Cream, fat content 25% - 1 liter;
- Lemon juice – 15 ml.
Step-by-step recipe - how to make mascarpone cheese in 5 minutes:
From this quantity of products approximately 700 grams of mascarpone are obtained.
- Pour 1 liter of cream with 25% fat into a clean enamel pan and put it on fire. Heat to a temperature of 80-85 degrees and reduce the heat to low.
- Add 15 ml of lemon juice or citric acid. Stirring constantly, simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. The cream will curdle into large flakes. After 5 minutes, remove the pan from the stove and let cool for 20 minutes.
- We line a colander or sieve with linen cloth, or maybe with gauze folded in several layers. Place the contents of the pan in a colander with gauze. Leave the remaining mass of mascarpone cheese for 5-7 hours or overnight to drain all the liquid.
- At this time, it is advisable to put it in the refrigerator. To do this, place a colander in a pan and cover the top with cling film.
- The required time has passed, the mascarpone cheese is ready. Remove from the refrigerator, remove the film and place natural homemade cheese into a container.
Mascarpone cheese can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Recipe 5, step by step: homemade mascarpone cheese
- cream (at least 20% fat) - 1 l
- lemon juice - 3 tbsp.
Pour the cream into the pan and heat it to a temperature of about 80 degrees, it is important not to let it boil.
And then pour lemon juice into the cream.
Stirring, cook for another 10 minutes.
During this time, the cream is fermented and becomes ready for the second stage.
Next, pour the mixture into a gauze bag.
The gauze needs to be folded in several layers, tie it, filter the liquid and leave it like that overnight.
In the morning, in a gauze bag we will have a soft, oily mixture, which, in fact, is mascarpone cheese. Mascarpone hardens in the refrigerator. But if you keep it for 15 minutes at room temperature, it becomes extremely tender.
Also try making tiramisu, a delicious homemade dessert. Bon appetit!
Mascarpone cream cheese
Can be made from cottage cheese and cream. A very simple recipe, using which you can prepare Mascarpone cream quickly. But the most important thing is that it will be much cheaper than buying a finished product, because real cheese is not cheap.
Ingredients for Mascarpone Cream Cheese:
- Cream 33% fat – 200 ml;
- Cottage cheese 18% - 200 gr.
Step-by-step recipe for making Mascarpone cream cheese
- Grate the cottage cheese into a deep bowl. To obtain a perfectly tender cream, it is better to grind it twice.
- Pour cold cream into the mashed cottage cheese, stir with a spoon until smooth.
- Beat with a mixer, first at low, then at medium speed until a plastic creamy mass is formed.
- Transfer the finished Mascarpone cream cheese into a resealable container and put it in the refrigerator. Must be used within 5 days.
Mascarpone in white wine sauce
Cheese made with wine sauce is especially aromatic and tender.
What ingredients will you need?
It is important to choose the right cheese ingredients:
- wine sauce made from white wine and cream base in a volume of 5 ml.
- Only fresh cream is needed. For this recipe, a fat content of 10% is sufficient. Ingredient quantity – 1 l.
Before cooking, you need to make sure the ingredients are fresh.
Step-by-step cooking process
To prepare Mascarpone from wine sauce, you need to follow the following sequence of steps:
- Pour the cream and sauce into a thick-bottomed container. Mix the ingredients and place the container over low heat.
- When the mass begins to separate into curd and whey, the container must be removed from the heat.
- After the workpiece has cooled to 25 degrees, it must be covered with film and placed in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours.
- Next, a thick, clean cloth should be folded into 2 layers, moistened in boiled water and wrung out. Cover the colander with a cloth.
- Place a colander in a saucepan and place the mixture in it. Cover the colander with film and put it back in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours.
Ready Mascarpone should be transferred to a sealed container and stored in the refrigerator.
Mascarpone cake cream with cream
A very delicate cream made from mascarpone and cream is suitable for any cake or pastry filling.
Ingredients for cream:
- Mascarpone cheese - 250-300 gr;
- Cream 33% - 250 ml;
- Powdered sugar - 100-150 g (to taste).
How to make Mascarpone buttercream
- Pour the cold cream into a small saucepan and beat with a mixer at low speed, gradually increasing it. Beat until a thick white mass forms.
- Gradually add powdered sugar and continue beating until stiff white peaks form.
- Lastly, add the mascarpone and beat and stir at low speed. There is no need to beat for a long time, you just need to achieve a homogeneous consistency of the cream.
Ready-made mascarpone cream can be used to spread cake layers or decorate cupcakes.
Mascarpone curd cream
Using this recipe, you can make Mascarpone cream at home, which is not inferior to store-bought.
Ingredients:
- Cottage cheese - 350 g;
- Cream 20% fat - 200 ml;
- Butter - 15 g.
How to make Mascarpone cream
- Place the cottage cheese in a bowl and grind it thoroughly with a blender for 3-5 minutes.
- Add butter and beat again. The result is a dense, homogeneous curd mass without lumps.
- Mascarpone itself is quite a fatty cheese. It is the fat content that gives it such a delicate texture. Therefore, cream for this recipe must be used with a fat content of at least 20%.
- Add cream to the whipped cottage cheese gradually, several times. Continue whisking after each addition. This way you can control the thickness of the cream; depending on the thickness of the cottage cheese, you may need less cream. After all, their excess will turn mascarpone into a liquid curd mass, and this cannot be allowed.
- The result is a fairly dense, glossy and homogeneous mixture. This cream is absolutely identical in appearance, taste and composition to its store-bought counterpart.
You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days in a lidded jar or container.
Classic recipe for Italian mascarpone with cream and tartaric acid
Mascarpone at home using cream and wine vinegar can be prepared according to the classic recipe. At the same time, the cheese turns out to be very tender and with a creamy aroma.
What ingredients will you need?
Classic Mascarpone contains 2 ingredients:
Ingredient name and brief description | Quantity |
Cream with fat content from 25 to 33% | 100 ml |
White wine vinegar | 15 ml |
It is important to prepare a thermometer, thick gauze and a colander in advance.
Step-by-step cooking process
The preparation of cream cheese is carried out strictly in compliance with the following steps:
- The cream must be removed from the refrigerator and allowed to warm up in a warm place to a temperature of approximately 20-25 degrees.
- After this, you need to pour the cream and vinegar into a container with thick walls and a bottom.
- Next, the container with the contents must be placed on low heat, stirring regularly until bubbles form. The temperature indicator should be at around 85 degrees.
- After bubbles appear, after about 3-5 minutes, the cream will begin to separate into curd mass and whey.
- Then the container with the cheese preparation needs to be simmered for another 1 minute and then removed from the heat.
- It is important that the curd mass is completely separated from the whey. To do this, when the contents have cooled, you need to cover it with a cloth and put it in a cool place for 12 hours.
- Next, you need to fold sterile gauze into 6 layers, moisten it with water, squeeze it out and line a colander with it. The gauze should completely cover the work surface.
- After this, carefully place the cooled cheese mass in a colander and leave it for about 3 hours. During this time, the remaining whey should drain.
- Then the edges of the gauze need to be tied tightly, leaving no holes, forming a kind of bag. Or transfer the contents to a clean cloth bag.
- Place the gauze with the cheese mixture on a flat surface and install the press. As a press, you can use a flat plate, on top of which a jar filled with water is placed.
- Leave the cheese under pressure for at least 6 hours.
For storage, the finished cheese should be placed in a dish, covered with a lid and placed in the refrigerator. The average shelf life is 7 days.
Use in cooking, storage
Classic Mascarpone has a delicate creamy taste with sourness. It can be used as butter, to decorate sandwiches, or mixed with berries/syrup and decorated with dessert. You can make creamy soups, pies and snacks based on cheese.
Creamy mascarpone - homemade cheese recipe
The famous Mascarpone cheese is used not only for desserts; it goes perfectly with fish, meat pates, pasta, sauces, and salad dressings.
We need the following ingredients:
- Cream 30% fat – 500 ml
- Lemon juice – 1 tbsp. l. or diluted citric acid.
How to make mascarpone cream cheese
- Pour fresh heavy cream into a saucepan and, stirring constantly, heat over medium heat to about 85 degrees.
- Add lemon juice or citric acid and mix thoroughly. Continuing to stir, simmer over low heat for another 3-5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the stove and leave for 30 minutes to curdle.
- Line a sieve or colander with gauze folded in 3-4 layers.
- Pour the curdled cream from the pan into a sieve and leave for an hour until all the whey has drained through the cheesecloth into a bowl.
- Pour the whey or pour it into another container, put the sieve back on the bowl and, wrapping everything in cling film, place it in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours.
After 10 hours, the mascarpone is ready. Store homemade mascarpone in the refrigerator for 4-5 days in a tightly closed container.
Stages
The first stage is preparing the necessary ingredients. The cream is poured into a clean container into which a thermometer is installed. Three tablespoons of lemon juice are squeezed into another container.
In the second stage, you need to heat the cream to the desired temperature. When heating, the product must be constantly stirred. The cream is heated in a water bath . The temperature in the container with cream should reach 85 degrees. After this, the pan is removed from the stove.
Lemon juice is gradually poured into the cream (the product must be stirred). Then you need to put the saucepan back in the water bath and heat it to 84 degrees .
Next you need to determine whether the cream is ready. To do this, dip a spoon into them. The finished product will flow from it in a slow and thick stream. After this, you need to remove the pan from the heat and wait until the temperature of the cream reaches 45 degrees.
Then use gauze to strain the resulting cream. Leave the thick part in gauze overnight in a suspended state. In the morning, remove the gauze and place it in a colander along with the whey.
Place pressure on top and put the colander in the refrigerator for about 9 hours . After this time, your cheese will be completely ready.
Sour cream mascarpone - how to make it at home
This cheese is great for making delicious sandwiches. You can easily prepare this recipe at home and can enjoy the taste of Mascarpone at any time.
Ingredients:
- Cream 30% (preferably homemade, of course) - 0.5 l
- Sour cream 20% - 250 ml;
- One medium-sized lemon;
- A pinch of salt and sugar.
Recipe
- Remove the cream and sour cream from the refrigerator and keep them at room temperature for 25-30 minutes. It is advisable to use cream with a fat content of at least 30%; if it is lower, then a lot of whey will be formed and there will be less cheese.
- Pour the cream into a saucepan, add sour cream to it, stir.
- Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a separate cup and strain through cheesecloth to remove the seeds. Pour it into a saucepan with cream and sour cream, immediately add salt and sugar. Stir everything well. The mixture will immediately begin to thicken; you need to let it sit for about 20 minutes so that the creamy sour cream mixture is completely curdled.
- Line a colander or sieve with several layers of gauze or chintz fabric. Place the resulting thick cheese mass into it, cover with cling film so that the surface of the cheese does not dry out, and leave for 10-12 hours.
- Beat the finished thick sour cream cheese with a blender to obtain a completely plastic, smooth state.
- Transfer homemade mascarpone into a clean bowl with a lid or food container and store in the refrigerator. Use within 5-7 days.
All the recipes presented above are carefully selected. By choosing any, you can prepare Mascarpone cheese or cream for cakes and pastries at home. Good culinary success to you.
How to make mascarpone at home
Making homemade mascarpone is simple, but to maximize the effect, especially if you are preparing this cheese yourself for the first time, you should get a cooking thermometer to better control the temperature of the cream during cooking. Although I cooked by eye and everything worked out.
As for the ripening time, eight or nine hours is enough, so just cook in the evening and in the morning you will take out of the refrigerator a delicious, delicate cream cheese made by yourself and you can safely include it in your breakfast or use it as a base for dessert. Mascarpone goes well with fruits, berries, pastries and cookies - just look at sweet tiramisu.
Some people replace the juice of squeezed lemons with wine vinegar, slightly reducing the proportions, but I have no such experience - lemons appear in my house more often than vinaigre. If you often make homemade cheese, then you probably have special fabric filters for its production; if not, then use ordinary clean gauze for straining, which can be bought at any pharmacy.
The thickness and density of the cheese directly depend on the temperature and time of storage in the refrigerator - do not put mascarpone in the coldest place - 4-5 degrees Celsius is enough. The longer it is stored, the denser its structure becomes. For example, if you need mascarpone for tiramisu, it is better to use it fresh, that is, after 7 hours of refrigeration.
What else should be taken into account - the acidity of lemon juice can be different - in the classic recipe we use two teaspoons (or half a tablespoon) of juice per 0.5 liters of milk cream, but if this is not enough and the cream does not begin to thicken after seven or eight minutes When heating, add a few more drops of lemon juice.