Mascarpone cheese is an Italian cheese made from cream. The luscious silk texture make this cheese extra special – One of those heavenly foods, which can be used in many elegant dishes. Call it – The Silky Smooth, yummm
Home made Mascarpone cheese is a pleasure. There was a sence of achievement, when I got it perfect. And I am very happy to share this remarkable and delicious recipe today. Mascarpone in the grocery store is outrageously expensive, 800 rs for 500 gm box ! crazy man——- so I thought it will a good idea to make it home.. This is a simple home recipe and can be made with the basic ingredients from the fridge.You need only two ingredients 1. heavy cream 2. any acidic juice like lemon juice or even citric acid. The basic technique is very simple, and it only requires 10 minutes to make it home, but has to kept in the fridge for some time. In a single line – Home made Mascarpone is uncultured A simple result we get using dairy, acid, and heat.
The cheese is slightly sweet in flavor and there is a slight tangy finish at the end of the flavor. Mascarpone should have very smooth texture, with no lumps and graininess. I think it is thicker than fraiche or even whipped cream. The texture is great, very silky and easy to spread and frost. It can be wonderfully mixed with some fruits or deserts and even can be good with savoury dishes.
A basic understanding of the science, a few techniques and the recipe is all you need. The equipment you will need — a candy thermometer for the pan, and a piece of ultra fine cheesecloth for draining out the excess liquid from the cheese. Simply put, the recipe is just bringing heavy cream up to a boil, and then adding lemon juice to coagulate and thicken it. You will end up with an incredibly rich cheese.
Tips to remember while making
1. Don’t let the temperature of the cream go beyond 190* F – if the temperature is increasing on the boiler, you can remove the pan from the flame while continuing stirring. That is the reason we need a thermometer.
2. The lemon juice should be at room temperature.
3. When you pour the thickened cream onto the cheese cloth; let it sit there and don’t try to drain out the water. Don’t get desperate at this stage because after few hours you will find a nice thick textured cheese.
4. Do not expect the cream to curdle, because heavy cream doesn’t curdle like milk does.
5. If you don’t have ultra fine cheese cloth, you can put several layers of cheese cloth.
6. Dont forget to cover, when you place the mascarpone cheese in the fridge.
