Homemade Mascarpone Cheese

What do you do when you have a litre of whipping cream sitting around with nothing to do?

Grab a lemon and make mascarpone cheese, of course…

Mascarpone is a thick Italian cream cheese.  Sold in tubs (at exorbitant prices), mass-produced mascarpone pales when compared to homemade.  And it’s almost as easy as making ricotta cheese or creme fraiche– just extra time in the fridge for the water to drain away and the cheese to set.

What do you do with mascarpone?

• make a tiramisu (obvious answer)
• stir it into risotto just before serving (trendy answer)
• stuff some fresh figs, bake in the oven and serve with a pomegranate syrup (off-the-cuff answer)

Or, you can do what I’m going to do with this batch:  make a Tiramisu Cheesecake.

Method:

• For every 2 cups (500 ml) of whipping cream, use 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.
• 2 cups of whipping cream yields approx 9 oz (250 g) mascarpone.

Heat the whipping cream in a non-reactive saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.

When the cream reaches 190 F, remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.  Continue stirring until the cream curdles, and is thick enough to generously coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Allow to sit, undisturbed, for 30 minutes.

Line a sieve with several layers of dampened cheesecloth (or a clean, damp cotton/linen dishcloth) and set over a bowl.  Pour the cooled cream mixture into the sieve, and allow to drain, undisturbed, until cooled completely.  Cover the sieve with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, remove the cheese from the sieve in 1 piece and stir well to make smooth and creamy.  Will keep in the fridge for 7 to 10 days.