Some things in the supermarket aisle- well- shouldn’t cost so much. Mascarpone is one of them. It can go anywhere from $4 to a small tub to a whopping $8! Like what?! That makes any recipe with mascarpone cheese ridiculously expensive to make. So if you’re cheap like me (or if you’re participating in this month’s Daring Bakers), you can make your own mascarpone cheese. It’s really not as difficult as you’d imagine. In fact, it’s probably easier than me making my lunch each day.
Homemade Mascarpone Cheese
Makes 12 oz. Adapted from Baking Obsession
Ingredients:
- 500 ml whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Notes: I used ultra-pasteurized and it turned out perfectly fine. But the 36% is key. I also substituted fresh lemon juice with bottled lime juice. Once again- perfectly fine. You definitely need something acidic though.
Recipe:
Using a double broiler, bring the water to a boil. Upon boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low so that it barely simmers. In a stainless steel bowl, pour in the cream and place the bowl on top of the pot.
Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. Supposedly, it takes 15 minutes but it took me half the time. If you don’t have a thermometer, you’ll know when it starts bubbling. Add in the lemon juice (or lime juice) and stir gently until the cream curdles. The cream will become thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
At this stage, you’ll see a few clear whey streaks when you stir. That’s when you know it’s done with the heat so remove the bowl from the water and let it cool for 20-30 minutes.
When the creamy mixture is cooled down (it should feel lukewarm), pour it into a lined sieve with either four layers of dampened cheesecloth or four stacked coffee filters. Don’t squeeze the cheese into the cloth/filter or press on the surface. Gravity will do all the work.
Now, all you have to do is wait. Set it into the refrigerator over night. I wrapped the filter over the top to cover it. It’ll solidify into this awesome creamy goodness. To store, cover with plastic wrap and eat within 2-3 days (tops!)
Wasn’t that easy and cheap now?
You should also check out:
- Mac n Cheese at S’mac!
- Daring Bakers: Coffee and Lemon Cheesecake
- Blackberry swirl ice cream
- Daring Bakers: Tiramisu
- Chocolate Truffle Cookies
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