How to make Mascarpone Cheese

How many times have you walked through the cheese aisle and looked at all that lovely cheese staring at you? And how many times have you looked at the prices and decided not to buy it? It has surely happened a lot of times to me as some of the prices are way too much (Ricotta and Mascarpone, I am talking to you!

In Dubai you can find a big variety of cheese in the supermarkets but paying so much for a small tub doesn't make sense. When I made the Tiramisu at home I had purchased a small 200 grams tub, but this combined with the cost of the biscuits, cream and coffee made the dish expensive to make at home. This time when I needed Mascarpone for a dessert I thought why not make it at home? The recipe was very easy to find as The Daring Bakers had this as a challenge some time ago and a lot of bloggers had posted their results.

I have made Paneer and Ricotta at home before and this time again I am amazed at the simplicity of it. And the best thing about it, it is so cheap!!

Recipe Source - Baking Obsession.

Ingredients
500 ml Pasteurized Heavy Cream (I could not find pasteurized cream so I used Ultra pasteurized, It tasted great to me, just use a cream with 33 - 36 % fat).
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice (I used lemon concentrate from a bottle)

Equipment Needed

1. Medium size Saucepan
2. Stainless Steel Bowl (It must fit over the saucepan, without touching the bottom).
3. Cheesecloth (I used a clean tea towel)
4. Fine Mesh Sieve
5. Candy Thermometer (Optional, but great if you have it)

1. Fill a medium size saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low so that the water is barely simmering.
2. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl on the saucepan.
 

3. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. (If you do not have a thermometer, look for small bubbles on the surface of the cream).

4. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir.

5. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.

 

You will get around 2 Cups of Mascarpone. I wish I had weighed it, but I will surely make it again and update the weight.

I made a fantastic dessert with my homemade mascarpone. Recipe coming up!!

Happy Cheese Making!!