Homemade Mascarpone Cheese

As promised, here's the recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese. Comparing to the Homemade Ricotta Cheese which I've made months ago, this is really much easier and takes less time to make. Mascarpone Cheese is very expensive, and I have always hesitated to buy them, so I have done a search from the internet on how to make my own Mascarpone Cheese. What I've noticed, was that, almost all of them uses the same recipe with the same ingredients and measurements. 

There are only two ingredients which you will need, heavy cream and lemon or lime juice. The equipments that you will need, are, a saucepan, a big piece of muslin cloth, a strainer, and a bowl.

Use a heavy cream which is Pasteurized but not Ultra Pasterusized, check on the carton that there is no UHT (Ultra Heat Treatment) appears on the carton, if there is, then that carton of cream is Ultra Pasteurized.

(A note on the heavy cream, some sites did mention that even when using UHT cream, it would work for soft cream cheese like Mascarpone, so it is up to your own judgement to decide. The Anchor brand that I've used is UHT cream, and it works for me!).

Here's how to make your own Homemade Mascarpone Cheese :

In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream over a medium heat until it comes to a simmer, if using a thermometer, it should read at 190F (88C). Be careful not to burnt the bottom. Stir in the lemon juice (I've used lime juice), and continue to heat for 5 minutes at the same temperature, stirring constantly. The cream should thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, have ready a strainer which is large enough to accommodate the amount of the heavy cream. Place four layers of cheesecloth over the strainer and place the strainer over a bowl to catch the whey from the cheese, which is really very little. 

When the cream has come to room temperature, pour the cream onto the cheesecloth, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerature, for 8-12 hours or overnight. (Sorry, I have forgotten to take the photo of the cream at this stage).  The picture above is after an overnight rest in the refrigerator.

The cheese is thick and creamy. I was all smiles when I see this! Yay! It works! My very own Homemade Mascarpone Cheese!

Scoop the cheese out and place in a container, and store in the fridge if not using immediately. It will keep for about a week.

Homemade Mascarpone Cheese, very creamy and tasty! Really easy to make, no excuse not to try this out!  :)

I know that some of you would want to know how it tastes like compared to the store-bought ones. I have not eaten ready-made Mascarpone Cheese as it is, as I have always eaten it when it was already used in desserts, mostly Tiramisu Cake! From what I gather from the internet, homemade Mascarpone is creamier and tastier than store-bought. The only way to find out is, try this out yourself! 

Once you have made your own Mascarpone Cheese, there are endless recipes out there for you to try! I have made this lovely Tiramisu. And there are a couple more recipes which I've been eyeing, that will have to wait until I make my next batch of Homemade Mascarpone Cheese.

Tiramisu dessert in a glass,  made using my Homemade Mascarpone Cheese.

Homemade Mascarpone Cheese
(adapted from various sources from the internet)
Yield : about 1-1/2 cups
2 cups heavy cream, pasteurized (not ultra pasteurized)
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (or 1-1/2 tbsp lime juice)

1. In a large saucepan, heat heavy cream over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. If using a candy thermometer, it should read 190F (88C). Be careful not to scorch the bottom.
2. Stir in the lemon (or lime) juice and continue to heat, maintaining the same temperature of 190F (88C) for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. The cream should be thick enough at this point, to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes.
3. Place a strainer lined with 4 layers of cheesecloth over an empty bowl. Scoop the cream onto the cheesecloth, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator together with the bowl, for 8-12 hours, preferably overnight.
4. When finished straining, scoop the cheese to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator if not using immediately. It will keep for about a week.

(The whey collected is really very little, about a quarter cup of so. Discard the whey.)

I'm linking this post to Little Thumbs Up event, where the ingredient for this month is Cheese, organized by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY, hosted by Alice of I Love.I Cook.I Bake

and to :

Credit Crunch Munch hosted by Angela of My Golden Pear, for Camilla at Fab Food 4 All and Helen at Fuss Free Flavours

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