Mascarpone cheese is a delicate creamy mass that serves as the basis for making desserts (tiramisu, cheesecake) all over the world. The first mention of the product was recorded in the 16th century in the northern region of Italy (Lombardy). This territorial affiliation of cheese is associated with well-developed agriculture in the conditions of this area. As a result, it became necessary to process milk in order to avoid spoilage of the product.
Mascarpone means “better than good” in Spanish. And indeed, the taste of soft cheese is difficult to overestimate. It is not sour, with pleasant subtle creamy notes.
This perishable product. After opening the package, the cheese remains fresh for 3 days.
Mascarpone contains antioxidants, amino acids, mineral compounds, easily digestible proteins, vitamins A, B, D, PP, C, which provide useful action nervous and cardiovascular system, bone tissue, immunity.
Harm or benefit
Mascarpone is a product obtained by mixing cream (heated to 80 degrees), skimmed from cow's milk in the process of producing parmesan with white wine vinegar or lemon juice, which accelerate the coagulation of raw materials. These ingredients cause nutritional value product. Since cheese is made from natural milk, and during the production process it is subjected to gentle heat treatment, it retains maximum nutrients.
This high-calorie product, 75% of which are triglycerides, which makes it more like a buttery cream in consistency. 100 g of mascarpone contains 412 kcal, 42 g of fat and 6 g of protein and carbohydrates.
Beneficial features:
- strengthens bone tissue, ligaments, muscles;
- improves blood composition;
- activates the immune system;
- slows down tissue aging;
- relieves excessive nervous excitement;
- relieves pain that occurs with arthritis, arthrosis;
- improves the condition of teeth, nails, skin, hair;
- stimulates brain function.
Creamy mascarpone cheese is useful for people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, sudden mood swings, joint inflammation, depression, increased irritability, sleep problems, frequent colds, and a tendency to osteoporosis. Creamy pasta It cannot be frozen, because under the influence of negative temperatures it loses its consistency and vitamin and mineral composition.
Due to the lack of proper sterilization and high fat content, the product is not recommended for young children under 3 years of age with a weak digestive system and people with milk intolerance. high level cholesterol, those suffering from excess body weight, hepatitis, hypertension, kidney and intestinal diseases.
How to cook it yourself
Mascarpone is an expensive product (400 rubles for 0.5 kg), similar in consistency to thick sour cream, which is not always found on store shelves. IN in this case Italian creamy product It is recommended to prepare it yourself at home or purchase a surrogate.
How to replace mascarpone cheese
"Ricotta", "Bonjour", "Philadelphia", "Almette", "Rama".
Mascarpone can be made from full-fat sour cream, cream with cottage cheese or lemon juice. Which of the three recipes to choose depends solely on individual preferences. Let's look at the easiest way.
To make cheese you will need only two ingredients: lemon (1 piece) and cream, 25% fat (500 ml).
Sequence of work:
- Heat the cream in a water bath to 80 degrees.
- Squeeze lemon juice, measure 20 ml. Pour into the heated cream, stir thoroughly, and let simmer for another 10 minutes.
Lemon juice starts the coagulation processes of milk protein.
- When small flakes appear on the surface of the cream, the cheese should be removed from the heat and left for 30-50 minutes. After it gets warm, curd mass separated from the whey using gauze. Squeeze out the cream and hang it over the pan to drain off excess liquid. After an hour, the cheese is transferred to a dish and kept in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Lumps formed during the preparation of homemade mascarpone should be thoroughly kneaded with a fork or broken up with a mixer.
The longer the cheese drains, the denser the structure it acquires. The cream is easier to prepare from soft paste, not completely squeezed out of the whey.
Ready mascarpone remains fresh for 3-4 days. After the expiration date, the product should not be eaten.
Remember when long-term storage In fermented milk products, pathogenic bacteria quickly begin to develop, which pose a danger to human health.
If you use expired mascarpone, you can get allergic reaction, poisoning and disorder gastrointestinal tract. These conditions are accompanied by nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, increased body temperature, fever, weakness, unbearable, acute colic. If symptoms of intoxication of the body occur, treatment should be started immediately: rinse the stomach, drink a sorbent, do a cleansing enema, drink plenty of fluids, call a doctor.
Mascarpone can be made from homemade sour cream, fat content 40%. In this case, it is laid out in gauze and left under pressure for 5-8 hours. The output, in fact, is a dehydrated cheese mass, the consistency vaguely reminiscent of soft cheese.
What to eat with
Italians have long noted that soft cream cheese mascarpone goes well not only with desserts, but also with fruits, ham, mushrooms, spicy herbs, tomatoes, seafood, anchovies, pickled chanterelles, salted, smoked fish. It is added to hot dishes to give products a more delicate texture.
Use of mascarpone in cooking:
- Pasta and polenta. Soft cheese is used as a dressing for the dish. It envelops foods, softens their taste, saturating them with creamy notes.
- Sandwiches. The cheese is mixed with mustard and finely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil) and spread on toast instead of butter. Lay sausage or ham bars on top.
- Dessert. For cooking cheese delicacy mascarpone is mixed with powdered sugar, finely chopped fresh fruits(kiwi, strawberries, raspberries, banana). This is traditional italian dessert, light and satisfying.
- Cream. Cheese whipped with sugar is used for coating ready-made buns, shortbread and honey cakes.
- Risotto. Italians add mascarpone at the end of cooking to improve its taste. At the same time, it should be taken into account that the calorie content of risotto increases.
White and rose wines highlight the taste of soft, creamy mascarpone. These include: Riesling, Sauvignon, Zanfandel, Rosé'Anjou. They have an unobtrusive subtle taste, light, in the style of a pastry shop.
Italian cheese paste made from cow's or buffalo's milk cream is also used to make ice cream, pudding, mousses, jellies, pastry creams and fruit salad dressings.
The most popular desserts using Milanese cheese are tiramisu and cheesecake. Let's consider the principle of their preparation.
Tiramisu with mascarpone
Represents Italian layered dessert, which has gained wide popularity all over the world. Literally, the name tiramisu (“tira”, “mi”, “su”) can be translated as “lift me up”. Currently, there are many variations in the interpretation of the name of the dessert. Some associate it with the fact that it lifts the mood, others with its high calorie content, and still others with a stimulating effect (due to the combination of coffee and chocolate). One way or another, tiramisu is an exquisite Italian dessert of aristocratic origin. It is believed that it was invented in honor of Duke Cosimo III de' Medici in the 17th century, although no documentary evidence of this fact has survived.
The taste of tiramisu directly depends on the freshness and quality of the mascarpone, which serves as the basis for preparing the cream. 100 g of dessert contains at least 300 kcal.
Ingredients:
- powdered sugar - 75 g;
- cocoa powder - 80 g;
- chicken egg - 2 pcs;
- rum - 60 ml;
- savoiardi cookies - 30 pcs;
- mascarpone cheese - 250 g;
- strong coffee- 200 ml.
Cooking principle:
- Whip the mascarpone vigorously with a whisk until smooth. The cheese should have the consistency of thick sour cream or heavy cream.
- Separate the whites from the yolks. The latter, in turn, are beaten with mascarpone and powdered sugar until a white mass is obtained. Foam the whites and carefully (1 tablespoon at a time) fold into the yolks and cheese.
- Mix cooled strong coffee with rum in a wide plate. Gently dip half of the savoiardi in the soaking mixture and place it on the bottom of the mold.
- Divide the cream into three parts, one of which is poured over the first layer of cookies. Carry out a similar procedure with the two remaining parts of the savoiardi. At the same time, the top layer of cookies must be filled with cream.
To level the savoiardi, tap the sides of the mold.
- Place the dessert in the refrigerator for 3-5 hours.
- Before serving, sprinkle tiramisu with cocoa using a fine sieve. This way you can avoid lumps on the surface of the dessert.
Tiramisu with mascarpone cheese is cut and served chilled in portions. If the cream warms to room temperature, it will become liquid and begin to melt.
To give nutty taste creamy dessert lady fingers (savoiardi) are sprinkled with chopped pistachios. Cookies can be replaced with biscuits. Brew coffee and cool immediately before preparing tiramisu. This way it will turn out tastier and with a richer aroma.
Cheesecake with mascarpone
Represents cheese dessert, reminiscent of the consistency of a soufflé or cottage cheese casserole. The first cheesecake appeared in Ancient Greece. Currently, there are many variations of preparation light dessert, however, its main component always remains cream cheese (Philadelphia, cottage cheese, mascarpone).
Ingredients (room temperature):
- chicken eggs - 3 pcs;
- butter - 100 g;
- vanilla pods - 1 piece;
- shortbread cookies - 200 g;
- cream 33% fat - 200 ml;
- mascarpone cheese - 500 g;
- powdered sugar - 140 g;
- strawberry and fresh mint- For decoration.
Cooking principle:
- Wrap the form with foil.
- Grind the cookies into fine crumbs, mix with softened butter.
- Form the bottom of the cheesecake from the resulting mixture. To do this, it is distributed in a baking dish, forming a cake with a thickness of 0.5 cm and a side height of 3-4 cm.
- Beat mascarpone with powdered sugar, add cream, eggs, vanilla seeds. Mix the cream thoroughly. Pour the filling onto the crust.
- Fill the baking tray halfway with water. Place the form with the blank on it. The main condition for successfully baking a cheesecake is that water should never get inside the dessert.
- Bake in the oven for 1 hour 20 minutes at 160 degrees. Then remove the cake and leave to cool in the pan. Then remove the cake.
To strengthen the structure ready cheesecake put in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Garnish with a sprig of mint and fresh strawberries.
Remember, when baking, the cheese dessert should not expand or crack. To prevent this from happening, the creamy base of the cheesecake should be whipped exclusively with a whisk. When using a mixer, it gets into the mass more quantities air, which leads to an increase in the rise of the cake and, as a result, the formation of cracks on its surface during the cooling process. In addition, it is important to bake the dessert exclusively in a water bath at a low temperature, and remove it only after it has cooled. This will reduce the likelihood of tears appearing on the surface of the top layer.
Cheesecake with mascarpone cheese – tender cheese soufflé with a creamy milky taste and notes of vanilla. To vary the taste, sweet and sour fruits (currants, raspberries, strawberries) or jam are added to the filling.
Conclusion
Mascarpone – traditional italian cheese, containing 5 times more protein than milk. The product contains useful essential amino acids- lysine, tryptophan, methionine. The lack of these compounds in the body leads to muscle wasting, disruption of blood formation, fat metabolism, phosphatides in the liver, adrenaline synthesis, and nitrogen balance.
Italian cream cheese is a source of magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, iron, vitamins A, B, D, PP, C, antioxidants.
To produce mascarpone, fresh heavy cream is mixed with citric or tartaric acid, the mixture is heated to 90 degrees, and placed in linen bags to drain excess whey. Unlike durum varieties When making cheese, no starter or rennet is added to it. Because of this, the product does not form a dense clot, but is more like thick sour cream or whipped cream with an oily structure.
At regular use Cheese improves the body's immune response, improves mood, strengthens bones, teeth, nails, and hair.
Mascarpone is a fatty product that should not be consumed by people with diseases of the digestive system (liver, intestines, stomach), obesity, or children under 2 years of age.
Remember, properly prepared mascarpone has White color, emits a creamy aroma and fresh milk, not sour with a subtle creamy aftertaste.
Able to add taste and velvety to vegetable puree soups. Broccoli soup and spinach soup, bright soup with a spicy smoky taste from baked peppers, fusion carrot soup with curry - this is far from full list first courses in which you should put mascarpone.
Typically Italian – baked tomato soup with mascarpone. To cook two large portions of such soup, you will need a kilogram of cherry tomatoes, half a liter of chicken or vegetable broth, two hundred grams of mascarpone cheese, two tablespoons of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sugar, a little salt and pepper, a spoonful of chopped basil leaves. In an oven preheated to 240 degrees Celsius, you will need to bake tomatoes sprinkled with olive oil, vinegar and spices. Before baking, it is important not to forget to pierce the skin of the tomatoes with the tip of a knife. Heat the broth, put tomatoes in it and grind with a blender. Add cheese and gently stir the soup again.
Second courses
The list of recipes for second courses in which it is proposed to add mascarpone is so large that you can make a thick cookbook. You'll have to start with various types risotto, then mention a variety pasta, seafood and finish with appetizer pancakes.
Housewives who want to please their gourmet guests should try serving chicken pockets s and mascarpone. Of the two chicken breasts you will receive four servings of this dish. Cut each breast in half and make pockets in them. In a wide, thick-bottomed pan, fry for olive oil grated carrots, finely chopped onions, garlic and celery; as soon as the vegetables turn brown, add the peeled shrimp and simmer for a few minutes. Using a blender, make a puree from half the resulting mass. Soak some breadcrumbs, add parsley and chopped shrimp. Fill the pockets in the chicken with this mixture and seal with a toothpick. Fry in a deep, thick frying pan. Add a glass of white wine, mascarpone and the rest of the shrimp mixture. To give the resulting sauce a beautiful shade, you can add a little saffron or a couple of spoons of tomato paste.
Mascarpone cheese whipped with cream and powdered sugar is an excellent pairing for fresh fruit, chocolate, coffee drinks. Delicate creamy mascarpone is great in cakes and pastries; parfaits with this cheese are airy and fragrant. The simplest dessert with mascarpone – a variation of strawberries and cream. Take a quarter kilo of large strawberries, cut them in half and put them in a bowl, sprinkling them with a couple of spoons blackcurrant liqueur. Put it aside and get busy. Take the same number of strawberries, add sugar and the same liqueur to it and put it in a saucepan on the fire. Cook for about five minutes, stirring constantly. Puree the strawberries in a blender and put them in the refrigerator. Whip mascarpone with heavy cream, add cooled pureed strawberries. Layer the sliced strawberries and cream among the molds. Serve immediately, garnished with a strawberry leaf.
Sandwiches
What could it be easier than a sandwich? In Italy they are called panini and have two pieces white bread, one hundred grams of cream cheese and several slices fresh tomatoes makes a great Italian sandwich.
Mascarpone is a world famous Italian cheese, most often used in desserts. It is made from heavy cream and tartaric acid. It was first prepared approximately 4 centuries ago in the Lombardy region, and since then its popularity has only grown.
Mascarpone has a slightly sour, soft, creamy taste and delicate homogeneous consistency. The most famous dish with mascarpone cheese - tiramisu. Cheese is often used to make cream for cakes and pastries; it also makes excellent jellies, mousses and even ice cream.
In addition to sweet dishes, it is sometimes added to appetizers and main courses; it goes well with vegetables and seafood.
Dessert
When talking about mascarpone cheese, we can’t help but talk about tiramisu. Tiramisu is a multi-layered dessert consisting of cheese, savoiardi biscuits, eggs, coffee and sugar. Sometimes cognac, rum or chocolate liqueur are added to the main ingredients.
This magnificent dessert is very easy to prepare. You need to take 250 g of mascarpone, 50 g of sugar, 2 eggs, 22 pieces of savoiardi cookies, 175 milliliters of espresso coffee, 1.5 tablespoons of cognac (optional).
First you need to brew coffee, you can simply pour boiling water over it. Separate the yolks from the whites and beat them with half a portion of sugar. Add mascarpone to the yolks and stir. Beat the egg whites with a mixer until the mixture becomes fluffy, you can add a little salt to them.
Then add sugar to the whites and beat until stable peaks form. Mix the whites with cheese and yolks, the tiramisu cream is ready. This recipe makes mascarpone cheese cream incredibly tender and tasty.
Place a thick layer of cream on the cookie layer, then another layer of cookies and a layer of cream. Place the finished dish in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight. You can sprinkle cocoa on top of the finished cake.
Tiramisu by classic recipe It is not always possible to prepare, since such cheese is a rather expensive product. Therefore, many are interested in what can be replaced with mascarpone cheese. Most often, cottage cheese is offered as a substitute; it can be used separately or mixed well with cream.
The second option is preferable, since the cream made from cottage cheese and cream is more tender. You can also make this type of cheese at home, all you need is heavy cream and lemon juice.
In addition to tiramisu, there are others dessert dishes with mascarpone.
A very tasty and light cheesecake is made from the following ingredients:
- milk – 300 g;
- butter– 120 g;
- marshmallows – 400 g;
- lemon juice – 4 teaspoons;
- cocoa powder – 3 teaspoons;
- shortbread– 350 g;
- mascarpone cream cheese – 300 g.
First you need to grind the cookies, you can use a blender, meat grinder or food processor. The butter should be melted in a water bath or in the microwave. Mix cookies and cocoa.
Add oil to them and mix. Place the mixture in the mold, compact well and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. At this time you can prepare the cream.
Then you need to add milk to the resulting mass, mix and pour in lemon juice. Pour the cream onto the cookie dough. Let it harden a little and you can decorate with berry syrup or fruit. Place the finished cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight.
You can cook the most with cheese various desserts: cakes, pastries, jellies, cheesecakes, ice cream, etc. Recipes for cakes with mascarpone cheese great amount, one of the simplest and most interesting is the recipe for the following cake.
It will require: 200 g butter, 300 g sugar, 5 eggs, 200 g dark chocolate with 70% cocoa content, 400 g cheese, 150 g flour.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a water bath. Beat 3 eggs with 200 g of sugar, add flour and the cooled mixture of chocolate and butter, mix until smooth. The cake filling is made from mascarpone, remaining eggs and sugar.
All these ingredients must be beaten well with a mixer. Then most of the dough must be poured into a baking dish, greased with oil, then pour the filling and the remaining dough on top. Bake in the oven for half an hour at 180 degrees.
Main courses and snacks with cheese
To prepare lasagna with cheese you will need: 100 milliliters of cream 23%, 250 g of mascarpone, 250 g of ricotta cheese, 3 tablespoons of pine or pine nuts, a tablespoon of butter, 3 tablespoons of parmesan, 2 large bunches of basil (leaves), a clove of garlic , 500 g lasagne sheets, salt.
Place the nuts and garlic in a mortar, sprinkle with salt and grind to form a coarse paste. Fill the mortar with the mixture with basil leaves to the brim and grind the basil with nuts, add more basil, grind, continue until the basil is gone.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of mascarpone, beat well with a fork, add the rest of the cheese and beat until smooth.
Whip the cream with a whisk and gradually add ricotta, add a little salt. Cook lasagne sheets according to package instructions and dry. You can replace the lasagne sheets with thin pita bread.
Grease a baking dish with melted butter, lay out the sheets, spread them with basil cream, put the sheets on top, spread them with ricotta cream, again sheets, basil cream, sheets, butter cream, etc.
The last layer should be brushed with basil cream and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. The laid lasagna should be baked at 200 degrees, about 10 minutes, until the Parmesan cheese has melted. Ready dish Serve garnished with basil.
Lasagna is a rather complicated dish to make and takes a lot of time. To taste cheese, you don’t have to work so hard; there’s more simple recipes. For example, you can prepare a shrimp appetizer, which is also very tasty.
Mascarpone is not exactly cheese, but rather a creamy cheese product. It has been made in northern Italy, in Lombardy, for 5 centuries. Translated from the local dialect, the word “mascarpia” means “cream”. Mascarpone was originally made from heavy cream skimmed from buffalo milk. Nowadays, Mascarpone is mainly made from pasteurized cow's milk. Buffalo milk is a very rare product, which is entirely used in the production of the equally famous Italian fresh cheese - Mozzarella. The Italian Ministry of Agriculture has recognized Mascarpone as traditional Italian product, which means that the quality of this cheese is controlled and the country is proud of its unique product.
Mascarpone, together with Mozzarella, Ricotta and Feta, belongs to the category of fresh, paste or curd cheeses. According to the European classification, traditional Russian cottage cheese can also be included here. All of them have a delicate texture and neutral taste, cook quickly and do not sit out. Fresh cheeses They are not pressed or salted; they are valuable for their freshness and softness. Advantages soft cheeses They are marred by only one drawback - they quickly deteriorate.
Unlike most cheeses, Mascarpone does not use enzymes in its production, only acids that ferment the cream. By traditional recipe hot fresh cream with a fat content of 25% to 35% is fermented with tartaric acid or white wine vinegar, modern technology allows the use of lemon juice and even citric acid. Acid is necessary for clotting (coagulation) of milk protein. The fermented cream is cooled and hung in a cool place in linen bags. In 12-18 hours, the whey drains, and a soft, delicate cream-colored mass with a sweet milky taste remains in the bags.
Absence rennet makes Mascarpone more “ethical” than other cheeses. This is important for vegetarians who do not eat meat but cannot give up dairy products.
Mascarpone is very fatty and high-calorie cheese. In terms of dry matter, its fat content is about 75%, and its calorie content is about 450 kcal per 100 g. For comparison, most hard cheeses fat content varies between 40% and 55%. However, Mascarpone cannot be called harmful: it is rich in saturated and monounsaturated fats, contains proteins, carbohydrates, potassium, phosphorus, B vitamins and vitamin A. If you control yourself and do not overeat, Mascarpone can easily fit into a balanced diet.
Due to its high fat content and inexpressive taste, Mascarpone is almost never used in pure form, and mixed with other products or added to dishes to give them creamy tenderness.
In northern Italy, Mascarpone is combined with Gorgonzola, the famous local blue cheese. It turns out that Torta di Gorgonzola is unique layered cake, in which spicy aged cheese alternates with delicate creamy cheese. Torta di Gorgonzola is served as an appetizer with light wine and can easily replace dinner. There is also a simpler option: Mascarpone Torta. This is very hearty snack, consisting of several layers of Mascarpone with layers of pesto sauce and pine nuts.
Mascarpone cheese is widely used in Lombardy cuisine as a substitute for cream or butter. It is spread on sandwiches, mixed with anchovies, olives, mustard and spices, and added to risotto and puree soups. But the main and most tasty use Mascarpone is for sweet dishes. It is impossible to imagine Tiramisu without Mascarpone; cheesecakes and gentle creams. The peculiarity of Mascarpone is that it does not lose its shape when exposed to high temperatures, and can therefore be added to sweet casseroles and pie or ravioli fillings. In Italy, desserts from Mascarpone are prepared simply: they mix it with fruits, berries, syrups and liqueurs.
Unfortunately, you can’t always find fresh Mascarpone on sale everywhere, and it’s not cheap. But it doesn’t matter - you can prepare Mascarpone yourself, and “Culinary Eden” will tell you how to do it.
You will need to find quality cream. The amount of cheese obtained depends on the fat content of the cream. So, from 1 liter of cream with a fat content of 15%, about 500 ml of Mascarpone comes out, and from full-fat homemade cream - more than 800 ml. True, there is a risk that homemade cream will harden and turn into a kind of butter. To avoid this, do not use too fresh homemade cream to prepare Mascarpone; leave it in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. If during this time the cream remains liquid, you can prepare Mascarpone. As a rule, such confusion does not occur with store-bought cream.
How to make homemade Mascarpone 
Ingredients:
1 liter of cream (15-33%),
2-3 tbsp. lemon juice
(or 0.3 tsp citric acid and 1 tsp water).
Preparation:
Heat the cream in a heavy saucepan until it bubbles (about 75°C). Dilute the acid in water, pour into the cream, stir and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Line a colander with two layers of linen, pour in the cream and let sit room temperature for 1-1.5 hours to drain the serum. Cover the colander with the cheese mixture with a napkin and refrigerate for several hours, or better yet, overnight. The mass will thicken and acquire a creamy structure. If the Mascarpone turns out to be grainy, lightly beat it with a blender.
Recipes with Mascarpone cheese
Spicy sandwich paste
Ingredients:
100 g Mascarpone,
2-3 anchovy fillets,
2-3 sprigs of fresh basil,
2-3 tsp. Dijon mustard,
Salt, black pepper to taste.
Preparation:
Finely chop the basil leaves and place in a blender bowl along with Mascarpone and other ingredients. Beat for a few seconds and serve immediately with toast.
Broccoli and Mascarpone soup
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil,
2 medium sized onions
2 cups broccoli florets,
2 liters of chicken broth,
200 g Mascarpone cheese,
pepper, salt, herbs, croutons - to taste.
Preparation:
Heat oil in a thick-walled pan or wok and fry finely chopped onion until golden color. Add broccoli florets, simmer for a few minutes, pour in hot broth, salt, add spices, bring to a boil and cook over low heat for 7-10 minutes. Cool the soup slightly, add Mascarpone, reserving a few spoons for serving. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup, pour into bowls, add a teaspoon of Mascarpone to each serving, and garnish with herbs or croutons.
Peaches with Mascarpone cream 
Ingredients for 4 servings:
300 g Mascarpone,
100 g sugar,
3 eggs,
2 tbsp. l. cognac or amaretto liqueur,
2 large peaches
1 lemon,
Cocoa, chocolate - for decoration.
Preparation:
Beat the yolks with sugar. Add cognac or liqueur, add Mascarpone and stir until homogeneous mass. Beat the whites into a strong foam, add to the mixture of yolks and Mascarpone and mix gently.
Peel the peaches, cut into slices, pour in lemon juice and place in bowls. Place cream on peaches, sprinkle with cocoa or grated chocolate. Keep dessert in the refrigerator until serving.
Quick Tiramisu without eggs
Ingredients:
500 g Mascarpone,
2 tbsp. powdered sugar,
2 tbsp. coffee liqueur,
250 ml of strong freshly brewed coffee,
250 g savoiardi biscuits,
Grated chocolate for decoration.
Preparation:
Beat mascarpone with powdered sugar. Mix cooled coffee with liqueur. Dip the cookies into the coffee for a few seconds and place them on the bottom of the mold. Place Mascarpone on top of the cookies, repeat the cookie layer and the Mascarpone layer. Cover the tiramisu with film and refrigerate for several hours. When serving, sprinkle with grated chocolate.
Looking at photos on the pages of culinary magazines, we want to get dishes that will look just as appetizing. However, in addition to appearance we need to get a good taste. Mascarpone cheese included large quantity popular dishes, will help you achieve the desired effect.
What is mascarpone
In many recipes Italian dishes there is a mascarpone component - many housewives do not know what kind of product this is. He is soft cheese, made from milk and cream. The taste reveals delicate notes of baked milk. The lightness of mascarpone is deceptive - the cheese has high calorie content, which is 450 kcal, so it is not suitable for people on a diet as part of their diet and can harm their figure.
Among the properties that allow you to understand what mascarpone is in cooking and determine its benefits cheese product, we can name the following:
- neutral creamy taste (suitable for both sweet and salty dishes);
- the presence of macro- and macroelements necessary for a person;
- the presence of a large number of vitamins;
- content of amino acids essential for the body.
What is mascarpone eaten with?
Many housewives are interested in how to eat mascarpone. Cheese is widely used in cooking: it is eaten as a separate product or included in variety of dishes, which can be made on fire, using an oven or a slow cooker. The component is used in the preparation of desserts, ravioli, variety of sauces and as a cream for cakes and pastries. Those who have tried mascarpone know well what it is, so they can easily find suitable uses.
Dessert with mascarpone
Sweet lovers who want to pamper themselves or loved ones with delicious and delicate desserts can use recipes that can be made from mascarpone:
- Cheesecake. The pie is bright and at the same time delicate taste. Its base is crushed cookies, and the filling consists of mascarpone and cream. You can add deliciousness by adding chocolate, fruits or berries, and coffee to the list of ingredients.
- Tiramisu. Famous Italian mascarpone dessert. The classic recipe calls for this cheese in combination with cookies and cocoa.
- Cakes and pastries. For these confectionery products, you can prepare cream cheese cream, which will add soft shades of taste.
- Desserts with fruits. Mascarpone in combination with cream will become an excellent, quick-to-prepare sweetness if you add a fruit or berry component.
Savory dishes
Cheese can be used not only confectionery, but also in savory dishes. In such recipes, mascarpone is often a component for sauces and dressings, where they add spices. You can use seasonings with cheese to add new flavors. vegetable salads, pasta, ravioli, fish dishes. Chefs add it to pizza sauce to make it tender.
How to replace mascarpone
A replacement for mascarpone can be found among other types of cream cheeses:
- TO dessert recipes You can substitute Philadelphia cheese. It has the consistency of melt-in-your-mouth butter. It can be used to make cheesecake, fruit desserts and other baked goods.
- If the price of mascarpone seems too high, replace it with Buko, a type of cream cheese. The product is well suited for creating creams and fillings for cakes and pies.
- The most popular substitute is ricotta cheese, which resembles cottage cheese. The difference is that this variety has a more delicate consistency. It is used for second courses. In the photo, the two products are practically identical.
How to make mascarpone at home
Lovers of Italian food can make mascarpone at home. This needs to be done using 2 components:
- lemon acid– ¼ tsp;
- cream (fat content of at least 25%) – 1000 ml.
How to cook:
- Pour milk product inside the saucepan, place over the flame and heat until bubbles begin to form.
- The next step on how to make mascarpone cheese at home is to add acid, which must be mixed with a small amount water. This liquid must be gradually poured into the hot cream. Leave the substance on the fire until it thickens.
- Prepare a clean and dry container, place a colander inside, the bottom of which should be covered with a cotton towel. Pour the cream into the prepared bowl, wait until the whey has completely drained. The product remaining in the fabric will serve as a homemade version of cream cheese.
Recipes with mascarpone
Having encountered this ingredient among necessary products, many housewives try to replace the component, since the price of cream cheese is high for many. However, if you want to get desserts, as in the photo in beautiful culinary magazines or restaurant menu, it is worth applying mascarpone directly. The product pays for its price pleasant taste and tenderness.
Buttercream
The cream base, the main ingredient of which is cream cheese, is widely used by confectioners in production. It is added to cakes, pastries and muffins. The recipe for mascarpone cream is not complicated. The basis is 75% cheese, the composition is supplemented with other delicious ingredients, which adjust the consistency and add new flavor tones.
Ingredients:
- cream 33% – 200 g;
- powdered sugar – 100 g;
- mascarpone – 250 g;
- cocoa;
- vanillin;
- liquor.
Cooking method:
- Pour the cream into a deep whipping bowl. Mix with a mixer until the milk product becomes fluffy. Then, start gradually adding powdered sugar without stopping whipping.
- If you decide to use cocoa for making, sift and add to the cream, mixing with powder.
- Mix the cream cheese well using a spoon. Gradually add cream whipped with powder to the mixture, then vanilla. Mix all ingredients well again. You can use ready-made cream.
Cheesecake
The literal translation of the word means “ cheese pie" According to its consistency popular dessert reminiscent of cottage cheese casserole. The dish is based on shortbread cookies crushed into fine crumbs, and the filling consists of cream cheese and other ingredients. Using the recipe for cheesecake with mascarpone cheese, you will get a delicious and delicate dessert, which is suitable for a holiday or tea party.
Ingredients:
- vanilla bean – 1 stick;
- mascarpone – 0.5 kg;
- powdered sugar – 1 faceted glass;
- chicken egg – 3 pcs.;
- cream (33%) – 0.2 l;
- shortbread cookies – 0.2 kg;
- butter – 100 g.
Cooking method:
- Place the cookies in a blender and grind until finely crumbled. Soften the butter and add to the base. Grind the ingredients until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
- Take a baking dish, place the cookie mixture into it, form a cake with sides, the height of which should be at least 2 cm. Place the mold with the base in the refrigerator.
- Start preparing the filling. To do this, mix the mascarpone with powdered sugar using a whisk. The result should be a mass of homogeneous consistency.
- Gradually add cream to the resulting substance, continuing mixing.
- Break one egg at a time into a bowl, stirring gently. Add vanilla.
- Remove the pan from the refrigerator and wrap the container with 3-4 layers of foil. Pour the filling in there.
- Fill a baking tray with water and place the cake pan inside. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees, place a baking sheet inside. Bake the cheesecake for 80 minutes.
- Ready dessert Remove from the mold and leave to cool at room conditions.
- When the pie has cooled slightly, place it on a plate and put it in the refrigerator. Refrigerate the baked goods for at least 2 hours.
Cake
Making a cake with mascarpone cheese is an integral part of the holidays in Italy. To make your baked goods delicious, use sponge cake, make the cream correctly. The recipe for making the filling is simple, but will require some culinary skills. You can complement the cake with fruits or berries of your choice, or decorate with chocolate.
Ingredients:
- wheat flour – 150 g;
- granulated sugar – 0.3 kg;
- mascarpone – 250 g;
- cherries (or other fruits and berries) – 0.3 kg;
- butter – 50 g;
- chicken egg – 3 pcs.;
- cream (for whipping) – 250 g;
- chocolate - 1 bar.
Cooking method:
- The first step on how to make a cake is to create the dough. To do this, beat the sugar and eggs until the sweet crystals dissolve. Then gradually add flour and knead the dough mixture.
- Split form Grease with oil and pour the dough inside. Place the workpiece on a baking sheet preheated to 185 degrees oven. The cake should bake for about 20 minutes. Soak the finished base a little with cherry juice.
- Place the washed and pitted berries around the perimeter of the cake.
- The next step is to make the cream. Mix cream and granulated sugar, add cheese to the resulting mass. Ready cream spread over the berry layer. Sprinkle with grated chocolate.
- Place the dessert in the refrigerator for about 4 hours.
Classic tiramisu
Famous airy dessert from sunny Italy. Mascarpone tiramisu can be prepared at home, it is only important to choose the right ingredients for the dish. Tiramisu based on the classic recipe is based on cookies " Lady fingers", which can be replaced with dried biscuit, and cheese with heavy cream, however taste qualities cakes will differ.
Ingredients:
- cookies – 0.3 kg;
- chicken eggs – 4 pcs.;
- granulated sugar – 100 g;
- coffee – 0.4 l;
- mascarpone – 0.5 kg;
- cocoa powder – 5 tbsp. l.;
- wine (liqueur, cognac) - for impregnation.
Cooking method:
- Take the eggs, separate the yolks, mix them with sugar until the mixture turns white. Add cheese to the mixture, using a spoon, stir until smooth.
- Place the separated whites in a separate bowl, beat until a thick foam forms. Transfer the resulting mass to the cheese, mix at a slow pace.
- Brew coffee, cool, add a little alcohol to the liquid. Cookie sticks should be dipped in the drink and placed tightly on a baking sheet in one layer. Spread half of the prepared cream on top.
- Place the next layer of cookies, moistening them in the coffee liquid. Spread the remaining cream on top. Refrigerate the prepared dessert for 3 hours.
- Sprinkle the cooled dessert with a thick layer of cocoa powder, which must be sifted through a sieve.
- Carefully divide the sweetness into portioned pieces because the cake is very soft.
Mascarpone cheese price
You can buy this type of cream cheese in specialized stores or large retail chains. If the product is not on the shelves, try ordering from an online store. Prices depend on the manufacturer and packaging, which contains 250 g or 0.5 kg of mascarpone. The average cost of 1 jar of the first volume is 100-150 rubles, and a half-kilogram package can be purchased at a price of 300-400 rubles. If you can’t buy the product, you can make it at home. The price will not change significantly, since 1 liter of heavy cream or sour cream is expensive.
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