Homemade Mascarpone Cheese

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather the ingredients you need to make the cheese. The final weight of the cheese depends directly on the fat content and quality of the cream. The fattier the cream, the less whey separates out and the more cheese you'll get. One liter of 20% cream yields about 450 g of cheese; one liter of 30% cream yields about 700 g. Mascarpone made from homemade cream turns out even tastier than from store-bought.

2. Step 2:

   

   Pour the cream into a saucepan with a thick bottom and sides. I used 20% cream.

3. Step 3:

   

   Set the cream over medium heat and, stirring often, heat it until hot. Steam should rise from the pan, but the cream should still be well short of boiling.

4. Step 4:

   

   Pour the lemon juice into the hot cream. Stirring constantly, bring the cream to 90–95°C (195–205°F). Check the temperature with a cooking thermometer. This matters! Without a thermometer, you may boil the cream and the cheese won't turn out as soft. The thermometer helps you pull the cream off the heat in time, right at the very edge of boiling.

5. Step 5:

   

   As it heats, the milk protein in the cream curdles and small, tender grains form in the mass. These grains are the fat separating out from the whey, and they'll form the base of our cheese. The more fat and less whey, the more tender and larger the cheese will be.

6. Step 6:

   

   While the cream heats, set a sieve or colander over a deep bowl and line it with cheesecloth folded 4–5 times, or a piece of thick cotton cloth.

7. Step 7:

   

   Pour the cream, heated to the right temperature (90–95°C / 195–205°F), into the cheesecloth-lined colander and leave the mass to cool completely.

8. Step 8:

   

   As the cream cools, most of the whey drains into the bowl. Pour off the whey. Carefully fold the edges of the cheesecloth over the creamy mass and put the future mascarpone in the fridge for 1 day.

9. Step 9:

   

   The next day the cheese will have firmed up enough to resemble the texture of chilled butter.

10. Step 10:

    

    Place a weight on the cheese, still wrapped in cheesecloth, and put it back in the fridge for another day. This draws out the excess moisture.

11. Step 11:

    

    The next day the cheese is ready. Homemade mascarpone has a delicate texture and tastes very much like the store-bought kind. You can spread it on bread or use it in baking. If you used 20–22% cream, the cheese will crumble when you try to cut a slice. The fattier the cream, the more tender the cheese. Enjoy!