Mascarpone-Style Cheese from Sour Cream and Milk
Creamy mascarpone — light, airy Italian cheese! As you know, mascarpone goes into all sorts of Italian dishes (and not only Italian). At the store it's usually pretty pricey, and even then you can't always find it. So making it at home is the best solution. It comes in handy whenever you decide to make tiramisu or cheesecake — you can't do those without mascarpone! This makes about 0.5 kg (1 lb) of homemade mascarpone. I once went to great lengths to find the best homemade cheese recipe. My searches often paid off, so my computer filled up with interesting recipes worth sharing. To start things off, here's how to make homemade mascarpone — at least one version of it.
Cooking method
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Step 1:
Combine the milk and sour cream and mix thoroughly.
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Step 2:
Set it over low heat and stir constantly. Use a thermometer to keep the mixture from going above 167°F (75°C). Pour in the lemon juice and stir again. The mixture will curdle during this time. The key is not to let it boil.
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Step 3:
Turn off the heat right away and let it cool. Line a colander set in a suitable bowl with several layers of damp cheesecloth.
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Step 4:
Pour the curdled milk mixture into it.
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Step 5:
Leave it for an hour to let all the excess liquid drain off properly. If it needs more time, give it another hour.
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Step 6:
Then squeeze out the cheese. Squeeze it hard for a firmer cheese; I personally like to keep it soft.
- That's it — store the homemade cheese in the fridge, or use it right away in other recipes.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Whole cow's milk - 68 kcal/100g
- Milk 3.5% fat content - 64 kcal/100g
- Milk 3.2% fat content - 60 kcal/100g
- Milk 1.5% fat content - 47 kcal/100g
- Concentrated milk 7.5% fat content - 140 kcal/100g
- Milk 2.5% fat content - 54 kcal/100g
- Sour cream of 30% fat content - 340 kcal/100g
- Sour cream of 25% fat content - 284 kcal/100g
- Sour cream with 20 % fat content - 210 kcal/100g
- Sour cream of 10 % fat content - 115 kcal/100g
- Sour cream - 210 kcal/100g
- Lemon juice - 16 kcal/100g
