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Homemade Mascarpone Cheese

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Homemade Mascarpone Cheese You asked for it!  Rich, creamy homemade mascarpone is so ridiculously easy, you have no excuse not to make it!

Never underestimate the power of social media.  Oh sure, Twitter, Facebook and the like can lead to the dissipation of our time and energy in unproductive pursuits. I myself have fallen down a few social media rabbit holes, only to emerge hours later, bleary-eyed and with no recollection of how the day passed.  But those times are few and far between, and I generally feel my time on social sharing channels has been well spent.  After years of strenuously resisting it, I am a convert.  It is without question the best way to promote my work on All Day I Dream About Food.  I can’t imagine writing a blog and getting anyone other than my own family to read it if I didn’t use social media.

Even as a convert, I am always a little slow to adopt the newest, latest and greatest things in social media. Case in point: Instagram.  I’ve only just really started using it with any sense of purpose and even that is rather spotty.  When it first became available for Android last year, I signed up right away, took a few fun shots of my kids, played with the filters a bit, and forgot about it.  I certainly didn’t think to take pictures of all the food I was making and eating – it simply didn’t occur to me.  I don’t have many followers on there and I don’t even really know how to grow my audience.  For me, Instagram was simply a fun way to make lousy camera shots of my kids look all cool and vintage-y.

Homemade Mascarpone Cheese

And then a few weeks ago, I happened to post a quick shot of some homemade mascarpone.  I linked it to my Facebook and Twitter accounts and I was floored by the response.  Everybody and their dog was asking how to make homemade mascarpone.  Huh, maybe there is something to this “food on Instagram” thing after all!  And of course, I am more than happy to oblige with the recipe.  Having made my own homemade cream cheese, I knew that homemade mascarpone was possible.  I came across a number of instructions online, all of which were almost identical.  In the end I followed the instructions from London Bakes, who got hers from A Pastry Affair, who got hers from a bunch of instructions on the internet, all of which were almost identical.  It seems that there is one accepted way to make mascarpone and everybody’s doing it.  Now you can too, because it’s ridiculously easy.  Even easier than making your own cream cheese.  And it’s ridiculously good.  I can’t see ever buying storebought again.

Homemade Mascarpone Cheese 3

Even though I don’t use it to advantage, I really do love Instagram.  It’s so fun to play with, I find I don’t even care if anyone else is paying attention or not.  It’s a great way to jazz up pictures of my kids, and the filters can really make a difference to a grainy, blurry camera photo.  It’s convenient too.  I almost always have my phone on me, whereas my big, heavy dSLR sits at home.  With my kids growing so fast, I don’t want to forget those spontaneous moments when we’re all having a great time.  And just because I feel like it, I am going to share a few of my favorite Instagram shots.  If you’re on Instagram too, I’d love to connect!

Fooddreamer on Instagram

bathing beauty

Brooklyn Bridge

Thanksgiving

dunes

Print
Homemade Mascarpone Cheese
Homemade mascarpone cheese is so easy, there is no reason to ever buy it again!
Ingredients
  • 2 cups heavy cream not ultra-pasteurized
  • 1 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
  1. In a large saucepan, heat cream over over medium heat to a low simmer, until it reaches about 190F (I found I had to go to about 195F to get a gentle simmer going).
  2. Stir in lemon juice and continue to cook for 5 more minutes, keeping it right at about 190F. You may have to turn your burner up and down to keep the temperature constant. Mixture will thicken to the consistency of gravy.
  3. Remove from heat and let cool. Mixture will continue to thicken.
  4. Line a sieve with a clean tea towel or several layers of cheesecloth and set over a bowl. Pour cream mixture into sieve and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.
  5. Transfer to an airtight container and press plastic wrap flush to the surface. Can be stored in fridge for about a week.
Recipe Notes

Serves 8. Each serving has about 1 g of carbs.

Nutrition Facts
Homemade Mascarpone Cheese
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 0
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Disclaimer

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

Reader Interactions

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Comments

  1. This is awesome! Thanks for sharing! The local grocery stores don’t carry Mascarpone cheese here so now all I need are some cannoli molds and I am ready to go 😉 Thanks Carolyn!

    Reply

  2. There is a picture on your Instagram of flourless brownies that look like they must be the best thing ever. Did a search on your site and did not find recipe. Will you post it sometime? Soon?

    Reply

  5. Where do you find heavy cream that is not ultrapasturized? I’ve had a recipe for marscarpone from The Cheese Queen (great instructional DVD in the intro kit) but haven’t found any. I’m in Boston too, so your source would be helpful to me. Also, does the non-ultrapasteurized caveat apply to your cream cheese recipe too? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Susan…I actually use Richardson’s and I go straight to their farm up in Middleton. I like it because although it isn’t fully organic, their cows are mostly pastured and only fed grain in the winter. And their cream is un-homogenized too. You actually have to shake the container to mix it up before pouring it out. I know they sell it Jordan’s in Reading too, but I think you have to call and order ahead because they don’t keep it on hand. It’s cheaper to get it straight from the farm (it’s really inexpensive too!). I think the cream cheese would work with ultra-pasteurized. I think I’ve used just whatever half and half I have on hand.

      Reply

      • Thanks.. I’m carless, but I’ll keep it in mind. If the growers market in Boston/Haymarket ever gets going, perhaps that will become a source. I just checked Ricki’s (Cheese Queen) page and she does say that some brands of ultrpasteurized will work, but that you don’t know ahead of time. I may try it with the Heavy cream I have on hand just to see.

        Reply

        • Whole Foods brand heavy cream is not UP. So if there is a WF at an acceptable distance you can get the cream there 🙂

          Reply

    • Almond muffin tops. It’s just my almond crusted butter cake batter baked in a muffin top pan!

      Reply

  9. Why can’t I pin this recipe on Pinterest? It’d too good not to share plus that’s where I store my recipes. I do follow you there. Thanks

    Reply

  11. I’m in the same boat as you with regard to Instagram. I never remember to use it, or that I even have it on my phone and iPad. Heck, I don’t think I’ve ever even looked at my account there. I guess I should remedy that.

    Regarding the mascarpone, I’m floored by the ingredients. Considering the cost of a container in the store, I figured it had a little gold dust in it or something. Thank you for sharing the recipe. I’m definitely making this!

    Reply

  14. I am highly allergic to lemon anything so I am wondering if you could use lime or orange instead. I’ve never tasted mascarpone cheese, so I would really like to make this.
    Thanks for any info you could offer.

    Reply

  17. So excited to read this!!! I never knew you could make mascarpone at home… and the ingredients are so simple!
    I just started using Instagram seriously for my blog too; I love it! I was like you, when it first came out I just used it for the filters; I didn’t even realize all the social media stuff going on with it! That picture of your daughter is so cute. 🙂

    Reply

  18. If you don’t have any cheesecloth, you can strain your mascarpone using a big coffee filter. I line a handled strainer with the coffee filter, pour in the cream mixture & set it on a big measuring cup overnight to drain. It makes cleanup sooooo easy.

    Reply

  21. I just wanted to say how greatful UI am. I’ve been making and aging my own cheeses (cheddar, parmesan, riccotta, cream cheese (although, I do this fro greek yoghurt which I also make), mozeralla,and have been meaning to start Blue. At no point did I think about mascarpone, until now. I’m on the seive step as we speak Looking forward to thetira masu U’ll be making.

    Reply

    • Hi, if you want to make real Italian tiramisu, you will need also : the blue gobanni (needs to be drained), sugar or honey, amaretto, very strong coffee, baby biscuits, cacao.
      If you like, write me and I give you the recipe. If you have ever been in Europe…

      Reply

  23. Hi I just made this mascarpone cheese, however as I was heating the cream, there were pieces of oil substance above the cream so may I know if I had done something wrong? And will it fail?

    Reply

  25. I made this a few days ago, and we just finished the lot today. Oh, but I doubled the recipe! 😉
    Needless to say, we really liked this quite a bit. However, while the cheese was delicious, it was definitely not like store-bought mascarpone– not in texture, which was expected, but also not in taste. It was so different that we actually couldn’t bring ourselves to call it mascarpone, since it didn’t have any of the sweetness associated with the cheese. It was more like solidified cream.
    I was wondering whether this is normal? Did I perhaps not heat the cream high enough (I waited for bubbles to appear on the cream’s surface, but didn’t have a thermometer handy), or add too little acid?

    Reply

    • I have not tried it yet but in general mascarpone is rather a little sour. The beauty of it is you can spice it even with herbs or just add a little sugar or honey to it to make it sweet- just how you prefer.

      Reply

  26. Just made your maracapone recipe after not being able to find any at the store.. So easy!! It was fabulous in the cream sauce we made for shrimp scampi. Thanks for the life saving post!

    Reply

  27. Trying this, multiplied everything x 3 because I’m making a big cheesecake. So far so good, it’s in the fridge and looks legit. I used freshly squeezed lemon juice not tartaric acid like some suggest (it’s a lemon cheesecake). I’m going to use some blackberries and strawberries and powered sugar to make a Fruit Coulis to cover the cake with. Then going to use the cake to blackmail my GF into cutting my hair.

    Reply

  29. I never realize it was so simple to make but can I use half & half instead of heavy cream ? Mom Goose 55. THANK-YOU

    Reply

    • I don’t know that half and half will work, but if it does, it may not have that sweet taste that mascarpone has from all the cream.

      Reply

  30. Thank you so very much for sharing this recipe. You are such a blessing. We can not get this cheese in our area.

    Reply

  31. Is what strains out whey that can be used in fermenting natural products? It would seem that it would work that way, because I typically use lemon juice in warmed milk to mimic buttermilk in buttermilk biscuits. I was just wondering if anyone could confirm.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  5. […] The mascarpone I used was homemade – one of the most satisfying things you can do with some cr… – and this had a looser texture than the stuff you buy in the shops. If you’re using shop-bought, I suggest you beat it a little beforehand to break down the set structure and make it softer and more dollopable (that is definitely a word!). Or, you could substitute a drizzle of double cream and serve your scrambled eggs in the French style. Both ways are outrageously yummy. […]

    Reply

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