Mascarpone

Mascarpone is a fresh Italian cheese made by heating cream and thickening it with a little acid, such as citric acid. It is thick, smooth and very rich, with a mild, slightly sweet milky taste and almost no tang. It is closer to set cream than to cheese, and it is best known as the base of tiramisu.

How to use it

• Tiramisu and desserts. Beat it with egg yolks and sugar, or with whipped cream, for a light filling. Serve plain spoonfuls with fruit, tarts or cake.
• Cheesecake and frosting. It makes a softer, richer cheesecake than cream cheese and a smooth frosting when beaten with powdered sugar.
• Savory dishes. Stir a spoonful into risotto, pasta sauces or soups at the end for richness. It melts quickly and does not split when warmed.

Take it out of the fridge 15 minutes before you start. Soften it with a spatula first, then fold in other ingredients.

Substitutes

• Full-fat cream cheese beaten with a little heavy cream, about 4 parts cheese to 1 part cream. It is tangier and firmer.
• Crème fraîche, for desserts where some tang is fine.
• Ricotta blended until smooth with a little cream, for a lighter result.
• In Sweden, kesella or kvarg mixed with cream works in cheesecakes, though it is less rich.

How to store it

Keep it in the fridge. Once opened, cover it well and use it within about 4 days. Mascarpone does not freeze well. It turns grainy when thawed.

Common mistakes

• Overbeating. Mascarpone is mostly fat. Beat it too long, especially with an electric mixer, and it turns grainy and then splits into butter. Mix on low speed or by hand only until smooth.
• Mixing it cold with warm ingredients. It seizes into lumps. Let it soften, or whisk a little of the warm mixture into it first.
• Using it in place of ricotta. They are both fresh Italian cheeses, but ricotta is light, grainy and low in fat. Mascarpone makes fillings much richer and softer.