Mascarpone cheese is great, but can be hard to find. Here's a simple recipe that you can use at home to make mascarpone. It isn't 100 percent authentic (authentic recipes use a bacterial culture), but it doesn't require any hard to find ingredients, eit
INGREDIENTS (for 8 servings):
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
PREPARATION:
Pour cream into a metal bowl, and place over a pan of simmering water. Heat until warm. Stir in the cream of tartar, and continue to heat and stir until the temperature reaches 180 degrees F. Remove from the heat.
Line a colander or strainer with cheesecloth, and place over a bowl. Paper towels also seem to work well. Pour the mixture into the strainer, and let it drain for several hours, or overnight in the refrigerator. Spoon the resulting cheese into a clean container and use within one week. Store in the refrigerator.
Note:You may substitute 3 tablespoons of lemon juice for 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar. Using lemon juice will impart a lemony flavor.