Mmmmm...Mascarpone!

Crave Brothers Mozzarella & Mascarpone

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My name is Stephanie Zonis, and every month, I delve into a new cheese-related subject and offer a recommendation on a cheese I love. I am an unapologetic, unabashed lover of mascarpone. Come along with me as we discover more about this great cheese.

Overview
History Of Mascarpone
Making Mascarpone
Serving Suggestions
Company Of The Month: Crave Brothers

The first thing anyone needs to know about mascarpone is how to pronounce it correctly. It drives me crazy to hear people refer to it as “mascarpone,” especially when those people are food professionals who ought to know better! The correct pronunciation is mas-car-POH-neh. Out of respect to the cheese, this is the pronunciation I ask you to use.

Mascarpone is worthy of that respect, in case you were wondering. While it’s sometimes called “Italian cream cheese,” it resembles one of those foil-wrapped bricks about as much as a butterfly does a chicken.* Mascarpone is a soft, rich-as-Croesus cheese, ranging in butterfat content from 60% to 75%. It’s delicate in flavor, with a color rather like that of fresh cream. Although I’ve run across one source claiming that mascarpone is sometimes made from buffalo milk, I’ve never heard of it as being anything but a cows’ milk cheese. Mascarpone is most often associated with desserts, especially the classic tiramisu, but it can be used in savory recipes as well; it will add to the creaminess and flavor of a dish without overwhelming the taste.

A bowl of mascarpone from the Italian producer Grifolatte. It is an extremely smooth, slightly sweet fresh cheese that is similar to Devon Cream or Clotted Cream.

The History Of Mascarpone

Mascarpone is believed to have originated in the Lombardy region of Italy, most likely in the late 1500s or early 1600s. Lombardy, in the northern part of the country (see Italy - Lombardy the highlighted area of the map—it includes the cities of Brescia, Cremona, Mantova, Milano and Sondrio), has a rich agricultural and dairy heritage. The name “mascarpone” may come from the Spanish “mas que bueno” (“better than good”), a holdover from the days when the Spanish ruled Italy. Another possibility (and, I think, a more likely one) is that the name derived from “mascarpia,” the local dialect term for ricotta, because both ricotta and mascarpone are made by very similar processes. A third possibility is that the name comes from the word “mascarpa,” a milk product made from the whey of aged cheese. In any case, it seems likely that the initial making of mascarpone could have been simply a glorious accident.

*It is made from the cream of cow’s milk, but no cheese starter or rennet is used in its production. The moisture is drained from heavy cream using a small amount of citric acid and finely woven cloth.

Making Your Own Mascarpone

Mascarpone is a simple cheese to produce, in part because it isn’t pressed or aged. Cream is heated, then curdled with an acid. The mixture is removed from the heat and allowed to stand for some time, then drained of excess whey. That’s about all that goes into making mascarpone. If you want to try making your own mascarpone at home, there are innumerable recipes to be found online, but there’s little consensus regarding the necessary ingredients. Some recipes specify heavy cream; some insist on light cream. The one point of agreement in these formulations seems to be that the cream should not be ultrapasteurized. Cream that’s pasteurized, but not ultrapasteurized, is becoming increasingly difficult to find, but a good natural foods store or Farmers Market may carry it. For the acid, I’ve seen lemon juice, tartaric acid and white wine vinegar listed as possibilities. Because mascarpone is a fresh cheese, it should be eaten quickly, preferably within a few days of production.

Serving Suggestions

If you don’t use mascarpone in a tiramisu, what can you do with it?

If you want to get fancy, you can find recipes for mascarpone cheesecakes or elaborate dessert sauces. I’ve also seen it used as a layer cake filling and frosting, in sweet puddings, and in ice cream.
On the savory side of the culinary spectrum, mascarpone can be used as a butter substitute in risotto recipes, added at the last minute to thicken a risotto and lend an additional richness.
Italians enjoy it as a savory spread, mixed with anchovies, mustard, and herbs.
And it finds uses in multiple pasta and polenta dishes.

But to my way of thinking, the less one does to this splendid cheese, the better. Sweeten and/or thin it slightly, if you wish, and serve it with good fruit, whether it’s seasonal berries, figs, or a wine-poached pear. Or simply spread this delight on good bread, and drizzle it with honey. However you use mascarpone, it’s creamy, delicate nature is sure to please.

Company Of The Month: Crave Brothers

Crave Brothers Mascarpone Yes, they really are brothers, and their surname is Crave. George, Thomas, Mark and Charles are award-winning cheesemakers in Waterloo, Wisconsin, now milking 600 Holsteins to produce a few cheeses for which they’ve become justly famous. This is farmstead cheese, meaning it’s made on the same farm where the animals live and are milked. The Crave Brothers produce two types of mozzarella (a fresh and a “farmers’ rope” of part-skim), a washed rind cheese called “Les Frères” (get it?), and (wait for it!) a mascarpone.

Crave Brothers also makes Les Frères, a washed rind cheese in the style of Reblochon and Saint Nectaire. As it ages, it resembles Alsatian Muenster.

This is not any old mascarpone, I can tell you. The first time I tasted it, at an American Cheese Society conference, it was all I could do not to burst into song. This is a delicate, fresh, dreamy mascarpone, smoother than Don Juan himself. The label states “Take me home and taste the sweet cream difference,” and that’s not just an empty promise. This mascarpone is lick-it-right-off-the-spoon good. It will make your tiramisu soar to new heights and your risotto dance. Crave Brothers sells their cheeses (especially the mascarpone) in some upscale markets, but the mascarpone is also sold online at Rothkase.com.

If you want to find out more, surf over to CraveCheese.com


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