Mascarpone is a triple-creme cheese made from fresh cream by treatment with tartaric acid and removal of the whey, without pressing or aging.
Mascarpone is used in various dishes of Lombardy, Italy, where it is a specialty. It is milky-white in color and is easily spread. When fresh, it smells like milk and cream, and often is used instead of butter to thicken and enrich risotti. It is also the main ingredient of tiramisu.
The cheese apparently originated in the area between Lodi and Abbiategrasso, Italy, south-west of Milan, probably in the late-16th or early-17th century. The name is said to come from "más que bueno" (Spanish for "better than good"), or from "mascarpa," a milk product made from the whey of stracchino or aged cheese or it may come from "mascarpia," the local dialect for ricotta; however, it is not made by the same process, nor is mascarpone made from whey as ricotta is.
Mascarpone is often mispronounced as if it were spelled "marscapone," and also often misspelled that way.
Mascarpone Cheese (Pastry Wiz)
Check out the following recipes that are tagged "Mascarpone":
Choc Hazelnut Mascarpone Torte, Pound Cake With Mascarpone Sauce, Potato Chip Caviar, Tiramisu Dessert Pizza, Tiramisu--Italian Dessert, Tiramisu-The Dinosaur, Tiramisu Parfaits, Bailey's Frozen Chocolate Chunk Mousse Cake, Tiramisu Thane~, Tiramisu- Balducci's In New York City, Tiramisu4, Tiramisu(3), Tiramisu(4), Tiramisu- Balducci's in New York City, Tiramisu, Tiramisu, Tiramisu, Tiramisu, Tiramisu, Tiramisu(6), Tiramisu, Tira-Mi-Su, Tirami Su 1***, Tiramisu - Balducci's in New York City, Tirami Su with Coffee, Semifreddi Tiramisu, Prosciutto With Carmalized Pears, Orange Cream Mascarpone, Nora's Tiramisu, Choc Hazelnut Mascarpone Torte, Le Latini's Tiramisu, Godiva Tiramisu, Delaurenti's Tiramisu, Coffee Tirami Su***, Chocolate Cherry Icebox Terrine, Aaronson Tiramisu, Mascarpone Substitute (Fresh Cheese), Chocolate Sponge Slices, Tiramisu Cheesecake, Chocolate Velvet Mousse Cake with Raspberries, Peaches with White Wine, Mexican-Chocolate and Mascarpone Cheesecake, Mascarpone Cheesecake Tart with Nectarines, Lemon Almond Cheesecake w/Biscotti Crust, Ginger Mascarpone Cheesecake with a Chocolate Crust, Godiva White Chocolate Cheesecake, Nectarine& Mascarpone Tartlets, Mascarpone Rice Pudding, Tiramisu "Pick-Me-Up" Cake, Tirami Su"Pick Me Up Cake"
