Let's look at soft cheeses. How is mascarpone different from ricotta, Philadelphia, cottage cheese and cream cheese?

What is mascarpone

Many recipes for Italian dishes contain the component mascarpone - many housewives do not know what this product is. It is a delicate cheese made from milk and cream. The taste reveals delicate notes of baked milk. The lightness of mascarpone is deceptive - the cheese has a high calorie content of 450 kcal, so it is not suitable for people on a diet as part of their diet and can harm their figure.

Among the properties that allow you to understand what mascarpone is in cooking and determine the benefits of the cheese product are the following:

• neutral creamy taste (suitable for both sweet and salty dishes);
• the presence of macro- and macroelements necessary for a person;
• the presence of a large number of vitamins;
• content of amino acids essential for the body.

What is Mascarpone cheese - product characteristics

Mascarpone cream cheese, soft in structure, has a subtle creamy taste. They say you can eat a whole bowl without noticing. The product is unlike ordinary hard cheeses. The history of its origin leads to the Italian region of Lombardy. When preparing Parmesan from milk that had to settle, cream that was unsuitable for cooking was excluded. They are perishable, so the apprentices were allowed to collect them and grease the cakes with them. Since then, this cheese has appeared, which was named from the word “mascarpa”, that is, cottage cheese or cream.

But it also differs significantly from the curd variety of cheese products, although both are soft types. Cooking takes place using different technologies. After all, Italian cheese does not include a whey separation step. The curd mass is inherently grainy, while Mascarpone is a homogeneous, smooth mass. The taste also varies. Common soft varieties are sour or somewhat salty in tone.

How to make mascarpone at home

Lovers of Italian food can make mascarpone at home. This needs to be done using 2 components:

• citric acid – ¼ tsp;
• cream (fat content of at least 25%) – 1000 ml.

1. Pour the milk product into the pan, place it on the flame and heat until bubbles begin to form.
2. The next step on how to make mascarpone cheese at home is to add acid, which must be mixed with a small amount of water. This liquid must be gradually poured into the hot cream. Leave the substance on the fire until it thickens.
3. Prepare a clean and dry container, place a colander inside, the bottom of which should be covered with a cotton towel. Pour the cream into the prepared bowl, wait until the whey has completely drained. The product remaining in the fabric will serve as a homemade version of cream cheese.

How much does mascarpone cheese cost (types and prices)

The product is mass produced in several countries:

1. Italy . This product can be found on the shelves of any Italian store. Price in mass markets – 3-6 euros . Expensive brands sell for 8-15 euros per kg . It is a fact! Italy exports several hundred tons of mascarpone per year.
2. Russia . There is a domestically produced product on sale. The average cost is 230 rubles per 250 g .
3. Belarus . The cheese turns out very tasty, not much different from Italian. The Belarusians managed to completely repeat the recipe, so the price of the exported product is not the lowest: 700-800 rubles. per kg . Retail price is even higher.
4. Baltic States . Produces dozens of types of mascarpone. The average price is 850-1000 rubles per kg .

This is interesting! One of the most delicious cream cheeses is produced under the Unagrande brand. Not long ago, the manufacturer introduced a product with a new chocolate flavor. The product is ideal for desserts.

Philadelphia cream cheese

The Philadelphia recipe originated in the USA. To make cheese, pasteurized milk, cream and a special starter for coagulating milk protein are used. The result is a soft cheese with a pronounced creamy taste and a high percentage of fat. There is also a dietary version of Philadelphia - it is made from skim milk.

What is the difference between Philadelphia cheese and mascarpone? Both types of cheese are classified as cream cheese; in the classic version they contain a lot of fat, which is why they have a special consistency. But Italian cheese is prepared without the use of enzymes, which affects the taste.

Philadelphia is suitable for making cheesecakes, and is also widely used as an addition to seafood - it is one of the popular sushi ingredients.

Is it possible to replace mascarpone?

When preparing dishes and desserts, some pastry chefs and housewives replace mascarpone with similar products. This is done for the following purposes:

• cheaper production;
• changes in the fat content of the dish;
• reducing calories;
• reducing health risks for people with high cholesterol;
• changes in the taste of the dish.

An example of store-bought mascarpone.
This cheese has few substitutes and they are all very similar in taste.

In some traditional dishes, it is better not to use any alternatives, since nothing “fits in” more ideally than mascarpone.

What can you replace mascarpone with?

If you like to experiment with the composition of dishes, or perhaps you simply don’t have this cheese on hand, you can try replacing it with independent products or prepared analogues.

In tiramisu

The main secret of the elegant taste of this dessert is the addition of mascarpone. You can try to replace it, but do not forget that the dessert should not lose a percentage of its fat content.

1. Fat cottage cheese with cream

Add 35% cream to full-fat cottage cheese (preferably homemade cottage cheese) and mix. This consistency will vaguely resemble the taste of mascarpone.

Fat cottage cheese with cream

Using this cream in tiramisu, you will get a creamier taste from the dessert.

1. Soft cream cheese

There are many low-calorie alternatives in stores. Make sure that it says “creamy” on the packaging; you can have creamy curd, but the taste will be slightly different.

1. Soft cream cheese with cream

If, after adding regular cream cheese, it seems to you that there is not enough fat in the dessert, mix it 1:1 with heavy (35%) cream, whip it first. The cream should be unsweetened.

1. Custard with condensed milk and 2 yolks

Housewives say that this is not exactly the “right” taste, but it also has its place. Here you need to get a little confused and prepare the custard, add condensed milk and put it in the refrigerator. When adding the mixture to tiramisu, add 2 more yolks.

Custard with condensed milk

1. Village sour cream

Not the easiest way is to go to your grandmother in the village for rich sour cream. Exactly in this way, as they say, “the spoon stands.” But it can vaguely resemble the taste of mascarpone, although it will seem a little sweeter in the dessert.

1. Curd cheesecakes without glaze

You can try this extraordinary way to replace mascarpone. Buy curd cheeses without filling and glaze. But keep in mind that they already have added sugar, so you need to add less of it to the dessert.

In cream

Mascarpone cream is used for filling profiteroles and adding to cakes (especially tasty with nut tartlets and berries). And here's what you can replace it with.

The cream from the product is neutral in taste; by adding various fillers, you can change it to suit your preferences.

1. Ricotta with cream

A sibling of mascarpone, but with a lower fat content, is ricotta.

Ricotta

They always stand side by side on store shelves. By the way, ricotta is also an excellent cheese for preparing various dishes (try baked pear with it).

1. Fat cottage cheese

Use full-fat cottage cheese, or you can use grain cottage cheese. Due to its saltiness, it will add piquant notes to the cream.

1. Sour cream

As you already know, “let the spoon stand.” Take store bought at least 25%.

1. Butter

Yes, butter can serve as an excellent substitute for mascarpone, but the fat percentage should be below 80% (70-75%). You can take it with the addition of vegetable fats, for example, a spread. By the way, it will be healthier for you, especially for those who have high cholesterol levels.

In cheesecake

Cheesecake itself is not a simple dish, so any replacement of the product will be felt not only in taste, but also in appearance. If you don't need to take this cake to the perfect dessert competition, you can replace the mascarpone with something lighter. Don't forget to change the baking time slightly, making sure the cheesecake doesn't dry out.

1. Fat sour cream

You probably already realized that sour cream is everything (just kidding). But don't forget to take a higher percentage of fat content.

1. Curd and cream mixture

Full-fat cottage cheese and heavy cream together give an amazing result. They just need to be mixed together.

1. Cream cheese + sour cream + cream

You can exclude any of the products at your discretion.

1. Cream cheese with grainy cottage cheese

Also as a replacement option. Grainy cottage cheese has a peculiar salty taste; you might like a cheesecake with this alternative.

Dessert recipe with Mascarpone

The most popular dish made from soft cream cheese is New York cheesecake.

You need to prepare the following foods at room temperature.

1. 300 g cookies.
2. 100 g butter (melt).
3. 600 g soft cream cheese.
4. 150 g sugar.
5. 3 eggs.
6. 200 ml cream with more than 25% fat content.

The equipment you need is a 20 or 24 cm springform pan. The height of the cake will be at least 6 cm. The cooking method is as follows.

1. First of all, make the base. The cookies are crushed, mixed with butter, and compacted along the bottom of the mold (covered with paper). Sides can also be made, but not necessary.
2. In the oven at 200 degrees C, bake the base for 10 minutes until it becomes a cake.
3. The cheese is mixed with sugar, eggs are added one at a time. The paste is mixed each time.
4. Add heavy cream and mix.
5. The cream is transferred to the mold onto the cake layer and baked at 200 degrees for 10 minutes. Then the heat is reduced to 110 degrees for about 1 hour.
6. After turning off the oven, leave the cake there for 40 minutes. And when completely cooled, put it in the refrigerator.

Using a knife, separate the cake from the mold. The dish is cut into pieces and decorated with chocolate, jelly, and fruit.

Homemade mascarpone based on cottage cheese

Making mascarpone from cottage cheese is quite simple. Let's prepare the necessary products:

• cream, 20-25% fat – 1 cup;
• cottage cheese – 2 cups;
• butter – 1 tbsp. l.

The technology for preparing homemade mascarpone from cottage cheese is as follows:

1. First of all, prepare the cottage cheese. We pour it into the blender bowl and beat thoroughly for 2-3 minutes until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
2. After this, add soft butter to the cottage cheese and beat together with the dairy products. As a result, you get a lush, dense homogeneous mass without lumps.

Advice! Mascarpone cheese itself is quite fatty. And it is precisely due to its fat content that it acquires such a delicate texture. Therefore, it is better to choose cream for the cottage cheese macsarpone recipe with a fat content of at least 20%.

1. Add the cream into the curd mass in small portions. And here the key role is played by the rule: everything is good in moderation. An excess of cream will turn the future cheese into liquid cottage cheese, and we don’t need this at all. After introducing each portion of cream, the mixture is thoroughly mixed.
2. As a result, the result is a lush, dense mass in consistency and structure, which is not inferior in appearance or taste to store-bought mascarpone.

The recipe described above does not require cooking, which greatly simplifies the procedure for preparing homemade mascarpone. The cheese is stored in the refrigerator under a tightly closed lid in a food container for up to 4 days.

What does the price depend on?

The small Italian town of Lombardy is considered to be the birthplace of the dairy product. It was there that it was first prepared without the addition of rennet.

This is interesting! Mascarpone can be eaten by vegetarians. The composition does not contain rennet (part of the stomach of a ruminant animal, thanks to which a special enzyme is released).

The price of the product depends on 3 factors:

• country of origin;
• composition;
• cooking method.

Taste may vary from different manufacturers. Pay attention to the composition and percentage of fat content. Ideally there should be no artificial additives.

The main ingredients are cream, wine vinegar, lemon juice. The fat content of the cream must be indicated; if it is less than 75%, such a product should not be taken.

Real mascarpone has a sweetish, creamy taste. There should be no hint of sourness or bitterness. If they are present, then the recipe has been violated.

Culinary use: what is cheese eaten with?

Creamy pasta is served in many Italian restaurants with fruit and berry additions. Mascarpone is used to decorate cakes, make ice cream, and add it to salads. The presence of other ingredients is usually required. In Italian cooking, a mixture is made with blue cheese, resulting in an impressive taste. This appetizer is good with wine and served with cookies. In Lombardy, where Mascarpone’s homeland is located, it is mixed with anchovies, green additives, seasonings, and added to soups and risotto.

But the most delicious use for cream cheese is in desserts. It is used to prepare the famous cheesecake and tiramisu. As well as filling for eclairs, straws, and decorating various cakes. Giving a variety of new tastes, they add liqueur, chocolate, and fruit. It can be baked, since at high temperatures it does not deform as a filling.

Read: Diet for esophageal candidiasis: prohibited and permitted foods

Making Mascarpone

Whether at home or in production, the product is made in approximately the same way. Required:

• citric acid (or tartaric);
• fresh cream with high fat content.

Nowadays, cow's milk is used everywhere in the recipe. The mixed ingredients are placed on the fire and heated slowly. Avoid boiling, which would cause the cream to curdle. Otherwise, the cheese will not be as required by technology. The mass is transferred to gauze to hang and drain the liquid. After some period, the structure should turn into a smooth dense cream. The appearance of lumps is eliminated, as is spreading.

Cream over 30% is not an affordable product for everyone, especially in the required quantity. Therefore, some prepare similar cheese from thick sour cream.

Ingredients:

• sour cream at least 25%, 1 liter;
• 300 ml milk;
• lemon juice, 2 tsp, freshly squeezed.

Mix the sour cream evenly with milk and place in a saucepan with a thick bottom. Over low heat with constant stirring, you need to bring the contents to the first bubbles (70 or 75 degrees C). At this point, add lemon juice and stir. Turn off the heat and leave the pan covered until it cools.

The next step is to move the mass into a sieve with a double-layer gauze underneath to drain the liquid. The cheese is ready; it is placed in the refrigerator overnight or for several hours.