Mascarpone cheese: an Italian cream cheese

Mascarpone cheese is a soft Italian double or triple cream cheese. It typically has 60-75% fat content, depending on the producer, which gives it a super spreadable, silky consistency. The texture is closest to cream cheese or clotted cream, but with a slightly sweeter and more buttery flavor.

Mascarpone cheese originated in Abbiategrasso and Lodi in northern Italy. The landscape of this part of Italy boasts large lakes and rolling mountainsides that lend to rich alpine pastures, creating some of the richest cow’s milk in the country.

Traditionally, mascarpone cheese was made from the fresh milk of cows that have grazing pastures filled with fresh herbs and flowers. Mascarpone cheese is a fresh cheese that is most commonly made with pasteurized cow's milk.

Mascarpone is used in both sweet and savory dishes. It is added to enhance the flavor of the dish without overwhelming the original taste. The cheese tastes best with anchovies, mustard and spices, or mixed with cocoa or coffee. The cheese may be best known as an essential ingredient in tiramisu, an Italian coffee and chocolate dessert.
Mascarpone cheese: an Italian cream cheese