Mascarpone Delivery or Pickup

Mascarpone is an Italian double or triple cream cheese that originated during the Renaissance in northern Italy's Lombardy region. (Want to pronounce the name correctly? Try: mahs-car-POH-nay.) You might be familiar with Mascarpone as a key ingredient for tiramisu, the dessert made from Italian coffee and chocolate. However, you'll find uses for this cow's milk cheese in a range of savory dishes as well, thanks to sweet and silky Mascarpone's rich texture. This texture comes from a particularly high amount of saturated fat.

You'll recognize Mascarpone as an especially smooth cream cheese. Mascarpone is ivory in color and easy to spread. Expect a flavor that's slightly sweet while still tasting milky. As for texture, the rich and buttery characteristics come from the Mascarpone's high butterfat content. Mascarpone products can have up to 75% butterfat or milkfat.

You can make Mascarpone yourself or buy the cheese from commercial producers. Commercially made Mascarpone follows the same general process as homemade Mascarpone. To create Mascarpone, cheesemakers add acid to fresh cream to cause the cream to coagulate. This process creates curds. The curds are then gently cooked over a steady heat until they get to a consistency similar to creme Fraiche.

Mascarpone uses citric or tartaric acid instead of rennet, an enzyme produced in animals' stomachs, to thicken and solidify cream. At home, many cooks use lemon juice for this process. Once the whey is drained, you get the soft, buttery, fresh Mascarpone. Fresh Mascarpone can be packaged and immediately distributed.

When choosing Mascarpone products, you'll find that Mascarpone typically costs more than cream cheese produced domestically. Mascarpone products made by U.S.-based brands creating the cheese in the Italian style are generally less expensive than imported Mascarpone products. You'll find both domestically and internationally produced Mascarpone in the dairy or cheese sections of supermarkets.

You will typically purchase Mascarpone in a tub. Always store this tub in the refrigerator. Storage time is approximately a week, but check the use-by date on your package to verify the exact storage time for your Mascarpone product.

You'll want to use a container of Mascarpone within a few days once you open the tub. Mascarpone goes bad quickly. To store unused portions after opening the tub, seal the lid tightly and return the tub to the refrigerator.

You'll know Mascarpone has gone bad if its color or aroma is unattractive or if it develops mold. If any of these items occur, discard the entire tub or package.

If you have a tub of Mascarpone that you don't think you'll use quickly enough, you can also safely freeze Mascarpone. However, freezing will affect the cheese's texture. The cheese may also separate when defrosted. As a result, defrosted Mascarpone is best used in cooked dishes. You can safely freeze the cheese for a few months.