Mascarpone Cheese (for Tiramisu)

 Mascarpone Cheese is used mainly in Italian cooking and is most famously used in Tiramisu and other deserts.

                          



 It is made mainly from heavy whipping cream and lemon juice or tartaric acid. I looked through various websites to make mascarpone cheese, all of them recommended using pasteurized heavy whipping cream.But when I went looking for it I was able to find ultra pasteurized whipping cream ( not pasteurized whipping cream ) and decided to go ahead with it ( as few websites said it was okay to use ultra pasteurized whipping cream  for the same ). It was also recommended to use a cooking thermometer to check the heat, it should not be a problem if you don't have one.


Just like how paneer ( cottage cheese) is made, the main ingredient (in the case of mascarpone cheese it is heavy whipping cream whereas for paneer it is whole milk), is curdled with lime juice. And the similarity ends there because when you curdle the milk in paneer we can see the paneer and whey seperating immediately whereas in mascarpone cheese, when the whipping cream is curdled, we hardly see any significant difference except for the thickening of the cream. You will understand it seeing the pictures shown and described below.

It might take more or less time than described here to make mascarpone cheese.

Active prep - 20 - 25 min

Inactive prep - 12 hrs

Ingredients :

Heavy Whipping cream ( Organic ultra pasteurized ) - 2  packs, 16 ounces / 454 gm ( 8 ounces / 227 gm each )

Lemon juice - 1 tbsp ( you can also use vinegar )

Other things required :

Cheese cloth - 4 nos ( I used 4 nos of clean men's handkerchief )

Colander

Cooking thermometer ( I didn't use this )

One large skillet

One strong bottomed, heat resistant cooking bowl

Procedure:

1. Double Boiling:

In a large skillet on medium heat, fill about one inch of water and heat till the water comes to a rolling boil.

Turn the heat from medium to low. Transfer the heavy whipping cream into the heavy bottomed cooking bowl. And place this bowl over the skillet. ( Take out some water from the skillet if it spills after the bowl is placed )

 

2. Boiling and Curdling:

Take a wooden spoon and keep stirring once in a while, you will notice that a very light coating of milk remains on the back of the wooden spoon.

Keep stirring the cream till the whipping cream reaches a temperature of 190 F, since I did not use a cooking thermometer I waited till small bubbles started forming on the surface of the cream.

This should approx take 20- 25 minutes of gentle heating. once you see small bubbles forming on the surface add the lemon juice .

After few minutes of stirring , the cream would thicken a little ( as thick as say condensed milk ).

When the back of the wooden spoon is covered with a thick layer of curdled cream, turn of the heat and cool the curdled cream for about 20 - 25 minutes.Take a colander and place the four pieces of  men's handerkerchief over it.

3. Firming:

Pour the curdled cream over the cloth ( the four layers of cloth would prevent the cream from flowing immediately and would eventually filter the whey  ) Do not squeeze or press the cloth. Place the colander along with the cream over a plate ( to prevent the whey from dripping all over) and cover the colander with a plastic wrap (saran wrap).

Place it in a refrigerator for atleast 12 hours and only after minimum 12 hours would the cheese firm up completely.
There would be a very little whey in the plate. You would get a firm and creamy cheese.

The cheese should be refrigerated until used and should be used within 3-4 days.

Masala Paneer

Total Time - 1 hour
(includes boiling and setting times)


Ingredients :

Milk
Vinegar / Lime juice - 1 - 2 tbsp
Spices like Kasoori Methi, ground black pepper. You can also use chat masala
Salt to taste

Procedure:

In a thick bottomed pan boil milk along with the spices and salt on medium heat. Stir continuously.
When the milk comes to a rolling boil add vinegar / lime juice slowly. The milk should start curdling by now. Keep stirring till the whey (greenish water) and the paneer separate.

Place a wet muslin cloth over a colander and pour the whey and paneer mix over the cloth. Wait till the whey drains completely. Compact and pack the paneer into the muslin cloth and place a reasonably heavy vessel (too light would not drain enough water, too heavy would make the paneer dry and crumbly) with a flat surface over the paneer. Let it stay for an hour [this will let the paneer set]

Now cut the paneer into cubes and use it with any gravy of your choice.

How to cook pasta Al dente

Pasta "Al dente" means that the pasta is cooked enough to be firm but not soft.

Here's the method to cook your pasta "Al dente" . I used approx 450 grams of Barilla's Penne pasta

1.Take the pasta in a bowl and wash it once or twice, add water to it such that the pasta is well submerged. To this add add a tsp of olive oil and stir it with a spoon.

2. Microwave it for 10-11 minutes approx and stir it once halfway.

3.To confirm that the pasta is "Al dente",  take one piece and press it - it should be pliable yet firm enough. If it is hard then microwave for an additional minute and repeat the press test.

4.Take the "Al dente" pasta and drain the excess water in a colander  immediately and wash it with cold water. Traces of the oil will be present on the drained pasta.


Note: The microwaving time varies with the type of pasta and the microwave setting. I would advise using shorter intervals and checking with the press test if you are not sure of the exact cooking time for your type and quantity of pasta.

Serving tip: Spread the "Al dente" pasta loosely on a flat plate and pour the sauces as per choice and  requirements  just before serving .