Mascarpone: Not Just for Tiramisu Anymore

June 9, 2009 2:58 PM

I have an ungodly amount of mascarpone cheese in my refrigerator. What should I make with it? Bonus points for savory recipes.

I acquired about a pound and a half of mascarpone cheese the other week, and it just keeps sitting in my fridge, staring me down. I know I could make a big thing of Tiramisu, but I don't really want to. Things I have tried:

• Blintzes
• "Alfredo Sauce" with the mascarpone in place of butter
• Spreading on bagels (not as good as cream cheese)

I've heard mascarpone makes a mean risotto, but other than that I'm out of ideas. Thanks in advance!

posted by goingonit to food & drink (30 comments total)

My BF suggests this, it looks reaally good.. it's not savory but it uses real fruit;

Baked Crisp with Five Spiced Apples, Pears, Drunken Prunes, and Mascarpone Cream
posted by amethysts at 3:09 PM on June 9

I recently made a tiramisu-like thing omitting the booze-soaked lady fingers at the bottom and replacing them with a layer of sliced/hulled strawberries -- it was like the most heavenly cream over sweet summer strawberries. I recommend!

I frequently make recipes from Smitten Kitchen's site and this nectarine, mascarpone and gingersnap tart looks amazing!

I also once had a brownie/mascarpone thing at a party that I've had in the back of my mind. They were dense and rich and utterly delicious. Maybe do some searches on that.
posted by amanda at 3:12 PM on June 9

Cannelloni! You can also pretty much use it in place of ricotta in most dishes.
posted by trip and a half at 3:15 PM on June 9

Use some as a topping for bruschetta, or use it in a lasagne recipe in place of ricotta.
posted by arianell at 3:18 PM on June 9

First you'll want to saute some prosciutto or salami. Or, if you're a vegetarian, don't. Take it out of the pan and throw in some garlic and red pepper flakes. When the garlic starts to brown, add a can or two of Italian plum tomatoes. Crush 'em or chop 'em or buy crushed ones or something like that.

Let this simmer for a bit until it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in a big old glop of mascarpone, some fresh chopped basil, and the proscuitto. Toss with penne and serve with good bread.

OR...

Cook up a batch of polenta. As it's finishing up, stir in a bunch of mascarpone. Serve with grilled tomatoes, grilled zucchini, grilled asparagus, and/or tomato sauce.
posted by mudpuppie at 3:19 PM on June 9 [1 favorite has favorites]

Use it as you might use cream or crème fraîche in a soup, with peas or tomatoes or spinach, or classic chilled summer soups like vichyssoise or watercress or asparagus?
posted by holgate at 3:19 PM on June 9

Oh, forgot:

Boil some yukon gold potatoes. (I prefer to keep the skins on.) When fork tender, drain them. Mash with a few tablespoons of butter and a slurp or two of milk. Stir in mascarpone and chopped scallions, plus lots of freshly ground black pepper. Also some roasted garlic, if you're ambitious.

Best mashed potatoes ever.
posted by mudpuppie at 3:22 PM on June 9 [2 favorites has favorites]

Mmm, seconding the strawberries & mascarpone.

A restaurant near me also makes a really nice madeira-mushroom cream sauce (with mascarpone i think!) and serves it with polenta.
posted by soleiluna at 3:34 PM on June 9

Take pitted dates, fill them with mascarpone, put on a bit of good sea salt on top, and bake them. It's wonderful.
posted by ecab at 3:39 PM on June 9

I once had scallop and bacon pizza with mascarpone, fontina, and green onion at this restaurant. I have no idea how to make it, but it was delicious!
posted by NHlove at 3:40 PM on June 9

Macaroni and cheese with mascarpone, fontina and parmesan cheeses! Add the mascarpone and grated fontina to the hot cooked (drained) macaroni and stir to melt (add prosciutto and mushrooms if you like, but the pure version is good enough). Top with parmesan and put under the broiler to brown. Best ever!
posted by kch at 3:40 PM on June 9

You might have to make this a few times to get rid of it all but this lemon sherbert from Jamie Oliver is pretty good - you can serve it with a raspberry coulis which is pretty easy and provides good contrast to the lemon... Plus how does cheese make something fizzy? I don't get it?
posted by eb98jdb at 3:40 PM on June 9

Last time I had that much, I whipped up some sugar and cream, scrapped out some pomegranate seeds and juice, blended it with the mascarpone and made a sort of frozen mousse. Lasts for a long time that way. Being, you know, frozen and what not.

I'd be hesitant about the risotto, but whatever. Probably go great mixed with mashed or double-stuffed potatoes or into gnocchi dough. It'd also be interesting in a vegetable lasagna in place of either ricotta or bechamel.
posted by converge at 3:41 PM on June 9

Giada dumps it on pretty much every dessert she makes, so you could try that. Brownies good? Better with a glob of mascarpone cheese on top! Chocolate chip cookies good? Better with a glob of mascarpone cheese on top. Birthday cake good? Better with a glob of mascarpone cheese on top! etc.
posted by infinitywaltz at 4:02 PM on June 9

If you're willing to bake and rebake a cheesecake, Epicurious has a really good cheesecake recipe that has never failed me. If you try it, make sure you use a springform pan with a parchment paper-lined bottom. The butter and Nilla wafer crust will be a chore to remove without the paper lining. Bonus: Kitchen smells like warm vanilla wafers while baking.
posted by fujiko at 4:06 PM on June 9

Make ice cream out of it. Every year my wife makes mascarpone/black currant ice cream when the currants come in season, but you could use other fruits.
posted by rocketman at 4:08 PM on June 9 [1 favorite has favorites]

This recipe for baked salmon stuffed with mascarpone and spinach is incredibly easy and rather tasty. I'm saying this as someone who tends not to like salmon too much.
posted by saeculorum at 4:09 PM on June 9

One thing that I recently discovered and just LOVE is savory cheesecakes! We went to a dinner party where the host made two--one packed with sauteed mushrooms and one with some other ingredients I don't remember (I remember the mushrooms because I love them so). You put the cheesecakes out at room temperature and serve them with crackers and they make the best appetizers.

In that light, here's a recipe for Savory Mascarpone Cheesecake with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto which I found on Epicurious. My husband also made a savory cheesecake recipe (also w/sun-dried tomatoes but without the tomato pesto) which he found in one of Giada di Laurentiis's books, I can't remember which one.
posted by choochoo at 4:20 PM on June 9

The last (only) time we had a surplus of mascarpone, I started making Castellane with Mascarpone and Roasted Grape Tomatoes, often adding some bacon or hard sausage as well. Very yummy!

(Instead of mascarpone cheese, Neufchatel cheese works very well.)
posted by DrGail at 4:20 PM on June 9

I make a crostini with mascarpone and gorgonzola blended until smooth, strawberries and a balsamic vinegar reduction. If you don't like that idea, you can use it to make other cheeses creamy and spreadable.
posted by mikesch at 4:25 PM on June 9

I had Spaghetti with Spinach, Mascarpone, and Parmesan for dinner last night, and it was delicious.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:40 PM on June 9

(But, to be honest, I used crème fraîche instead of marsarpone, because it's half the price.)
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:41 PM on June 9

On the savory side, marscapone can be used as a cream substitute in some recipes, like this Creamy Tomato Penne with Italian Sausage.

On the sweet side, these individual chocolate marscapone cheesecakes are GOOD. (Self-link, sorry.)
posted by geeky at 5:07 PM on June 9

Pasta with peas, proscuitto, shrimp, chopped tomatoes, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the mascarpone. I usually use a tiny bit of butter and cream in this recipe, but it works beautifully with mascarpone as well.
posted by wildeepdotorg at 6:02 PM on June 9

Not savory, but... thirding (fourthing?) that strawberries and mascarpone are a heavenly combination. I love this whipped mascarpone cheese recipe, though I leave out the basalmic vinegar/lemon juice component. It's very quick and easy: whip up some mascarpone, heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla and you're set.

(I've had relatives request that I make this for family breakfasts/brunches after trying it. Really, really delicious.)
posted by anthy at 7:25 PM on June 9

This is from the Monday-to-Friday cookbook:

Salt
1 shallot or 2 scallions (green onions)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried lemon peel
1 cup cottage cheese ****
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound angel hair pasta

**** For really rich version, substitute 1/2 cup mascarpone and 1/2 cup goat cheese..

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

Peel and halve the shallot (or trim the scallions and cut them into 2-inch pieces) and drop into a food processor. Add the oil, parsley, tarragon, lemon juice, lemon peel and cottage cheese (or mascarpone and goat cheese). Puree until mixture is smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in boiling water per package directions. Drain and toss with sauce.

Note: I've made this with the mascarpone and goat-cheese variation. It's VERY rich, but very delicious. Would definitely recommend.
posted by marsha56 at 8:09 PM on June 9 [1 favorite has favorites]

My simple marscapone cheese recipe - split a peach in half, removing the seed, and grill for quite a while, till its extremely hot. You can sprinkle some sugar on the suface of the split part of the peach so it caramelises if you like. Take out, spread with marscapone (thickly) when its still very hot, let it cool down enough to eat. The combination of hot peach and slightly melted marscapone is delish!
posted by Admira at 9:52 PM on June 9 [1 favorite has favorites]

I think a savory cheesecake would use up most of the mascarpone quite deliciously.
posted by sarajane at 9:59 AM on June 10

Creamy Farfalle with Cremini, Asparagus, and Walnuts

Very easy to make and so amazingly delicious, plus asparagus is still in season I believe.
posted by ephemerista at 12:53 PM on June 10

Thanks everyone! I'm going to work through these as fast as my health and appetite will allow. The strawberries sound great, especially for this time of year, and I'm very pleased that "take some mascarpone and add it to pasta sauce" is a legitimate cooking technique. The gnocchi is also a great thought...and away I go.

I'll report back when it's gone.
posted by goingonit at 2:47 PM on June 10