How To Make Mascarpone Cheese

On Sunday I was scrolling through Instagram when The Pioneer Woman tempted me with the most delicious bowl of shrimp and grits. You know you spent four years in the south when you can be tempted by such things. I promptly looked up the recipe and started adding the ingredients to my weekly Walmart Grocery Pickup order. The recipe called for mascarpone cheese, which my Walmart didn't carry. I was Googling around looking for a mascarpone substitute when I found an incredibly easy recipe to make your own. 

I've been tempted by the idea of cheese making for a while now. Derek and I made our own Ricotta cheese one time when we were living in North Carolina, so I'd had a small amount of experience. As it turns out to make mascarpone, all you need is some heavy cream, and a tablespoon of lemon juice. I added them to my cart at Walmart and was on my way to some delicious shrimp and grits. If you've been tempted by the art of cheese making, this one is super easy for a beginner. 

Ingredients: 

2 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions: 
In a sauce pan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a low simmer. Once the temp gets to 180 degrees, let it simmer there for three minutes. Then add the lemon juice and let it simmer for three more minutes. 

Let the mixture cool in the pot for 30 minutes. 

Fill a strainer with cheesecloth (I used three layers), and put a bowl under the strainer. Pour the mascarpone mixture into the cheesecloth and put the entire strainer and bowl into the fridge to cool overnight. The mascarpone will be nice and thick in the morning. Lift the cheesecloth out of the strainer, place the mascarpone in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to one week.