Homemade Mascarpone Cheese

Mascarpone cheese

This is my first attempt, at making my own Mascarpone. Long story short, I found it impossible to get the temp. to 190*f. in a double boiler. So I transferred it to a heavy bottom pan, over the lowest flame possible. Worked perfectly.

1-quart heavy cream
2Tbl. lemon juice

or
1pint whipping cream
1Tbl. lemon juice

or
1cup whipping cream
1-1/2tsp. lemon juice
a thermometer
colander
cheesecloth or a thin kitchen towel

Pour the cream into a heavy bottom saucepan, and clip a thermometer onto it.
Heat the cream to 190*F. over a low flame, stirring often. turn the burner off.
Stir in the lemon juice, and try keeping it at the same temp. for 5 minutes, or until thick enough to coat a spoon. Just make sure it doesn't reach 212*F (boiling)
After 5 minutes, set it on the counter, and let cool. I allowed it to set at room temp. for two hours, to give it a bit longer, to thicken.
Line a colander with a thin kitchen towel, or several thicknesses of cheesecloth, and set it over a bowl.
Slowly pour the cheese into the colander.
Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate, at least, overnight. The longer you allow the whey to drip, the thicker it will be. If you want very thick cheese, leave it in the fridge another day.
Scrape the cheese from the cloth, into a bowl, it's ready to use.

After letting it cool 2-hours, pour it into a cloth lined colander, over a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate, overnight.

Transfer the cheese, to a container. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the cheese, clinging to the cloth.

1-quart of cream, yielded a little over 2-cups of cheese