Homemade Mascarpone Cheese

Mascarpone is an Italian cheese made from cream which is coagulated using citric acid/lemon juice (source:Wiki).
        Making mascarpone cheese at home is quite easy.I was quite unsure during the process as I was making it for the first time but after seeing the results am quite happy for trying it out.I absolutely love the texture and taste of it.

Recipe source:  Baking Obsession.

Ingredients:

Heavy whipping cream (I used 34% fat cream)	400 ml
Lemon juice	1 tblsp

Method:

• Heat 1 inch of water in a wide skillet and let it boil simmer the flame to medium -low.

• Take the cream in a metal heat resistant bowl and place it over the water in the skillet.

• Heat the cream, stirring often.It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating.
• You will see minute bubbles start appearing over the edges. Add the lemon juice at this stage and continue heating the mixture,stirring gently,until the cream curdles. 

• The cream will become thicker and cover the back of a spoon thickly and you can see few clear streaks when you stir.Remove the bowl of cream from the skillet and allow to cool for 10 mins.

• Line a colander with dampened cheese cloth and place it over a bowl.Pour the cream over the cheese cloth.Don't squeeze or press the cheese at any point.Cover it with a cling wrap and refrigerate for around 10-12 hrs.

• Here is how it looks once its set.(Mine got set in about 12 hrs).Now the cheese is ready to use.