Fresh Mascarpone with Balsamic Cherries

Recently I took a Continuing Education course at NAIT called "Young Cheesemaking Fundamentals" - after attending Eat Alberta in April, I knew I wanted to come back to the NAIT kitchens as soon as I could. Chef Allan Roote welcomed our tiny class and got started right away. There were only eight of us, which I thought was perfect, as there was lots of hands-on learning and we could easily crowd around Chef Allan and watch his demos closely. Over the course of the night, we tasted and made yogurt, mascarpone, ricotta, mozzarella, and cheese fondue.

Homemade mascarpone being unveiled

I was giddy pretty much the whole time. We were even sent home with gift bags filled with rennet, citric acid, butter muslin (extra-fine cheesecloth), a thermometer, and recipes... as well as a huge stash of all the cheeses and yogurts we had made! I will definitely be taking more classes at NAIT - the knowledge and benefits you get from just a 4-hour course is totally astounding.

Since then, I've been eating the treats I brought back with me - the ricotta goes on my salads, the mozzarella largely gets sliced and snacked on as is, and the mascarpone... well, in a stroke of what I consider genius (or just common sense), I scooped a big spoonful of sour cherry jam from Sundog Organic Farm on top of a little dish of mascarpone and called it dessert. What a pair! I decided to zhuzh it up with some balsamic cherry compote to add tartness and some crumbled shortbread cookies to give it some crunch.

The homemade mascarpone is unlike any I've ever bought in the store - in fact, Chef Allan had us taste a spoonful of store bought mascarpone and compare it with homemade - the homemade was smooth and luxurious and subtly sweet, while the store bought stuff tasted gritty, bland, and even a little bitter in comparison. And since you only need two ingredients and a few tools to make your own mascarpone, why on earth wouldn't you?

Some tools you'll need to make your own mascarpone:

• 2 stainless steel pots (I bought mine for cheap at Army and Navy)
• An old school or digital cooking thermometer
• Some cheesecloth or butter muslin

Mascarpone with Balsamic Cherries
Makes about 2 cups mascarpone and 2 cups cherry compote
Mascarpone recipe courtesy of Chef Allan Roote, Instructor at NAIT (with some adjustments)

Mascarpone
4 cups heavy cream/whipping cream (33% MF)
1 tablespoon white vinegar (must be 5% acidity)

Balsamic Cherries
4 cups frozen pitted sweet cherries (I used PC brand)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon dark balsamic vinegar

To Serve (optional)
A few shortbread cookies, roughly crushed

To make the mascarpone:

1. Pour the cream into a large pot, preferably stainless steel or enamel (cast iron and teflon might transfer flavours of past meals to your mascarpone). Clip your thermometer onto the edge of your pot - if you don't have a clip, get ready to hold the thermometer in the cream! Your thermometer should hover in the liquid and not touch the bottom of the pot. Place the pot over moderate heat, a bit lower than medium, and gently stir with a ladle. Try not to scrape or bump the pot with your ladle, as this might transfer past flavours too.

2. Important: Once the cream reaches 140°F, pour the cream into a new pot and continue to stir over moderate heat. Changing pots will prevent the cream from scorching on the bottom. 

3. Once the cream reaches 190°F, pour in the vinegar and keep stirring for about 5 minutes until the cream changes texture: watch the surface of the liquid very closely, instead of glossy it will appear slightly fractured and lumpy, like curdled milk.

4. Remove from heat and let the cream sit for about 15 minutes to allow curds to form. In the meantime, slightly moisten your cheesecloth with water and ring it out (this will make it more maleable). Fold it in half and in half again so you have 4 layers, and place this in a strainer above a bowl to catch the whey. If using butter muslin, only fold it into 2 layers.

5. After the cream has sat for 15 minutes, ladle it gently into the cheesecloth. Fold the cheesecloth over top and allow the cream to drain until it's room temperature. Then cover the bowl and strainer all in plastic wrap and place the whole thing in the fridge to drain even more, preferably 24 hours.

6. Scoop out the mascarpone from its cheesecloth and transfer to a clean sealable container. Store in the fridge, or the freezer if you don't plan to eat it right away.

Keep gently stirring to keep the cream from scalding

To make the balsamic cherries:

1. Combine the cherries, sugar, cornstarch and water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, and allow to boil for about a minute, until thickened and glossy.

2. Remove from heat and add the balsamic vinegar - start with a splash the size of a teaspoon and add more to taste.

To Serve:

Spoon some mascarpone into a small dish and generously spoon the cherries over top. Sprinkle bits of crushed shortbread cookies and serve. Keep leftover cherries and mascarpone refrigerated.